Phil Ramone to Receive Hitmaker Award at the 2010 Songwriters Hall of Fame

April 12th, 2010 by Daniel Sieling

Producer Phil Ramone will be the 2010 recipient of the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award at this year’s annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards dinner slated for Thursday, June 17 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in NYC.

The Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award, named after one of the Hall of Fame’s founders, is for artists or “star makers” in the music industry who have written a substantial number of hit songs for an extended period of time, and who recognize the importance of songs and their writers. Previous receipients include Clive Davis, Garth Brooks, Chuck Berry, Whitney Houston, Michael Bolton, Gloria Estefan, Diana Ross, and Sir Tom Jones.

Phil Ramone is one of the most acclaimed music producers in the industry, working with artists such as Billy Joel, Bono, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Quincy Jones, BB King, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, String, Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor. Throughout his career, he acquired 34 Grammy nominations, 14 Grammy wins, an Emmy, and many other awards and honors.

Ramone is also Chairman Emeritus of the board of trustees of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), a co-chairman of the Producers and Engineers Wing, a board member of the National Mentoring Partnership for Music Education, a member of the board of directors of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a member of the National Recording Preservation Board of the Library of Congress, a founding member of The Music & Engineering Technology Alliance (META), and former Trustee of the MusiCares Foundation having produced its annual pre-Grammy tribute.

Inductees at this year’s Hall of Fame include Leonard Cohen, Jackie DeShannon, David Foster, Johnny Mandel, Maurice White from Earth, Wind & Fire, Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Larry Dunn, and Al McKay. The Johnny Mercer Award will be presented to Phil Collins.

Tickets for the event begin at $1,000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events. Net proceed from the event will go towards the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs. A complete list of inductees and full biographies of them are available at http://songwritershalloffame.org. To become a member and have the opportunity to vote for the next group of inductees, go to http://songhall.org/join.