The list of 2026 nominees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame was announced late last month, featuring some of music’s biggest names. Taylor Swift, LL Cool J, Pink, Gene Simmons, and Paul Stanley are just a few of the heavy hitters up for induction in the performing category. Patrick Leonard, Pete Bellotte, and Andreas Carlsson are some of the top names in the non-performing category. Here is a look at the 2026 nominees (in alphabetical order), the category they are nominated in, and some of their notable works.

Walter Afanasieff (non-performing)

Record producer and songwriter Walter Afanasieff has written Billboard Number One hits and produced Grammy winners. He has written for the likes of Mariah Carey, Kenny G, Savage Garden, Destiny’s Child, Michael Bolton, Lionel Richie, Josh Groban, Santana, Celine Dion, and Barbara Streisand. He is best known for writing the chart-topping singles “Hero,” “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “One Sweet Day,” and “My All” for Carey.

Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings of the Guess Who (performing)

The duo of Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings teamed to write Guess Who classics like “These Eyes,” “American Woman,” “Laughing,” and “Share the Land.” Bachman left to form the band that would eventually become Bachman-Turner Overdrive, but the two would reunite in 2006 to put out multiple compilations of their work together and apart. The Guess Who were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1987.

Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America (performing)

Songwriters Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America skyrocketed the band to fame with songs like “A Horse with No Name,” “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Sister Golden Hair,” and “Tin Man.” The band won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1973. In 2006, America was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

Pete Bellotte (non-performing)

British songwriter and producer Pete Bellotte is already in the Dance Music Hall of Fame. He is best known for his work with Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer, and hits like “Hot Stuff,” “I Feel Love,” “Love To Love You Baby,” and “Push It To The Limit.” In 2012, “I Feel Love” was inducted into the US Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.

The team of Terry Britten and Graham Lyle (non-performing)

The writing team of Terry Britten and Graham Lyle is best known for its Grammy-winning Number One smash “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” a song they wrote for Tina Turner. They also wrote Turner’s “We Don’t Need Another Hero” and “Typical Male.”

David Byrne (performing)

Whether it was as a solo artist or with the Talking Heads, David Byrne was known for his songwriting. Songs like “Burning Down the House,” “Wild Wild Life,” and “Psycho Killer” earned the Talking Heads induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Byrne has received an Oscar, a Grammy, a Tony, and a Golden Globe. He has also contributed songs to five AIDS benefit compilation albums.

Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine, and Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s (performing)

The Go-Go’s songwriting team of Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine, and Jane Wiedlin had a string of hits in the Eighties with “We Got The Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” “Head Over Heels,” and “This Town.” The band was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

Andreas Carlsson (non-performing)

Andreas Carlsson is best known for his collaborations with Desmond Child and Chris Braide. The Swedish songwriter and producer co-wrote the song “Strange” for Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.” His notable writing credits include Clay Aiken’s “Invisible,” Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” Katy Perry’s “Waking Up in Vegas,” Celine Dion’s “That’s the Way It Is,” and NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” and “It’s Gonna Be Me.”

Richard Carpenter of the Carpenters (performing)

While many of the early Carpenters’ hits were written by other songwriters, Richard Carpenter wrote many of the duo’s later successes. Songs like “Goodbye to Love,” “Only Yesterday,” “Top of the World,” “Yesterday Once More,” and “Merry Christmas Darling” were a significant reason why later acts such as Michael Jackson and Scott Weiland (of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver) counted the duo as influences.

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band (performing)

Harry Wayne Casey wrote KC and the Sunshine Band favorites like “Get Down Tonight,” “That’s The Way (I Like It),” and “(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty. he also was behind hits like George McCrae’s “Rock Your Baby” and Jimmy “Bo” Horne’s “Gimme Some.”

Steve Kipner (non-performing)

Steve Kipner had a short run as a singer early in his musical career, but was nominated in the non-performing category. The award-winning songwriter and producer has more than 60 song credits to his name, including hits like Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle,” Chicago’s “Hard Habit to Break,” Natasha Bedingfield’s “These Words,” 98 Degrees’ “The Hardest Thing,” and Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” and “Heart Attack.” He has also written songs for artists like Dolly Parton, Heart, Janet Jackson, Cher, Rod Stewart, and Diana Ross.

Patrick Leonard (non-performing)

Patrick Leonard is a songwriter, keyboardist, film composer, and music producer. He is best known for his work on Madonna hits like “Like a Prayer,” “Live to Tell,” “La Isla Bonita,” “Cherish,” and “Who’s That Girl?” However, Leonard has worked with Pink Floyd, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Jewel, Carly Simon, Cheap Trick, Leonard Cohen, Rod Stewart, and more.

Jeffrey Le Vasseur (non-performing)

Like Kipner, Jeffrey Le Vasseur (also known as Jeffrey Steele) started as a singer before focusing more on songwriting. Some of the artists he has written songs for include Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, Trace Adkins, Zac Brown Band, Miley Cyrus, Rascal Flatts, and Montgomery Gentry. He is best known for the songs “What Hurts The Most,” “My Wish,” “Knee Deep,” and “The Cowboy In Me.”

LL Cool J (performing)

Rapper LL Cool J was one of the first to achieve commercial success. He has racked up nine Grammy nominations, winning twice, and has also taken home two Billboard Music Awards. He is known for the singles “Mama Said Knock You Out,” “I Need Love,” “Around The Way Girl,” “Going Back To Cali,” “Rock the Bells,” “I’m That Type of Guy,” “The Boomin’ System,” and “Hey Lover.”

