Mary Chapin Carpenter & More To Be Inducted Into The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame Foundation.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation (NaSHOF) announced today the 2012 inductees into the Hall of Fame: Tony Arata, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Larry Henley and Kim Williams. Arata and Williams were named in the Songwriter category; Carpenter was elected in the Songwriter/Artist category; and Henley will be inducted in a new Veteran Songwriter category.

The four new inductees will be welcomed into the elite songwriter’s community by their peers and leaders in the Nashville music community at the 42nd Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony, presented by AT&T, on Sunday, October 7, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

“Among all the great songwriters who have put the music in Music City, only a select few are elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. We are delighted to accord this honor to Tony, Kim and Mary Chapin, and pleased as well to recognize Larry as the first inductee in the Veteran Songwriter category.” -John Van Mol, chairman of the foundation’s board of directors.

This past year, the Foundation created a Veteran Songwriter selection process to run parallel to regular Hall of Fame balloting. Instead of being voted on by professional songwriters and Hall of Fame members on the regular ballot, those in the Veteran category (whose first significant songs appeared 30 or more years ago) are considered by a special committee of Hall of Famers and other contemporaries most familiar with their work.

Tony Arata’s songwriter credits include hits such as “The Dance” (Garth Brooks) and “Here I Am” (Patty Loveless). Kim Williams’ resume is known for hits such as “Three Wooden Crosses” (Randy Travis) and “Ain’t Goin’ Down Till The Sun Comes Up” (Garth Brooks). Larry Henley is the tunesmith behind the smash “The Wind Beneath My Wings” (Gary Morris, Bette Midler) and “’Til I Get It Right” (Tammy Wynette). Mary Chapin Carpenter popularized many of her own compositions such as “Down At The Twist And Shout” and “I Feel Lucky.”

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony is one of the music industry’s foremost events of the year. The evening features tributes and performances of the inductees’ songs by special guest artists. NaSHOF’s sister organization, the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), also presents its annual awards for the year’s best Song, Songwriter and Songwriter/Artist, as well as the Top 10 “Songs I Wish I Had Written,” as determined by the professional songwriters division.

Tickets for the event are $225 each. A limited number of seats are available to the public this year and may be purchased (as available) by contacting event director Mark Ford at hoftix@nashvillesongwriters.com or 615-256-3354.