Hal David, Chairman/CEO of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, announces that Phil Ramone receive the 2010 Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award at the annual awards dinner slated for Thursday, June 17, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
“Phil Ramone represents the perfect choice as a recipient of our Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award,” says David. “We are looking forward to applauding his many varied accomplishments that have, both past and presently, influenced the craft and careers of music history’s finest artists.”
Ramone has earned 34 Grammy Award nominations, 14 Grammy Awards, an Emmy and numerous awards and honors to his credit. Working with a variety of musicians from country to pop stars, Ramone created songs such as Billy Joel’s “Tell Her About It,” “Uptown Girl” and “Modern Woman;” “Late In The Evening” (Paul Simon); “Too Late for Goodbyes” (Julian Lennon); and many more. He has worked with artists such as Bono, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Quincy Jones, BB King, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, Sting, Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor.
Ramone is currently working on the first full-album release of Canadian jazz artist Nikki Yanofsky, which will be release in 2010.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame states that the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award is named after one of the organization’s distinguished founders, and is specifically tailored for artists or “star makers” in the music industry who have been responsible for a substantial number of hit songs for an extended period, and who recognize the importance of songs and their writers. Previous Hitmaker Award recipients include Clive Davis, Garth Brooks, Chuck Berry, Whitney Houston, Michael Bolton, Gloria Estefan, Diana Ross and Sir Tom Jones.
Inductees at this year’s event include Leonard Cohen, Jackie DeShannon, David Foster, Johnny Mandel, and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White, Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Larry Dunn and Al McKay. The prestigious Johnny Mercer Award will be presented to Phil Collins.
Full biographies and a complete list of inductees are available at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Virtual Museum.
Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $1,000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events at (212) 573-6933. Net proceeds from the event will go toward the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs.
To join the Songwriters Hall of Fame, go to songhall.org/join.
