George Strait, Lyle Lovett, and Taylor Swift Join Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

Strait gave a rare speech, Lyle Lovett praised the late Guy Clark, and Lainey Wilson sang for Swift at the 56th anniversary gala

The buzz may have been around Taylor Swift being in the building at Monday night’s Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but the evening wouldn’t have been as exceptional without the pop superstar’s fellow honorees.

Each one, or their proxies, rose to the occasion, delivering speeches that offered their own insightful take into the magic of writing songs. Lyle Lovett talked about the efforts of his band and musicians, who helped make what he wrote “seem like real songs,” and spoke about the impact of the late Guy Clark on his career. Lee Thomas Miller celebrated the confines of windowless writing rooms and the catharsis that occurs inside, while also vowing to fight technology’s march toward erasing flesh-and-blood-songwriters. And George Strait, who received the Career Maker Award, flipped the name of his special honor on its head.

“I think they got this turned around, because they made my career. I didn’t make theirs,” Strait said of songwriters in a rare speech. “I’ve always loved coming to Nashville and recording here and being here and being around these guys and seeing them from time to time. I just want to say thank y’all. All of you who sent songs my way and made my career. I appreciate it very much.”

Bluegrass picker and hit songwriter Shawn Camp, “Hey! Baby” singer-songwriter Bruce Channel, and former member of Buddy Holly’s Crickets, J.I. Allison, who was inducted posthumously, rounded out the honorees. Each was also saluted in song.

Nashville’s honky-tonk torchbearer Chuck Mead performed in honor of Allison, delivering “That’ll Be the Day” with his swinging trio of Marty Lynds on drums and Mark Andrew Miller on bass. Lee Roy Parnell sang Channel’s “Hey! Baby.” Kathy Mattea interpreted “If I Had a Boat” for Lovett. And Verlon Thompson, with Emmylou Harris, paid homage to Camp with his “Magnolia Wind.”

Jamey Johnson’s performance of “In Color,” for Miller, rounded out the evening. But even that stoic reading of a CMA-winning Song of the Year couldn’t escape the glow of Swift: Prior to his performance, Johnson remarked that he had just traded the pop superstar’s father, Scott Swift, one of his guitar picks for 12 Taylor Swift picks.

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During her speech, which was preceded by Lainey Wison’s stripped-down version of “Love Story,” Swift recalled a milestone anniversary: — the 20th anniversary of her self-titled debut album.

“I am shocked and stunned to say that as of a couple days ago, that album is 20 years old. I’ve been very fortunate I’ve gotten to genre hop and travel the world and write with so many different people and in so many different ways. And the only reason that I’ve been able to have that kind of dexterity in my creative process is because of the fundamentals and the foundation that I learned here in Nashville,” Swift said.

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“I’m so incredibly honored to be inducted into this sacred club,” she continued, “especially at this point in my life.”

At 36, she is now the youngest-ever member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.