Return of Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame (LSHOF)

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Voting is ongoing for the 2023 La Musa Awards of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame (LSHOF) and is open to all music fans. The voting window will close on May 17, 2023.

The Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame (LSHOF)

The LSHOF was formed in 2012 in Miami, FL, and had its first inductees selected the following year. It is “dedicated to educating, honoring, and celebrating the lives and music of the world’s greatest Latin songwriters and composers”, as stated on their website.

However, the LSHOF last handed out their LA MUSA AWARDS in 2019. I’m assuming the pause had to do with the COVID-19 pandemic that came the following year. There isn’t updated information on their website or on their social sites. The American counterpart, the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) also took a break after 2019 for the pandemic but resumed their awards in 2022.

I’m glad to see that they seem to have the intention of resuming the awards in 2023 as we need a way to recognize our Latino songwriters and composers, just like the SHOF has been doing since 1969. But consider that this year for the first time a Hispanic woman, Gloria Estefan, was selected to enter the SHOF. She said upon the news that she wanted to use the platform to give opportunities to artists like Shakira, Ricky Martin, and Marc Anthony. I love Gloria’s good intentions for her buddies from South Florida, but I need to point out that of the three only Shakira is a real songwriter.

But my point is that the opportunities of getting a platform with the SHOF are so slim that we Latinos must continue to provide one for ourselves.

I haven’t seen a 2023 Induction Ceremony date announced by the LSHOF, but since they normally hold it towards the end of the year, they still have time.

Omissions by the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame

I don’t want to sound unfairly critical of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame since, as I just mentioned, they are critically important to providing a platform for Latino songwriters and composers. That said, I believe they need to start fixing some apparent omissions that will cast a cloud over the selection process if they’re not addressed.

It’s excellent that Inductees in the LSHOF include the likes of José Feliciano, Armando Manzanero, Omar Alfanno, Gloria Estefan, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ernesto Lecuona, along with Kany García, Myriam Hernandez, Ivy Queen, Pitbull, Wisin, Gente de Zona, and many other greats. But it needs to start filling the hole of some obvious omissions. Here are a few of them (with many more missing):

Alive/Active:

Rubén Blades, Juan Luis Guerra, Shakira, José Nogueras, Roberto Carlos, Johnny Ortiz, Ismael Miranda, Joan Manuel Serrat, and Antonio Cabán Vale “el Topo”.

Posthumous:

José Alfredo Jimenez, Tite Curet Alonso, Miguel Matamoros, Pablo Milanés, Juan Formell, Joe Arroyo, Pedro Flores, Arsenio Rodríguez, Mercedes Sosa, and Rafael Escalona.

The Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame is an organization that we need in Latin music, so I’ll remind everyone to vote and support the organization.