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On Aug. 6, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announced its 2025 inductees. Among the six new faces joining the ranks of country music’s most skilled and dedicated songwriters is Steve Bogard, an industry veteran whose been penning hits since the 1970s.
Over the years, the Grammy-nominated songwriter’s work has been recorded by a wide variety of artists, including Dierks Bentley, The Four Tops, Reba McEntire, and Jack Ingram. Rascal Flatts’s breakout hit, “Prayin'g for Daylight,” is a Bogard-penned tune. His big break came in the late 1970s, when his song “Touch Me With Magic” was released by country music performer Marty Robbins and went on to become a hit single.
Back cover of Marty Robbin’s 1979 album “The Performer,” featuring hit song “Touch Me With Magic” by Steve Bogard. Internet Archive. Public Domain
Steve Bogard has written 10 number one country songs including George Strait’s, “Carried Away” and “Carrying Your Love with Me,” and Rascal Flatts’ career breaker, “Prayin'g For Daylight.” Courtesy of Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame
Over decades-long career, the songwriter has garnered more than 20 awards across music industry organizations such as American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), as well as two Grammy nominations for his work with Bentley.
One of Music City’s hardest-working musicians, Bogard began fulfilling his dream of helping fellow songwriters in 2006 by stepping into the role of president of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), an organization focused on helping songwriters navigate the country music industry as well as protect the integrity of their compositions.
Bogard was the organization’s longest-serving president in 2013 when he stepped aside to allow a successor to fill the role. But in 2017, he was re-elected as NSAI navigated the passage of the Music Modernization Act, a bill with an updated copyright law for the digital age of streaming and its musicians. He stepped down at the close of his second tenure in 2024.
“Every songwriter in the United States owes him a handshake and thank you for his work,” shared Bart Herbison, the executive director of NSAI, in a statement about Bogard featured at news publication MusicRow.
Joining Historic Company
The 2025 nominees for Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Courtesy of Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame
Artists who will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside Bogard include guitarist and songwriter Brad Paisley, whose many hits include “Letter to Me.” The contemplative ballad is rich with storytelling as the “I’m Gonna Miss Her” singer looks back on his youth.
Other inductees include Emmylou Harris, Don Cook, Jim Lauderdale, and Tony Martin.
The 2025 inductees are set to join historic company. Founded in 1970, the initial members posthumously inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame include “I Saw the Light” singer Hank Williams, considered a pillar of country music songwriting, and Jimmie Rodgers, a talented yodeler referred to as “The Father of Country Music.” Singing cowboy Gene Autry and “I’ll Fly Away” gospel songwriter Albert E. Brumley are other notable inaugural members.
A Thriving Community
The hall of fame refers to Nashville as “a songwriter’s town.” Since its inception, the organization has strived to pay tribute to the heartbeat of its thriving community by focusing on “honoring Nashville’s rich songwriting legacy through preservation, celebration and education.”
“Its purpose is to educate, celebrate and archive the achievements and contributions made by members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame to the world.”
In 2013, the nonprofit expanded its reach, opening a space in the heart of downtown Nashville, in the area’s Music City Center, to showcase its members and their stories. The Music City Center will also serve as the location for the 2025 hall of fame ceremony.
Bogard and his fellow class of 2025 members will be inducted on Oct. 6.
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Rebecca Day is a freelance writer and independent musician. For more information on her music and writing, visit her Substack, Classically Cultured, at ClassicallyCultured.substack.com
