The Mercer Award is given to songwriters who are already in the Hall and \u2018whose body of work is of such high quality and impact that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer.\u2019<\/p>\n
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Fogerty performed with sons Tyler Fogerty (left) and Shane (center). (Image credit: L. Busacca\/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)<\/p>\n
Fogerty began his five-song set with a harmony-filled short version of \u201cOh! Susanna\u201d in tribute to both his mother and the 19th century American composer Stephen Foster, his first musical idol. He then launched into his singalong classics \u201cProud Mary<\/a>,\u201d \u201cHave You Ever Seen the Rain<\/a>\u201d and \u201cThe Old Man Down the Road,\u201d aligning himself as a legitimate link in the American songwriting lineage.<\/p>\n I had never pondered that someone created these songs that my mom would sing around the house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 John Fogerty<\/p>\n In his 26-minute speech, the Creedence Clearwater Revival legend told of his mother playing a record when he was a child.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n \u201cIt was \u201cOh! Susanna\u201d and the other side was \u201cCamptown Races.\u201d She played both songs a couple of times and said, \u2018well Johnny what do you think?\u2019 I\u2019 like it!\u2019 I said.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then she said something remarkable: \u2018You know, Johnny, the songwriter who wrote both of those songs is Stephen Foster.\u2019 I had never pondered that someone created these songs that my mom would sing around the house.\u201d<\/p>\n For the rest of his life, Fogerty said, \u201cI\u2019ve wondered about that little ceremony\u201d and the impact it had on him as he discovered other classic songwriters, and ultimately his own skill at songwriting.<\/p>\n The first song he wrote, he continued, was titled \u201cWash Day Blues,\u201d taken from a line from a radio commercial. The eight-year-old Fogerty set the lyrics against a Muddy Waters rhythm, \u201cone of the most powerful things I could think of at the time. And it was current.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Fogerty poses with Taylor Swift, who became the youngest female artist to be inducted into the Hall. (Image credit: L. Busacca\/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame))<\/p>\n Fogerty then showed the audience his original songwriting notebook, which he purchased when he realized he needed to be organized if he was serious about his craft.<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n \u201cI wrote down the very first words in the book: \u2018Proud Mary.\u2019 I had no idea what the phrase meant but it\u2019s there in the book.\u201d<\/p>\n An Army serviceman faced with a life choice between continuing in the service or becoming a musician, he received an official government letter in the mail a year later granting him an honorable discharge at the age of 22.<\/p>\n \u201cI ran outside and started strumming my Rickenbacker<\/a> electric guitar<\/a> acoustically. Pretty soon I\u2019m singing,\u201d left a good job in the city, working for the man every night and day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI grabbed the notebook and there was the phrase \u2018Proud Mary,\u2019 and the word \u2018riverboat.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley<\/p>\n \n Billy Corgan and John Rzeznik pose with honoree Paul Stanley. (Image credit: L. Busacca\/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)<\/p>\n This year\u2019s inductees included Kiss founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley<\/a>, Kenny Loggins, Alanis Morissette, Christopher \u201cTricky\u201d Stewart, Taylor Swift, Walter Afanasieff, Terry Britten and Graham Lyle. The artist Raye received the Hal David Starlight Award.<\/p>\n Billy Corgan and John Rzeznik (a 2008 Hal David Starlight award honoree) might seem like an unlikely pairing, but both shared their love and admiration for Kiss and the band\u2019s songwriting partners Stanley and Simmons. The two sang \u201cRock and Roll All Night\u201d and \u201cShout It Out Loud,\u201d opting to ditch their guitars for the set.<\/p>\n I had the Kiss poster on my wall as a kid before I ever heard Kiss. That imagery was like, \u2018What is this? I want to know about this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Billy Corgan<\/p>\n In a red-carpet interview with Guitar Player prior to the show, Corgan said while he was a massive Rush, Yes and prog music fan growing up, \u201cBlack Diamond\u201d was a favorite Kiss track. \u201cSomething about the atmosphere of the song and the makeup and being ten years old. I wanted to play that song a hundred times in a row.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had the Kiss poster on my wall as a kid before I ever heard Kiss. That imagery was like, \u2018What is this? I want to know about this.\u2019 The music seemed to marry to the image for me, not the other way around.