KISS’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, and rocker John Fogerty were celebrated at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction in New York City Thursday.
Simmons and Stanley were inducted into the prestigious organization, with their music celebrated with performances of “Rock and Roll All Nite” from Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, and “Shout It Out Loud” from Corgan and Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznik.
Only Stanley attended the ceremony, revealing that Simmons had to miss it due to a family emergency.
On the red carpet, Stanley told ABC Audio that the honor stacks up pretty high in the list of accolades he’s received throughout his career.
“Songwriting has always been the motivation,” he said. “So to be surrounded by the people who inspired me and to have this night of acknowledgement, it’s tough to beat it.”
Fogerty, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005, received the Johnny Mercer Award, the organization’s highest honor.
Steve Miller honored Fogerty during the ceremony, calling him “Americana at its finest.” In his speech, Fogerty talked about his decadeslong fight to regain ownership of his catalog, which he did in 2023, noting it was because he “outlived all those sons of b******!”
Fogerty also performed for the audience, playing a bit of “Oh Susanna” — having noted in his speech it was the first song he’d ever heard — along with hits “Proud Mary,” “Have You Ever Seen Rain” and “The Old Man Down the Road.”
Speaking to ABC Audio on the red carpet, Fogerty said of the recognition, “To be honored in a very high level for what you do among all other songwriters that you love, you know, it just felt really great.”
Other performers inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame Thursday night were Alanis Morissette, Kenny Loggins and Taylor Swift.
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