MISSY, PRINE, MARIAH UP FOR SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME

Missy Elliott is the first female rapper nominated for the Songwriters Hall of Fame, appearing on a ballot that includes Mariah Carey, Cat Stevens, John Prine, Dallas Austin and others.

Among the performing songwriters nominated for the 50th induction class are The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, Vince Gill, Beach Boys’ Mike Love, Jimmy Cliff, ELO’s Jeff Lynne, Lloyd Price, Tommy James, Tom T. Hall and Eurythmics duo Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart.

Eagles collaborator Jack Tempchin, country songwriters Dean Dillon and Jerry Fuller, Paul Williams’ partner Roger Nichols made the cut as well.

Among the duos nominated are ‘60s hitmakers P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, Southern soul kingpins Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, The Monkees’ writers Bobby Hart and the late Tommy Boyce, the two writers behind Tony Orlando’s hits, L. Russell Brown and the late Irwin Levine, musical theater writers Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, and Fame songwriters Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore.

Songwriters are eligible for induction after writing hit songs for at least 20 years.

Six songwriters, or songwriting groups, will be inducted at the Hall's 50th annual Induction & Awards Gala in New York on 6/13. Eligible members can vote for three non-performing songwriters and three performing songwriters until 12/17.

Clearly, this is much tougher ballot to fill out than the ones we did on Tuesday.