Steven Curtis Chapman and Kix Brooks are among the nominees for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The two are nominated in the Songwriter/Artist category, along with Phil Vassar and Steve Earle.
Steven penned many of his biggest hits over the years, including “His Strength is Perfect,” “The Great Adventure,” “I Will Be Here,” “Cinderella” and more.
“Blown away with this nomination,” Steven posted on social media after the news was announced. “Thank you Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame!”
Steven wrote “Together (We’ll Get Through This)” at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, enlisting Brad Paisley, Lauren Alaina and Tasha Cobbs Leonard to join him on the uplifting song.
“I’m always prone to process my whatever’s going on in the world and how it’s affecting me with a song,” Steven told Everything Nash. “The world’s going through devastation. I’m watching people, just seeing a look in their eyes of, ‘Am I ever going to survive this? Am I ever going to smile again and is the sun ever going to shine again?’ I know that feeling. And so when something connects deeply with me, I process it with a song. Obviously you couldn’t be breathing and have a pulse and not be deeply affected by what’s going on in the world.”
Kix has penned several of Brooks & Dunn’s singles with his duo partner, Ronnie Dunn, who was previously inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. Among the many hits Kix co-wrote are “Brand New Man, “My Next Broken Heart,” “Only in America” and more.
Eight songwriters were also nominated for induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, including Tia Sillers, Kent Blazy and Brett James. Each writer earned their first Top 20 hit at least 20 years ago. Two songwriters and one songwriter/artist will be voted on by their peers, with a separate body of voters voting on a veteran songwriter and veteran songwriter/artist. Both categories require the nominees to have had their first Top 20 hit at least 30 years ago.
Due to COVID-19, the annual Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony has been moved to 2021. More details will be announced at a later date.