Good times for Nile Rodgers! Chic band leader elected new Songwriters Hall of Fame chairman

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Credit: Jill FurmanovskyDon’t freak out, but legendary funk guitarist, songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers has just been elected the Chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Rodgers, best known as the longtime leader of the band Chic, was chosen unanimously at the annual meeting of the Hall of Fame’s board of directors.

Nile will serve a three-year term as chairman, succeeding Philadelphia soul songwriting duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, who were co-chairs for the last three years.

“I am truly honored and beyond humbled to be elected by such an esteemed group as this illustrious board,” Rodgers says in a statement. “I will try and serve with all my heart. I hope I can make you half as proud of me as I am to even sit in the room with you who’ve done so much for the furtherance of composition.”

Adds Songwriters Hall of Fame President and CEO Linda Moran, “Nile is respected and admired by his fans and his peers alike for his multi/cross-genre music and for being a musical pioneer. More importantly, Nile’s eloquence in talking about songwriting and its process makes him the ideal voice for the songwriting community as Chairman of the [Hall of Fame].”

Rodgers was inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside his late Chic collaborator Bernard Edwards. Nile was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 in conjunction with being honored with the Award for Musical Excellence.

Rodgers and his current incarnation of Chic will release a new album titled It’s About Time on September 14. It will be the group’s first new studio effort in 26 years.

In addition to his work with Chic, Nile has collaborated with such artists as Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna and many others during his long career.

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