Kenny Loggins (performing)

Whether it was with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Loggins and Messina, Steve Perry, Blue Sky Rides, Michael McDonald, or on his own, Kenny Loggins has written a number of endearing classics. Songs like “Footloose,” “Danny’s Song,” “Don’t Fight It,” and “What A Fool Believes” are why Loggins has won a Daytime Emmy Award, two Grammy Awards (on 12 nominations), and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

Bob McDill (non-performing)

Country Music Hall of Famer Bob McDill has 31 Number One country hits to his credit, including Dan Seals’ “Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold),” Alan Jackson’s “Gone Country,” and Alabama’s “Song of the South.” McDill has also worked in other genres with artists like Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, and the Grateful Dead. He has received Songwriter of the Year awards from Broadcast Music Incorporated, the American Society of Composers, and the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and he has been nominated for four Grammy Awards. He has also written music for films like “Primary Colors” and “The Thing Called Love.”

Sarah McLachlan (performing)

Canadian Singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan has won two Grammy Awards and four Juno Awards. Songs like “Angel,” “Sweet Surrender,” “I Will Remember You,” “Building A Mystery,” and “Adia” are why she has had five albums certified platinum or multi-platinum. McLachlan was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2024.

Kenny Nolan (non-performing)

After writing and performing the Top Five hit “I Like Dreamin’,” Kenny Nolan focused more on writing. He is best known for hits like LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade,” Jim Gilstrap’s “Swing Your Daddy,” Atlantic Starr’s “Masterpiece,” and Frankie Valli’s “My Eyes Adored You.”

Martin Page (non-performing)

English singer-songwriter and bassist Martin Page is known for his collaborations with artists such as Heart, Starship, Paul Young, Go West, Robbie Robertson, and Earth, Wind & Fire. Some of his hits include “We Built This City,” “These Dreams,” and “King Of Wishful Thinking.”

Alecia B. Moore AKA P!nk (performing)

With ten Top Ten albums and over 100 major awards, P!nk has made her mark on the music industry. The acrobatic singer and songwriter is known for pop smashes like “Don’t Let Me Get Me,” “Just like a Pill,” “Who Knew,” “So What,” “Raise Your Glass,” and “What About Us.” She has also written songs for artists like Faith Hill, Cher, Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, and Lauren Daigle.

Vini Poncia Jr. (non-performing)

Vini Poncia Jr. was a songwriter in the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties. he is best known for his work with The Ronettes, Ringo Starr, KISS, Leo Sayer, and actress/singer Lynda Carter (of Wonder Woman fame). Poncia’s best-known hits are “I Was Made For Lovin’ You,” “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” and “Oh My My.”

Boz Scaggs (performing)

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Boz Scaggs is known for his solo work as well as his work in the Ardells and the Steve Miller Band. Scaggs is responsible for hits like “Lido Shuffle,” “Lowdown,” “We’re All Alone,” “Thanks To You,” “Breakdown Dead Ahead,” and “Look What You’ve Done To Me.”

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS (performing)

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS wrote smash hits like “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “I Love It Loud,” “Calling Dr. Love,” “Shout It Out Loud,” and “Christine Sixteen.” KISS was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

Tom Snow (non-performing)

Prolific songwriter Tom Snow has written for Cher, the Pointer Sisters, Barbra Streisand, Rita Coolidge, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Barry Manilow, Trisha Yearwood, Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera, and others. Some of his hit songs include Deniece Williams’ “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” from the “Footloose” Soundtrack, Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt’s “Don’t Know Much,” and the Oscar-nominated song “After All” sung by Cher and Peter Cetera on the movie soundtrack for “Chances Are.”

Christopher “Tricky” Stewart (non-performing)

Five-time Grammy winner Christopher “Tricky” Stewart is a record producer, composer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher who has worked with Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, and a host of other artists. He is best known for hits like Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” and Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body.”

Taylor Swift (performing)

Taylor Swift has become one of, if not THE biggest name in music today. She has won more American Music Awards (40), Billboard Music Awards (49), and MTV Video Music Awards (30, tied with Beyonce) than any other artist. She can also count among her numerous achievements 14 Grammy Awards, 118 Guinness World Records, and hundreds of other awards worldwide. She has written or co-written Number One smashes like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “Shake It Off,” “Look What You Made Me Do,” “Bad Blood,” “Anti-Hero,” “Cruel Summer,” and “Fortnite.”

Larry Weiss (non-performing)

Songwriter and musician Larry Weiss is best known for the chart-topping Glen Campbell hit “Rhinestone Cowboy,” as well as the Sixties hits “Bend Me, Shape Me” sung by both the Outsiders and the American Breed, and “Hi Ho Silver Lining” released by both the Attack and Jeff Beck. he also worked with artists like The Shirelles, The Animals, and Barry Manilow.

The Class Of 2026

To be eligible for the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a songwriter has to have a notable catalog, and it has to have been at least 20 years since the commercial release of their first song. Voting members have until December 4 to turn in their ballots. They may vote for up to three nominees in each songwriting category, performing and non-performing. This year’s nominees are an incredibly strong group. Voters have a difficult task ahead choosing this year’s induction class.