Taylor Swift, Lyle Lovett to be inducted into Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

Taylor Swift and Lyle Lovett are among those to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the organization announced Tuesday.

Bruce Channel, Shawn Camp and Lee Thomas Miller will also be inducted as the Class of at the Hall’s 56 Anniversary Gala later this year. Mark Ford, executive director, made the announcement at Belmont University’s R. Milton and Denice Johnson Center.

“This is always one of the most anticipated days on our calendar – the annual reveal of our incoming class,” said Ford. “We’re excited to once again add new names to a legendary list that began more than a half century ago,” said Ford.

Swift was chosen in the contemporary songwriter/artist category, Camp and Miller as the contemporary songwriters, Channel as the veteran songwriter and Lovett as the veteran songwriter/artist.

Swift was born in Pennsylvania and moved to Hendersonville, Tennessee, in 2004. She was the youngest writer signed to Sony/ATV Tree Music Publishing at 14, the youngest writer in the company's history, and recorded her own debut album shortly after. Swift wrote or co-wrote all the songs on her 12 studio albums, including hits “Teardrops On My Guitar," “Love Story” and "Blank Space."

Additionally, Swift recently made history as the youngest woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, headquartered in New York.

Lovett grew up near Houston, Texas and found success with a blend of genres and witty lyrics. He earned top 20 hits such as “Cowboy Man” and the Grammy-nominated “She’s No Lady.” Lovett received the first Trailblazer Award from the AMA and has been recognized by the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.

Shawn Camp grew up in Perryville, Arkansas and got his start playing fiddle for country stars including The Osborne Brothers and Alan Jackson before charting his own singles in 1993. He's credited with writing hits like “Two Piña Coladas” by Garth Brooks, “Would You Go With Me” by Josh Turner and “River Of Love” by George Strait. Camp’s song “A Beautiful Time” became the title track for Willie Nelson’s Grammy-winning album and he’s also known for several hits in bluegrass music.

Lee Thomas Miller was raised in Kentucky and started playing guitar at 11. He moved to Nashville in 1991 and landed his first number-one with Joe Nichols’ “The Impossible.” He wrote “You’re Gonna Miss This” for Trace Adkins, which became ACM Single of the Year and “In Color” for Jamey Johnson, which won CMA Song of the Year in 2009. Miller’s other songwriting credits include tunes for Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw and Chris Stapleton.

Bruce Channel came from Texas and started performing in the late 1950s. He co-wrote and recorded “Hey! Baby!” which became a huge hit in 1962 and later appeared in “Dirty Dancing.” Channel also wrote “Stand Up” by Mel McDaniel and “Party Time” by T.G. Sheppard. He was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.

Nominees for the songwriter/artist category alongside Swift included Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton and Phil Vassar. Nominees for the songwriters' category included Jim Beavers, Rodney Clawson, Dallas Davidson, Marv Green, Neil Thrasher and Chris Tompkins.

These five will join the Hall’s 254 prior inductees and the organization honors writers from every genre. The Hall of Fame is managed by the nonprofit Nashville Songwriters Foundation and has been highlighting songwriting excellence in Nashville since 1970.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala is one of the biggest events in the music business, featuring surprise performances and tributes from well-known artists. Induction into this Hall of Fame is considered one of the highest songwriting honors in the country.