Reba McEntire Honored by Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

Reba McEntire is set to be honored by the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, with the icon to receive the inaugural Career Maker Award.

The award celebrates a non-Hall of Fame member's influence on the songwriting careers of the organization's members. During her career, McEntire has advocated for the songwriting community and given songwriters a platform by recording their material, including 80 songs by more than 40 writers who have gone on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"I love to record! Being in the studio is so creative and so much fun and very rewarding. That process starts with the songwriters and publishers sending me songs to listen to." McEntire said in a press release. "Over my recording career, I have listened to thousands of songs written by incredibly gifted people. The songwriters in this community have never let me down, and have always shared their very best songs with me, which I appreciate more than they know."

McEntire will be honored with the award during the 48th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on October 28 in Nashville.

"Being the first recipient of the Career Maker Award means so much to me because it's an award from the songwriters whose songs have helped me create and maintain a career I love," the star said. "I thank them from the bottom of my heart."

Over her storied career, McEntire has released 29 studio albums, 16 of which have gone to No.1, and earned 42 No. 1 singles. She has been named the Academy of Country Music's Top Female Vocalist Awards seven times, won the American Music Awards for Favorite Country Female Artist 12 times and has sold over 95 million records worldwide.

"Reba has played a significant role in helping more than 40 songwriters achieve induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame," songwriter Pat Alger, chairman of the Hall of Fame's board of directors, said in a statement. "That's about 20 percent of the hall's entire membership. She has supported songwriters throughout her career and was one of the first industry leaders to help the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame build our Hall of Fame Gallery at the Music City Center."

Alger continued, "Her Hall of Fame career as an artist has in turn helped create so many other Hall of Fame careers for songwriters – which is why we want to say Thank You on Nashville songwriting's most legendary night. Reba is a songwriter's best friend. Once she chooses your song and puts her inimitable stamp on it, you begin to understand why you became a songwriter in the first place. She is indisputably a great singer who continues to transform a diverse catalog of songs into works of art of the highest order. Simply put, when Reba sings your song, it's not likely to get any better than that."

Photo Credit: Getty / Emma Mcintyre/ACMA2018