A YOUNG MAN NAMED DAVID WROTE A SONG. HE DIDN'T MAKE A DEMO. HE HAD NO PUBLISHER. THERE WAS NO YOUNG PUNK TO TELL DAVID THAT HIS SONG SUCKED AND NO A&R PERSON TO PUT HIS SONG ON HOLD FOR 18 MONTHS. THERE WERE NO LAWYERS INVOLVED; NO ARTISTS. JUST THIS SONG. IT WAS COMPOSED FOR THE PURPOSE OF SOOTHING DAVID'S OWN SOUL AND IN SO DOING IT ALSO SOOTHED THE SOUL OF ANOTHER. I HAVE NEVER HEARD THE ORIGINAL MELODY TO THIS SONG; I SUSPECT IT WAS A BALLAD. BUT, I HAVE HEARD THE WORDS, AND SO HAVE YOU. IT BEGINS LIKE THIS:

'THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD; I SHALL NOT WANT.'

THE OTHER MAN WHO WAS MOVED BY THIS SONG WAS NAMED SAUL...MEAN, MOODY, ENVIOUS, ANGRY, INSECURE, BLOATED, ALMOST CRAZY. BUT, HEARING THIS SONG AND OTHERS LIKE IT MADE SAUL FEEL BETTER. SO, SAUL MADE A DEAL WITH DAVID: DAVID WOULD WRITE AND PERFORM HIS BEAUTIFUL SONGS EXCLUSIVELY FOR SAUL IN EXCHANGE FOR THE BASIC COMPENSATION OF FOOD, LODGING AND PROTECTION. SAUL REFERRED TO THIS AS AN ADVANCE. IT WAS A GOOD DEAL FOR A GOOD WHILE. BUT, SOON THE SONGS LOST THEIR MAGIC AND SAUL GREW DESPONDENT AND JEALOUS OF DAVID'S POPULARITY AND SAUL BANISHED DAVID FROM HIS COURT, HUNTED HIM LIKE AN ANIMAL AND TRIED, IN VAIN, TO KILL HIM. THIS SONG AND A COLLECTION OF OTHER SONGS OF DAVID WERE COMPILED IN A BOOK THAT, TO DATE, HAS SOLD BILLIONS OF COPIES AND DAVID BECAME KNOWN, ETERNALLY, AS 'A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART.' SAUL, ON THE OTHER HAND, BEGAN CONSORTING WITH WITCHES AND DIED A TRAGIC DEATH AT HIS OWN SWORD. ON HIS GRAVE MARKER IT SAYS SIMPLY: 'SAUL: KING OF ISRAEL, MUSIC PUBLISHER.'

YOUNG MAN NAMED STEPHEN WROTE A SONG. HE SOLD ALL HIS RIGHTS TO THAT SONG AND MANY OTHER SONGS TO A LOCAL MUSIC PUBLISHER FOR $100. BECAUSE OF STEPHEN'S PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A TOURING VOCAL GROUP KNOWN AS THE CHRISTY MINSTRELS THE SONG BECAME A NATIONAL HIT. 2 DOZEN OTHER MUSIC PUBLISHERS MARKETED THEIR OWN VERSION OF THE SONG WITH NO COMPENSATION TO STEPHEN. THEY MADE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. STEPHEN WROTE MORE SONGS, 100'S IN FACT, AND MANY MORE WERE PUBLISHED AND SUCCESSFUL. I KNOW THE LYRICS TO MANY OF THOSE SONGS; AND THE MELODIES, TOO. SO DO YOU. 'WAY DOWN UPON THE SWANEE RIVER,' 'DE CAMPTOWN RACES,' 'MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME,' 'I DREAM OF JEANIE,' 'IN THE MERRY, MERRY MONTH OF MAY,' 'BEAUTIFULK DREAMER' AND, THAT FIRST SONG OF WHICH I SPOKE, 'OH SUSANNAH.' STEPHEN FOSTER DIED AT THE AGE OF 37 WITH 38 CENTS IN HIS POCKET AND A SCRIBBLED NOTE THAT SAID, 'TO DEAR FRIENDS AND GENTLE HEARTS.' HE WAS AMERICA'S FIRST PROFESSIONAL SONGWRITER AND HIS STORY OF FLEETING GLORY AND PERPETUAL ANGUISH WAS A CRY IN THE WILDERNESS BRINGING JUSTICE AND STRUCTURE INTO A NEW INDUSTRY. THAT BRINGS US TO THIS MOMENT...

MANY OTHER YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN HAVE WRITTEN SONGS FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. THROUGHOUT THE PAST 35 YEARS 144 OF THEM HAVE BEEN HONORED FOR THEIR WORK BY INDUCTION INTO THE NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME.
THEY ARE SMILEY AND SONNY... AND SONNY
SOME ARE BLACK, RED, WHITEY AND LEFTY
OTHERS ARE CURLY, DILL, HAGGARD AND HANDY
THEY INCLUDE HOAGEY, HUDDY AND A HANDFUL OF HANKS; DILLON AND DYLAN; WAYLON AND WAYLAND; ROY AND TROY, DALLAS, DOODLE AND DOLLY

THERE'S A BERRY, A BOND, A BUDDY, A CHESTNUT, A COOK, A COWBOY, A GIBSON, A HILL, A KING, A MOON, A PAYNE, A RABBITT, A ROSE, A TUBB, SEVERAL WALKERS, A WHEELER AND A WEBB.

THERE'S ALSO A BREWER, 3 MILLERS AND A SCHLITZ.

THIS EVENING, THE HONOR OF INDUCTION INTO THIS ILLUSTRIOUS GROUP WILL BE GIVEN TO SEVERAL OTHERS. AS IN PRIOR YEARS OUR FOUNDATION HAS CONDUCTED THESE ELECTIONS AND, WITH SIGNIFICANT HELP FROM THE NSAI, PRESENTED THIS ANNUAL DINNER AND CEREMONY. YOUR GENEROUS AND INCREASING SUPPORT OF THIS EVENT HAS BEEN EVIDENCED OVER THE YEARS AND THIS YEAR WE WERE FACED WITH THE FRUSTRATING DILEMMA OF HAVING TO TURN PEOPLE AWAY. AS I CLOSE LET ME SUGGEST THAT THE GROWING POPULARITY OF THIS DINNER IS DIRECTLY RELATED TrO THE PURITY OF WHAT IS HONORED HERE AND THE RESPECT WE ATTEMPT TO EXPRESS TO OUR INDUSTRY'S MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCES: ENDURING SONGS AND THOSE WHO WRITE THEM.

WE ARE ENGAGED IN A LARGE UNDERTAKING THAT WILL FINALLY REALIZE THE FOUNDATION'S MANDATE: TO BUILD A PHYSICAL SITE FOR THE NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME. TO BE SURE, THIS IS AN UNFORTUNATE TIME TO BE RAISING MONEY. BUT, WE BELIEVE THAT A PERMANENT CELEBRATION OF THIS MOST ELEGANT PROFESSION IS PROFOUNDLY NECESSARY AND CAN ONLY HAPPEN IN ONE PLACE ON THIS EARTH: NASHVILLE, TN. IF YOU GET A CALL FROM ME IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS YOU MAY WANT TO RECONSIDER RETURNING IT (WHICH WILL BE NOTHING NEW FOR MANY OF YOU:) I'LL PROBABLY BE ASKING FOR MONEY. LIKE THAT YOUNG MAN NAMED DAVID, IT WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REACH INTO YOUR POUCH, PICK OUT A SMOOTH STONE AND STRIKE A BLOW FOR ALL THAT IS GOOD IN OUR INDUSTRY.