Country Star Cindy Walker to be Posthumously Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame

FILE -  Travis Tritt, left, Randy Travis, center left, Mary Travis, center right,  and Ricky Traywick, right, appear on stage at the "1 Night. 1 Place. 1 Time.: A Heroes and Friends Tribute to Randy Travis" on Feb. 8, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Laura Roberts/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Travis Tritt, left, Randy Travis, center left, Mary Travis, center right, and Ricky Traywick, right, appear on stage at the "1 Night. 1 Place. 1 Time.: A Heroes and Friends Tribute to Randy Travis" on Feb. 8, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Laura Roberts/Invision/AP, File)
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Country Star Cindy Walker to be Posthumously Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame

FILE -  Travis Tritt, left, Randy Travis, center left, Mary Travis, center right,  and Ricky Traywick, right, appear on stage at the "1 Night. 1 Place. 1 Time.: A Heroes and Friends Tribute to Randy Travis" on Feb. 8, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Laura Roberts/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Travis Tritt, left, Randy Travis, center left, Mary Travis, center right, and Ricky Traywick, right, appear on stage at the "1 Night. 1 Place. 1 Time.: A Heroes and Friends Tribute to Randy Travis" on Feb. 8, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Laura Roberts/Invision/AP, File)

Country star Cindy Walker will be posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, it was announced Thursday.
Walker, who wrote countless hits across her six-decade career, was celebrated for her immediate, unpretentious songwriting style. She wrote songs performed by some of the biggest names in country music history and beyond, including Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, B.B. King, Cher, and Glen Campbell.
Some hits include “Blue Canadian Rockies,” as made famous by Gene Autry, Bing Crosby's “Lone Star Trail,” and Roy Orbison's “Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)."
She died in 2006 at age 87 in Mexia, Texas. That same year, Willie Nelson released a tribute album of covers called “You Don’t Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker.” Perhaps her best known composition, “You Don't Know Me,” has been recorded by Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Van Morrison, Eddy Arnold, Kenny Rogers, Emmylou Harris and many more.
“This would’ve made her so proud, and the thing that gets me is, when we hear Cindy’s songs she’s still with us," Molly Walker, Cindy Walker's niece, said in a statement about the induction. "I can’t tell you how much this would have meant to her and her family."
Walker will be honored in a tribute at Nashville’s historic Columbia Studio A, separate from the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony this June, The Associated Press reported.
This year's Songwriters Hall of Fame class was previously announced as Steely Dan, R.E.M., Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey and Dean Pitchford. They are a group of artists who have scaled the heights of country, classic rock, pop, hip-hop and alt-rock.
Nashville hitmaker Lindsey helped write “Girl Crush” for Little Big Town and “Jesus, Take the Wheel” for Carrie Underwood. Pitchford, helped Kenny Loggins with the megahit “Footloose” and also co-wrote “Fame” and “Holding Out For a Hero."
On the ballot but unlucky this year were Public Enemy, Bryan Adams, George Clinton, Tracy Chapman, Blondie, Heart, The Doobie Brothers and David Gates.



Taylor Swift Wins Recording Artist of the Year Crown for Fifth Time

Taylor Swift attends an in conversation with Taylor Swift event at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 9, 2022. (AP)
Taylor Swift attends an in conversation with Taylor Swift event at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 9, 2022. (AP)
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Taylor Swift Wins Recording Artist of the Year Crown for Fifth Time

Taylor Swift attends an in conversation with Taylor Swift event at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 9, 2022. (AP)
Taylor Swift attends an in conversation with Taylor Swift event at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 9, 2022. (AP)

Taylor Swift has been named global recording artist of the year for 2024 by the IFPI, the fifth time she has won the honor from the organization that represents the recorded music industry.

The megastar's "The Tortured Poets Department" record also topped four IFPI charts - global album, global vinyl album, global streaming album and global album sales, the IFPI said in a statement on Tuesday.

It had a strong lead on the 2024 global album sales chart, which calculates physical purchases and full album downloads, with 5.6 million units. K-pop group ENHYPEN's "Romance: Untold" took the second spot with 3.4 million units sold.

Swift's record-breaking "Eras" tour, the first to surpass $1 billion in revenue, also boosted interest in her past records, with several appearing in the 2024 vinyl album and streaming album charts, the IFPI said.

"This has been a huge year for Taylor, and it has been incredible to see the extent to which fans all over the world are connecting with her superb catalogue of music," IFPI Chief Executive Victoria Oakley said.

Swift was first named IFPI global recording artist of the year in 2014 and then in 2019, 2022 and 2023, the most times for any performer since the award was introduced 12 years ago.

Presented to whoever tops the IFPI global artist chart, the prize is calculated by looking at an artist's or group's worldwide sales for streaming, download and physical music formats during the calendar year and covers their whole body of work, according to the organization.

Canadian rapper Drake and K-pop group SEVENTEEN came in second and third respectively on that chart for 2024.