| Songwriters Hall of Fame 2007 |
 Dolly Parton is a member of both the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2001) and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1986)  Hal David, legendary songwriter and Chairman of the Board of the Songwriters Hall of Fame  "Late Show" bandleader Paul Shaffer with "the man with the golden ear," Don Kirshner Also recognized were Dolly Parton, John Legend and Don Kirschner. The evening was full of once in a lifetime, special moments. Inductee Don Black was presented with his induction award by three-time Tony Award winner and theater and film composing great Charles Strouse and Black's gorgeous classic "Born Free" was inspiringly performed by rising jazz star Lizz Wright. Grammy Award winning singer songwriter Marc Cohn presented and performed for his old friend Jackson Browne, doing Browne's song "Too Many Angels" proud. Cohn said of his friend, "Jackson is one of the greatest songwriters to grace this industry. He taught me the difference between a song sung by the songwriter and a song sung by an interpreter." And Jackson didn't disappoint the packed house, performing a moving "Lives In The Balance," a fitting example of how his social and political activism has influenced much of his work. The irrepressible and wonderful Dolly Parton received a roar of approval with a standing ovation as she was introduced by iconic poet Rod McKuen, who told the story of the early days when he and Parton worked together and how they bonded because they both grew up poor. Dolly was honored with the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award, the most prestigious special award of the evening, reserved for previous inductees. Kanye West came out to give props to his friend and labelmate John Legend, presenting him with this year's Hal David Starlight Award. West told the story about how he had discovered John through his cousin, and when he started working with him, was so impressed by his ability to transcend genre, he began taking him to all of his producing sessions with artists like Jay-Z. They couldn't understand why Kanye would be bringing this unknown, neo-soul artist along until they heard him, at which point they couldn't get enough of Legend's soulful, sparkling vocals and arrangements. Legend did a heartfelt solo piano performance of his break out hit "Ordinary People."
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