The legendary Chic co-founder becomes chair of the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and announces first new album in 25 years
Multiple Grammy-winning composer, producer, arranger and guitarist Nile Rodgers has been unanimously elected chairman of the Songwriters Hall Of Fame by the directors at the annual board meeting. Rodgers will serve for a three-year term following Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, who were co-chairs for the past three years.
“Nile is respected and admired by his fans and his peers alike for his multi/cross-genre music and for being a musical pioneer,” said Linda Moran, SHOF President and CEO. “More importantly, Nile’s eloquence in talking about songwriting and its process makes him the ideal voice for the songwriting community as Chairman of the SHOF.”
”I am truly honored and beyond humbled to be elected by such an esteemed group as this illustrious board,” Nile Rodgers commented. “I will try and serve with all my heart. I hope I can make you half as proud of me as I am to even sit in the room with you who’ve done so much for the furtherance of composition. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve the songwriting community.”
As the co-founder of Chic, Rodgers pioneered a musical language that generated chart-topping hits like Le Freak – the biggest selling single in the history of Atlantic Records – and sparked the advent of hip-hop with Good Times. Rodgers transcends all styles of music across every generation with a body of work that garnered him inductions into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (2017) and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame (2016).
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond to honour those whose work represents a spectrum of the most beloved songs from the world’s popular music songbook. Visit the Songwriters Hall Of Fame website at songhall.org
It has also been announced that Nile Rodgers & Chic will be releasing their first new album in 25 years, It’s About Time this September. Find out more at nilerodgers.com
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