Country music veterans Brad Paisley and Emmylou Harris will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame this fall, joining a distinguished class of songwriters to be honored for their contributions to American music.
The announcement was made Aug. 6 during a press conference at Columbia Studio A in Nashville. The 2025 class also includes Jim Lauderdale, Don Cook, Steve Bogard, and Tony Martin. The official induction ceremony will take place on Oct. 6 at the Music City Center, marking the Hall of Fame’s 55th anniversary.
Paisley, a three-time Grammy winner and prominent figure in contemporary country music, was elected in 2024 but requested to defer his induction to this year. Known for penning many of his own chart-topping hits, Paisley’s songwriting credits include “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song),” “Letter to Me,” “He Didn’t Have to Be,” “Alcohol,” and “Remind Me,” a duet with Carrie Underwood.
Over the course of his career, he has placed 41 songs on the Billboard Hot 100.
Harris, who has earned 13 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008, is recognized for her work blending folk, country, and Americana. She is credited for writing and performing enduring songs such as “Boulder to Birmingham,” “White Line,” and “Heartbreak Hill.”
Singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale will be inducted into the contemporary songwriter-artist category. His songwriting catalog includes solo works such as “I Feel Like Singing Today” and “She’s Looking at Me,” along with compositions recorded by other artists, including “Gonna Get a Life” by Mark Chesnutt and Patty Loveless’s “Halfway Down.”
Steve Bogard and Tony Martin, both influential in shaping the sound of modern country radio, will be honored in the contemporary songwriter category. Bogard co-wrote hits such as George Strait’s “Carried Away,” Rascal Flatts’s “Prayin’ for Daylight,” and “Every Mile a Memory” by Dierks Bentley. Martin’s credits include “Baby’s Gotten Good at Goodbye” by Strait, “A Little More Summertime” by Jason Aldean, and Keith Urban’s “You Look Good in My Shirt.”
Veteran songwriter Don Cook, who will be recognized in the veteran songwriter category, has written or co-written hits including Brooks and Dunn’s “Only in America,” Steve Wariner’s “Small Town Girl,” and “I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again,” performed by T. Graham Brown.
“Gathering as we do each year—to reveal and welcome the members of our incoming class—is truly one of the highlights of our calendar,” Hallworth, chair of the organization’s board of directors, said in a statement. “To these outstanding songwriters, we say thank you for sharing your songs and your artistry with us.”
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970, and with this year’s class will have 253 inductees.
