First Artists Announced To Present And/Or Perform At The SongHall 40th Anniversary Gala

New York, N.Y. – May 25, 2009—Clint Black, Daughtry, Kara DioGuardi, Berry Gordy, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr., Joe Nichols, John Ondrasik, James Taylor, Ryan Tedder, Rob Thomas and Paul Williams are the first artists to sign on as presenters and/or performers for the 2009 Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards 40th Anniversary gala, slated for Thursday, June 18th, at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel. The event, once again produced by Phil Ramone, begins with VIP cocktails at 6pm, dinner at 7pm and the show begins at 8:00pm sharp.

Inductees at this year’s event include Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora; Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati (The Young Rascals); Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Galt MacDermot, James Rado and Gerome Ragni (deceased); and Stephen Schwartz. The Johnny Mercer Award will be presented to Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland of Holland-Dozier-Holland. The Towering Song this year is “Moon River” and the Towering Performance Award will be presented to Andy Williams. The Hal David Starlight Award will be presented to Jason Mraz. The Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award will be presented to Sir Tom Jones. The Abe Olman Publisher Award will be presented to Maxyne Lang.

On June 16, Lamont Dozier of the powerhouse songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland will conduct the 2009 Master Class. Hosted by author, cultural commentator, and filmmaker Nelson George, the Master Class will offer an extraordinary and intimate view of the creative process behind Dozier’s writing method and the history of the iconic Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team.

Holland-Dozier-Holland were the architects of the self-titled Sound of Young America, and created the songs that turned a fledgling Detroit record company called Motown into a groundbreaking industry powerhouse. The trio penned hits such as “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Baby I Need Your Loving,”  “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” “Stop! In The Name of Love,” and “Where Did Our Love Go,” among many, many others.

The Master Class will take place on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 8:00 PM at Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center, located at 129 West 67th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues.

Ticket Information:

Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame 40th Anniversary Gala begin at $1000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, (212) 573-6933. Net proceeds from the event support the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs.

Tickets to the Master Class are free. For more information, contact the Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Center box office at 212-501-3330, or go to [url=http://www.songhall.org]http://www.songhall.org[/url].