Classic Pop Icons

The Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced its nominees for the Class of 2010.

Dion DiMucci among nominees

In the writer/ performer category, nominees  include Dion DiMucci, Leonard Cohen, David  Gates (Bread), Tommy James, John Cougar  Mellencamp, Lou Reed, Leon Russell, Cat  Stevens and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Non-performing writers nominated are Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, Jackie DeShannon and Joe South, Mark James (’Suspicious Minds’), Luther Dixon (’Soldier Boy’) and the teams of Jerry Ragavoy and Bert Burns (’Twist & Shout’) and Paul Vance and Neil Pockriss (’Itsy Bitsy Bikini’).

It’s a mystery why Jackie DeShannon and Joe South are in the ‘non-performing’ category instead of the ‘writer/performer’ category.

Two performers and three non-performers will be chosen and announced early next year and the ceremony will take place in June.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 and there have been well over 300 inductees, including John Fogerty, Bill Withers, Carole King, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Sir Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, James Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Curtis Mayfield, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, Van Morrison, Kris Kristofferson and many others.

The full list of nominees for 2010 is available at:
http://www.songhall.org/vote

Smokey Robinson is to appear at the Roundhouse in London as part of the BBC’s Electric Proms week.

The soul legend will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the birth of Motown records by performing his greatest hits plus songs from his new album ‘Time Flies When You’re Having Fun’. Smokey Robinson and his band will be joined by the BBC Concert Orchestra. BBC Electric Proms has specially commissioned brand new arrangements of the classic Motown hits.

Robinson was integral to the success of the Motown label. As well as the series of classic hits with his band The Miracles, Smokey was also the primary songwriter for the Temptations from 1963-6, penning huge hits such as ‘My Girl’ and ‘Get Ready.’

The show will be broadcast live on Radio Two on Saturday 24 October from 20:00 - 21:00. Radio Two is available online at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/ so you should be able to listen in if you live outside the UK.

If you are in the UK, you can also watch the performance on Sunday night from 23:00 - 00:00 on both BBC Two and BBC HD. It will also be available to watch online after the BBC Two show at www.bbc.co.uk/electricproms/.

To get you in the mood, here’s Smokey Robinson and The Miracles singing the classic ‘Tears of a Clown’.

For more videos of the great Smokey Robinson, go to the Classic Pop Icons Motown video section.

Head over to the Motown section of the Classic Pop Icons Forum to share your views on the Motown legend.