\u201d<\/p>\n As a teen growing up in the suburbs, Corgan said \u201cGene challenged me in one way \u2014 the business angle \u2014 and Paul challenged me in another \u2014 to think about freedom and self-expression.<\/p>\n \u201cOver time I really began to understand their brilliance as musicians and songwriters.\u201d Gene\u2019s bass<\/a> playing, he said, \u201cis more \u201850s doo-wop where Paul is more of a Free, Humble Pie, straightahead style. It\u2019s a very interesting m\u00e9lange of influences.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Corgan and Rzeznik shared their love and admiration for Kiss and sang a pair of the group\u2019s hits. (Image credit: Theo Wargo\/Getty Images for for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)<\/p>\n Simmons could not attend due to a family emergency and Stanley did not perform any of his classics at the event. But he did give a pre-show interview to this magazine.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to be a great songwriter from the beginning,\u201d the guitarist said. \u201cI never wrote songs to jam on. I wrote songs to sing.\u201d<\/p>\n I wanted to be a great songwriter from the beginning. I never wrote songs to jam on. I wrote songs to sing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Paul Stanley<\/p>\n \u201cThat can seem simple when you are looking at a song like \u2018Rock and Roll All Nite\u2019 or ;Heaven\u2019s on Fire\u2019 or \u2018Lick it Up.\u2019 But it\u2019s elusive and deceptive. Those songs follow the same formula as a lot of the great songs that inspired me. I was inspired by everyone who was working in the Brill Building.\u201d<\/p>\n He also offered a juicy anecdote specific to this magazine.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first time we were on Guitar Player magazine, the guitar snobs at the time were horrified, that it had sold out. Then when the sales came in and it did better than other issues, everybody liked it! It opened the floodgates, not unlike some of the stuff Kiss has done.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul Stanley on the first time Kiss appeared on the cover of Guitar Player magazine – YouTube Watch On <\/a> \n Film director Steven Spielberg inducted Swift, saying, \u201cno algorithm can replace the soul of a true original who defies the status quo.\u201d (Image credit: L. Busacca\/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)<\/p>\n Film director Steven Spielberg paid tribute to Taylor Swift, the youngest female artist to be inducted into the Hall, noting \u201cno algorithm can replace the soul of a true original who defies the status quo.\u201d<\/p>\n Most people start with a six-string. Isn\u2019t that right? But you were an overachiever at the age of 12.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Steven Spielberg, inducting Taylor Swift<\/p>\n Spielberg noted her dedication to her craft going all the way back to when \u201cshe first picked up a 12-string guitar. Most people start with a six-string. Isn\u2019t that right? But you were an overachiever at the age of 12.\u201d<\/p>\n Swift gave an emotional 21-minute speech, acknowledging her family, collaborators and the importance of the arts.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything came together when I learned to play guitar at 12. I wrote my first song after learning my first three chords. It felt easy to work incredibly hard with this.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt easy to nurture something I loved so much, to watch callouses form on the tips of my tiny fingers and to become a constant observer of the human condition, because people\u2019s feelings, passions and motivations have always fascinated me, and it was easy to choose songwriting over everything else in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Madison Cunningham, Brandi Carlile, Alanis Morissette & Kenny Loggins<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: John Nacion\/Variety via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Other notable guitar highlights of the evening were more subtle, with artists using their instruments to complement and support the song\u2019s lyrical meaning.<\/p>\n Grammy Award winner Madison Cunningham<\/a> performed a stunning solo acoustic take on the Tina Turner classic \u201cWhat\u2019s Love Got to Do with It,\u201d paying tribute to the songwriters and inductees Graham Lyle and Terry Britten. Using a Martin nylon string classical guitar<\/a> in a dropped tuning, Cunningham\u2019s gentle picking set the musical bed for the song\u2019s emotional core.<\/p>\n Before the show, Cunningham spoke with GP about the song\u2019s depth and importance.<\/p>\n The song is a \u201ctreasure,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a very 80\u2019s sexy song that bears a lot of heartbreak within it. I\u2019m putting a different spin on it to showcase the lyrics.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/KmoBDtfpHXssZTYYiCsLuT.jpg\")
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\nTaylor Swift<\/p>\n![\"Taylor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sxtexeAgD9Fnx5pGQWKEAU.jpg\")
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