Garth Brooks a Surprise Guest at 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame
Country music icon Garth Brooks was a Surprise Guest at the 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame annual induction and awards dinner in New York City on Thursday night.
Held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the event saw Brooks make a surprise appearance, delighting the audience with an electric performance of “Long Train Runnin” and “China Grove” in honour of his friends Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers ahead of their induction.
The evening kicked off with a standing ovation for Linda Moran before Nile Rodgers introduced Living Colour who delivered a groovy performance of “Cosmic Slop.” George Clinton was inducted as “the man who brings us together as one nation under a groove” prior to performing a stunning rendition of “(I Wanna) Testify” bringing the crowd to their feet.
SHOF scholarship recipients MŌRIAH, Sam Opoku, and Daphne Browdy performed songs by Tony Macaulay, before Debbie Gibson honored Macaulay with an energetic performance of his timeless classic “Build Me Up Buttercup” before his inductIon.
To celebrate Ashley Gorley, Dan + Shay performed a sing-a-long medley of “You Should Probably Leave,” “Last Night,” “Play It Again,” “All American Girl” and “I Had Some Help,” then Sadie Gorley delivered a heartfelt speech for her father and a tear jerking performance of “Youre Gonna Miss This” before his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Fellow inductee, Teddy Riley introduced Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins with a touching speech and his children honored his songwriting legacy with a remarkable rendition of “The Boy Is Mine, followed by a 10-song medley that included “Say My Name,” “It’s Not Right But It’s Ok,” “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” “If You Had My Love,” and more, ending in a standing ovation.
The evening continued as Pasek and Paul honored Stephen Schwartz with the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award by performing a medley of “Colors of The Wind” and “Corner Of The Sky.” Kristin Chenoweth and Mary Kate Morrissey also enchanted the audience with a stunning performance of “For Good.” Prior to his memorable performance of “Can You Imagine That?” Schawrtz said, that his name being on the Songwriter Hall of Fame list “is so stunning and humbling.”
John Stamos inducted dear friend Mike Love into the Songwriters Hall of Fame stating Love’s “lyrics are cinematic” as he joined him for an exciting medley of “California Girls,” ‘I Get Around,” “Kokomo,” and “Good Vibrations.” Prior to the sing-along performance, Love said that “gratitude is the main emotion he feels and that it’s a great honour.”
Aaron Dessner took to the stage to honor Gracie Abrams with the Hal David Starlight Award, which is presented to young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with their original songs. Dessner said Gracie is ”one of the greatest songwriters and musicians in the world today” and “one of the most gifted lyricists and melodic writers” he has ever encountered. After receiving her award, Abrams performed “Free Now.”
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