NEW YORK CITY (CelebrityAccess) – The Songwriters Hall of Fame 51st Annual Induction and Awards Gala will take place Thursday, June 16, at the Marriott Marquis in New York. The 2022 date, initially set for June 10, 2020, will induct the previously announced songwriters.
Larry LeBlanc, CelebrityAccess’ Senior Writer of the influential profile series, “In the Hot Seat,” has been selected to be the backstage interviewer at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala in June. LeBlanc will be following in the footsteps of his good friend and colleague, Jim Bessman.
Bessman, a beloved music journalist, freelanced for Billboard for nearly 20 years. In the two decades before his death, he worked with the Songwriters Hall of Fame, handling the backstage archival interviews at the annual gala and subsequently writing up the event. He passed away from an aneurysm in June 2021 at 68. LeBlanc was chosen to fill those big shoes.
LeBlanc is recognized as one of the leading music industry journalists in the world. He was the Canadian editor of Record World (1970-1980), co-founder of the late Canadian music trade, The Record (1981-1991), and served as the Canadian bureau chief of Billboard magazine (1991-2007).
His byline has appeared in over a thousand publications, including Rolling Stone, Guitar Player, the Globe & Mail, and MacLean’s. He has been extensively quoted on music issues in hundreds of publications, including Time, Forbes, The Times (London), and the New York Times. Adding the author feather to his hat, he co-authored the 2010 book “Music From Far and Wide: Celebrating 40 Years of the Juno Awards” and is a lifetime member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Most recently, he received the 2013 Walt Grealist Special Achievement Award, recognizing individuals who have impacted the Canadian music industry.
I think Jim Bessman
would be happy the torch has been passed on to his good friend, Larry LeBlanc, who shares Jim’s immense knowledge and love of songwriters!!
would be happy the torch has been passed on to his good friend, Larry LeBlanc, who shares Jim’s immense knowledge and love of songwriters!! 
– Linda Moran, President and CEO-Songwriters Hall of FameThe 2022 inductees are Mariah Carey, Annie Lennox / Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Ernie Isley / Marvin Isley / O’Kelly Isley / Ronald Isley / Rudolph Isley / Chris Jasper (The Isley Brothers), Steve Miller, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo (The Neptunes), Rick Nowels and William “Mickey” Stevenson. In addition, master songwriter Paul Williams will receive the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award, and Universal Music Publishing (UMG) Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson will receive the Abe Olman Publisher Award.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates and honors the contributions of songwriters of all genres of music, educates the public about their achievements, and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development and nurturing of new songwriting talent through songwriting craft forums, scholarships, digital initiatives and Master Sessions on both coasts. Previous inductees include Neil Diamond, Lionel Richie, Jon Bon Jovi / Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), Jay-Z, Tom Petty, Toby Keith, John Prine, Missy Elliott, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, and Bob Dylan, among many others.
