Willis was the sole female inductee this year, and she received the first award of the night. Actor and singer Brandon Victor Dixon (“The Color Purple”) honored Willis with a high-energy performance of her songwriting hits “Neutron Dance” (The Pointer Sisters) and “September” (Earth, Wind & Fire).
On being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Willis said, “It feels really good. It is different than winning other things, which I wasn’t prepared for at all.”
Willis continued, “The Songwriters Hall of Fame is for the body of work, as opposed to a specific song. It just feels more significant in a way, not that I’m not going to want to win another Grammy. You know what I mean. It is a lifetime honor. People make such a big deal about it. It’s crazy, so it’s more important of an honor than I actually suspected it was.”
Some of her greatest songwriting hits include “I’ll Be There For You,” the theme song for the popular television series Friends, “Neutron Dance,” “Boogie Wonderland” and “September.” “I did a podcast today with somebody that was really knowledgeable about my very obscure songs, and that was a trip too,” she said. “It is fun because people dig that up about you.”
To learn more about visionary artist Allee Willis, check out her official homepage.
