The grand master of funk is now in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. George Clinton, creator, and longtime leader of the Parliament/Funkadelic empire, is among the 2025 inductees to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He’s being joined by The Doobie Brothers, George Clinton, and The Beach Boys’ Mike Love, as well as Ashley Gorley and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. The new members were announced last Wednesday live on CBS’s “This Morning.” Clinton, who actually began as a songwriter with Motown, is among the pioneers of funk. His songs have provided the genre with international popularity. His role in working with Parliament-Funkadelic played a key role in shaping the sound of hip-hop and creating enduring dance floor anthems. The groups and Clinton’s biggest hits like “Give Up the Funk” and “Flashlight” rightly earned him a reputation as a master of funk, and he once declared his music was “the DNA for hip-hop.”
Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, known for his work with pop superstars like Destiny’s Child, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson, is being inducted for his groundbreaking contributions to R&B and pop. He began his career at 15 and went on to pen hits like “Say My Name,” “It’s Not Right but It’s Okay,” “Telephone,” Deja Vu,” and “The Boy Is Mine.” Ashley Gorley’s songwriting has contributed to 80 No. 1 hits and nearly 500 overall releases, including “I Had Some Help,” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen, “Play It Again” by Luke Bryan and “You’re Gonna Miss This” by Trace Adkins. Raised in Kentucky, Gorley moved to Nashville to pursue his dream. He was named the Nashville Songwriters Association International Songwriter of the Decade for 2010-19 and the 2023 Songwriter of the Year by both Variety and the Academy of Country Music. The Doobie Brothers came out of San Jose, California in the 1970s and have built up a dedicated following in that five decades. The band became known for its dual sound – first with the guitar-driven lineup of Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons, and later the soulful sound with Michael McDonald. Their hits like “Black Water,” “Long Train Runnin’” and “What a Fool Believes” have made a lasting impact on music and earned them a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. Tony Macaulay, a British producer, and songwriter is being honored for his work in the 1960s and ‘70s. Macaulay is behind hits like “Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations and “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)” by Edison Lighthouse. He also wrote for artists like The Fifth Dimension and David Soul. His songs were also recorded by prolific artists like Elvis Presley, Donna Summer, Sonny and Cher, Bon Jovi, and Olivia Newton John. In addition to his traditional songwriting credits, Macaulay holds the rare title of Composer to Her Majesty the Queen. He was commissioned to write a piece to celebrate the monarch’s sixtieth birthday. In 1986, it was performed by six thousand children at Buckingham Palace, in the biggest rehearsed musical event in history.
Mike Love already has a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Beach Boys.. Now, he’s joining the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his role in crafting the iconic surf sound of the ‘60s. Along with his cousins, Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, The Beach Boys blew up well beyond the West Coast, with hits like “I Get Around,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “Kokomo,” and “California Girls.”
Copyright TNTRIBUNE 2025. All rights reserved.
