Composers of Wicked, Hair to Join Songwriters Hall of Fame

Tony Award nominees Stephen Schwartz, best known for smash stage hits including Wicked, and Galt MacDermot, James Rado and the late Gerome Ragni, all of the soon-to-be-revived Hair, will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 18. The ceremony for the honorees will take place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, marking the 40th anniversary of the Hall of Fame. The tunesmiths will join such famed inductees as Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Sir Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Cy Coleman and Hal David, among many others.

The 2009 list of songwriting inductees also includes Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi; Felix Cavalieri and Eddie Brigati of The Rascals; duo Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway; and Crosby, Stills and Nash.

In addition to Wicked, five time Tony Award nominee Schwartz penned music and lyrics for Broadway’s Pippin, The Magic Show, Godspell, Working and Fosse, as well as lyrics for Rags. Schwartz garnered Academy Awards for his contributions to animated feature films Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt, and was nominated by the Academy for his work on Enchanted. The songwriter won three Grammy awards for the cast recordings of Wicked, Godspell and Pocahontas.

Composer Galt MacDermot and librettists Gerome Ragni and James Rado collaborated on the Tony Award nominated Hair. The show, which will be revived at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre beginning March 6, earned a Grammy Award for its original cast album and was adapted for the big screen in 1979. Songs from the “tribal love-rock musical” also went mainstream, hitting the American Top 40 list and receiving widespread radio play.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by Johnny Mercer, Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The organization works to educate the public about the work of great songwriters, producing a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships.