Local songwriter memorialized

Pittsburgh native Stephen Foster, widely regarded as the first professional songwriter, was… Pittsburgh native Stephen Foster, widely regarded as the first professional songwriter, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Sunday.

The Nashville Songwriters Foundation chose to honor Foster, along with three other  musicians, for writing “remarkable songs that we’ve lived our lives by through the years.” The foundation typically inducts only three individuals per year.

According to its website, “The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring and preserving the songwriting legacy that is uniquely associated with the Nashville music community.”

Kathryn Miller Haines, the associate director of the Center for American Music at the University of Pittsburgh, cited a few reasons why Foster is still earning recognition nearly 150 years after his death.

“His importance continued far past his death. Especially more recently, a lot of his music has been showcased,” she said.

Since his death, Foster’s music has been featured in a Broadway musical called “Beautiful Dreamer,” and Haines said his music has been the focus of a scholars’ conference.

More recently, Bruce Springsteen covered one of Foster’s songs during an encore of one of his shows.

“It seems that the Hall of Fame found it necessary to induct him while the rest of the music world was recognizing him as well,” Haines said.

Foster wrote famous songs such as “Oh! Susanna” and “Camptown Races.” Along with recognizable western tunes, Foster also contributed to the acceptance of songwriting as a serious career.

“Without him,” Haines said, “songwriters would be not be compensated the way they are today. He was the first to make music his sole vocation.”

Pitt honored Foster’s career and contribution to the music industry in 1937 with the official dedication of the Stephen Foster Memorial Museum, according to the Center for American Music’s website.

Students found it appropriate that Foster is still being recognized.

“Wow, he is in pretty company in that Hall of Fame, with Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison,” said Pitt student Andrew Clifford. “We should, as students, recognize this induction because not only is he a Pittsburgh native, but a great American songwriter.”

Another Pitt student, J.D. Schroeder, agreed. “I would say his songs are a part of American folklore. Everyone is familiar with his songs and to say a Pittsburgh native put something like that out there, it’s kind of like Pittsburgh’s contribution to American culture.”

This weekend, songwriters Pat Alger, Steve Cropper and the late Paul Davis were also inducted.

Other Hall of Fame inductees include Jimmy Buffett, Bob Dylan and Dolly Parton.