This year, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis will be amongst the newest Rock and Roll of Fame inductees this year. Others being honored this year include Lionel Richie, Harry Belafonte, Eminem, Carly Simon and Dolly Parton.
Suggested Reading
As AP noted, the duo have more number one Billboard hits than the rest of the inductees combined. Jam told the outlet:
“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.”
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.”
The pair started out in Prince’s band, The Time. Shortly after that stint, they founded their production company. Janet Jackson’s “Control” and “Rhythm Nation 1814” albums made them household names.
A few of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’ biggest hits include Boyz II Men’s “On Bended Knee, “Scream” by Michael and Janet Jackson and Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama.” They’ve worked with artists from Rod Stewart to Usher to New Edition. Next year will mark 50 years of the legends working together.
Jam stated: “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. 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.”
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.