Induction takes place this fall
Keith Urban, Kix Brooks, David Lee Murphy, Casey Beathard and Rafe Van Hoy are the Class of 2023 inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHoF). The new group will be among those honored at the 53rd Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Wednesday, October 11th at the Music City Center in Nashville.
Beathard and Murphy will be inducted in the Contemporary Songwriter category while Urban will enter as the Contemporary Songwriter/Artist and Brooks as the Veteran Songwriter/Artist. Van Hoy will be added in the Veteran Songwriter category.
NaSHoF’s Chair of Board of Directors Rich Hallworth and Director Mark Ford made the announcement at Nashville’s historic Columbia Studio A on Music Row.
“Gathering for this occasion—to recognize and welcome the members of our incoming class—is always one of the highlights of our year,” shares Hallworth. “To this stellar group of songwriters, we say thank you for your songs and for your artistry. You are exceptional talents, and we are proud to honor you this fall, when you officially join your legendary peers in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.”
“It was a shock to get the call to find out that I was nominated — surreal. And then I was in the studio when I got the call from Mark,” Urban shares. “Really just honored to be here, so thank you very much who made this possible. Thank you.”
“If I had to pick one of anything I had to be recognized for — I came [to Nashville] as a fan of songwriters. It’s all I wanted to do,” Brooks says during the induction announcement as he names Hank Williams, Jr., Johnny Horton, Kris Kristofferson and Roger Miller as his influences. “My heroes were not just artists, but artists that wrote their own songs. Man, to even think that I would be even recognized in the same sentence and the mention of their names. It’s one thing to be in that rotunda down the street there, but songwriters…I could barely talk and say thank you when Mark called.”
The five will join the 235 previously inducted members during their ceremony this fall.
Urban has penned much of his own hits, including “But For The Grace of God,” “Days Go By” and others. Brooks is most notable as one-half of Brooks & Dunn and co-writing songs such as the duo’s “Brand New Man,” “Only In America,” and more. In the mid-90’s, Murphy was known as a artist/songwriter with “Dust on the Bottle,” before writing a slew of popular songs such as Kenny Chesney’s “Living in Fast Forward” and Jason Aldean’s “Big Green Tractor,” among others.
Beathard’s songwriting credits include Tracy Byrd’s “Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo” and Eric Church’s “Hell Of A View.” Van Hoy is most known for writing George Jones and Tammy Wynette’s “Golden Ring” and others.
