*Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees this year.
The duo has more number-one Billboard hits than the others being honored this year, including Lionel Richie, Harry Belafonte, Eminem, Carly Simon and Dolly Parton, MPR News reports.
“Songwriters are like farmers. When you go to a nice restaurant, the chef is like the artist and you thank him for the meal. But where did he get the food from? Without the farmer, he doesn’t have any food to cook. And that’s the way songwriters are to me,” Jam told The AP, as reported by The Root.
Lewis added: “I don’t know if you could ever recognize songwriters enough. I mean, they are the fuel that fuels everything. There are great songwriters out there that never get the shine that they deserve.”
READ MORE: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Join Forces to Release Debut Album
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis started out in Prince’s band, The Time. When the duo turned their attention to writing and producing for other artists, they became household names with Janet Jackson’s “Control” and “Rhythm Nation 1814” albums.
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have five Grammys and their chart-topping hits include Janet Jackson’s “When I Think of You;” Mariah Carey’s “Thank God I Found You;” George Michael’s “Monkey;” Boyz II Men’s “On Bended Knee;” Janet and Michael Jackson’s “Scream;” and Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama.”
The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017.
“We’re kind of at a point of our careers where we don’t have anything to prove, but we still have a lot to say,” said Jam. “We just want to leave music in a better place, whether it’s through technology, whether it’s through the songs we make, whether it’s the people we influence that are making music now.”
On Nov. 5, the Rock Hall will also induct Eurythmics, Duran Duran, Judas Priest, Harry Belafonte, Elizabeth Cotten and Pat Benatar.
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