John Mellencamp, Jermaine Dupri, Alan Jackson, heading to US Songwriters Hall of Fame

John Mellencamp, Jermaine Dupri, Alan Jackson and Kool & the Gang are among those to be inducted in the US Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 14 in New York City.

John Mellencamp had a long streak of chart toppers with ‘Jack and Diane, ‘’Small Town’, Hurts So Good’ ‘Rain On The Scarecrow’, ‘Paper On Fire’ and ‘R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.’

Jermaine Dupri is one of the most successful writers in the past 30 years, with no less than 30 #1s in America.

These include Mariah Carey’s ‘We Belong Together’ and ‘Always Be My Baby’, Usher’s ‘Burn’ and ‘My Boo’, Kris Kross’ ‘Jump’ and Monica’s ‘The First Night’.

A solo artist and label executive as well, he also had success with songs recorded by Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Notorious B.I.G., Ludacris and Run DMC.

Dupri is the second hip-hop talent to be awarded the honour, after Jay-Z last year.

Alan Jackson, who was just inducted into the Country Hall of Fame last year, launched his debut album in 1990.

He has had 26 singles reach the top of the Billboard country charts.

New Jersey high school best friends Kool & the Gang members Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown and James “JT” Taylor will be inducted into the Hall for party anthems as ‘Funky Stuff’ and the million selling ‘Jungle Boogie’.

Three other inductees are legends behind the scenes.

Allee Willis co-wrote the Broadway musical The Color Purple and the Friends TV series theme song ‘I’ll Be There for You’

She wrote Earth Wind & Fire’s ‘September’ 15 minutes after meeting its leader Maurice White, and was the first pop artist to address Congress on artist rights in outer space.

Willis has crafted songs popularized by Patti LaBelle, the Pointer Sisters, Bonnie Raitt, Ray Charles and Tina Turner.

Pop-country songwriter Steve Dorff has written twelve #1s, recorded by Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, Celine Dion, Garth Brooks and Willie Nelson.

‘Every Which Way But Loose’ which he penned for country singer Eddie Rabbit became the theme of a Clint Eastwood movie.

Country writer Bill Anderson’s 70 year career as a writer kicked off with a promising start.

He penned ‘City Limits’ for an unknown19-year old disc jockey called Ray Price, not expecting it to do that much.

The song topped the charts and was voted song of the year, while Price went on to become a superstar in the US.