Missy Elliott becomes first female hip-hop artist inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame
For nearly 50 years, the Songwriters Hall of Fame has recognized the achievements of the people who put words and music together. "CBS This Morning: Saturday" revealed the six artists of the 2019 class. One of them is Missy Elliott, the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted.
The other five songwriters are Yusuf Islam, John Prine, Tom T. Hall, Dallas Austin and Jack Tempchin.
In addition to becoming the first female hip-hop artist, Missy Elliott's induction also makes her just the third rapper to be included in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Grammy-winning emcee has written for Beyoncé, Janet Jackson and Mary J. Blige, in addition to having her own influential solo career.
The British-born Yusuf Islam, who came to fame as Cat Stevens, was one of the most successful singer-songwriters of the 1970s when he released nine straight gold or platinum albums. Some of his most famous tunes include "Wild World," "Peace Train" and "Father & Son."
John Prine joins the hall with a catalog of songs that have been recorded by Bette Midler, Johnny Cash and Bonnie Raitt. Writing, Prine has said, "is about a blank piece of paper and leaving out what's not supposed to be there."
Kentucky's Tom T. Hall, known as 'the storyteller,' wrote a dozen No. 1 country hits like "Old Dogs, Children & Watermelon Wine," which Rolling Stone ranked as one of the 100 greatest country songs. But he may be best known for the No. 1 smash Jeannie C. Riley had with his song, "Harper Valley P.T.A." in 1968.
Dallas Austin wrote TLC's first No. 1 hit, "Creep" in 1994. Austin has also written hits for Boyz II Men, with Madonna on "Secret" and with Gwen Stefani on "Cool."
Jack Tempchin wrote his best-known song on the floor of a club in El Centro, California, scribbling the words on the back of a poster. Then, in 1972, the Eagles recorded "Peaceful Easy Feeling" on their debut album. Tempchin would co-write more hits for the band including "Somebody" and "You Belong To the City" with its leader Glenn Frey. Now Tempchin belongs in the hall.