Taylor Swift makes history as Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee: See the full class of 2026
"CBS Mornings" exclusively revealed the star-studded roster of 2026 inductees to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, celebrating artists whose work has left a lasting mark on music history, with some making history themselves.
At 36 years old, Taylor Swift has become the youngest woman by nearly a decade to be bestowed with the honor. Swift is joining a long list of legends in the coveted Hall of Fame.
Here are this year's new inductees, many of whom have written the soundtrack to our lives.
2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees
- Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley
- Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
- Alanis Morissette
- Terry Britten and Graham Lyle
- Kenny Loggins
- Walter Afanasieff
- Taylor Swift
Meet the members
Leading the class of 2026 is Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, who came together in 1973 to form the unlikely creative partnership that became KISS.
"No, I didn't like [Simmons] at all. There's days he annoys me now," joked Stanley in a 2014 interview with CBS News special correspondent Anthony Mason.
But the two Jewish New Yorkers bonded over their backgrounds and shared work ethic. With Stanley, Simmons said, "One and one is three."
Next is Christopher "Tricky Stewart," who co-wrote and co-produced Beyoncé's blockbuster hit "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." Raised in a musical family in Markham, Illinois, Stewart was writing songs by age 12.
His big break came in 2007, with what he calls the "single most important song" he's ever written: Rihanna's "Umbrella." He once told MTV about the song's success, "When she recorded the 'ellas,' you knew your life was about to change if you had anything to do with that record."
You oughta know the next artist on the list: Alanis Morissette.
Morissette's breakup anthem, "You Oughta Know," was written from what she described as fractured devastation. With her blistering lyrics, the Canadian singer set off a cultural earthquake. Her 1995 album, "Jagged Little Pill," sold 33 million copies worldwide.
"When I write songs, everything that jumps to the fore – lyrically and musically – is that which I have sublimated or repressed. So, it's all my unconscious writing," she told "CBS Mornings" featured host Vladimir Duthiers in November.
Other Hall of Famers, Terry Britten and Graham Lyle helped lift Tina Turner from soul singer to superstar, writing many of Turner's greatest hits, including "What's Love Got To Do With It" and "We Don't Need Another Hero."
Britten also wrote many hits for Cliff Richard, like "Devil Woman." Meanwhile, Lyle – and his bandmate Benny Gallagher – wrote "A Heart in New York," famously performed at Simon & Garfunkel's 1981 concert in Central Park.
Kenny Loggins' songwriting career has had many chapters, from performing in the 70s with Jim Messina to going solo to writing with Michael McDonald. In the 80s, he became the king of soundtracks with music featured in "Caddyshack," "Footloose" and "Top Gun."
"There's just a part of my brain that's kind of scoring everything," Loggins said in a 2022 PBS interview.
Then there's Walter Afanasieff, who co-wrote and co-produced Mariah Carey's No. 1 smash, "Hero." And then again, for the holiday classic, "All I Want For Christmas is You."
"We'd play musical ping pong," he's said of his more than 11-year collaboration with Carey.
Raised in San Francisco, Afanasieff played keys with Narada Michael Walden, co-writing a James Bond theme for Gladys Knight.
Last but not least, there's Taylor Swift.
Since signing a publishing deal at 14 years old, Swift has gone on to land 69 songs in the Top 10. Thirteen of those - her favorite number - have hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart.
Swift's newest album, "The Life of a Showgirl," became Spotify's most streamed album in a single day in 2025.
In a 2019 interview with "CBS Sunday Morning," Swift said many of her songs are written overnight, when inspiration unexpectedly strikes
"It's usually in the middle of the night. Or if I'm trying to get to sleep and I can't and then I get an idea. And I'm, like, 'Well, I'm not tired anyway!' And then kind of wander over here," she told correspondent Tracy Smith, gesturing to her piano.
