Outside of Tennessee, there’s no other state in the U.S. that has historically produced the greatest artists in the genre than Texas. From George Strait, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and George Jones to Kenny Rogers, Kris Kristofferson, Cody Johnson and Charley Crockett, the list is seemingly endless for the Lone Star State.
Given the state’s prominence not only in the genre itself but to music as a whole, it’s no surprise that Texas boasts an elite Songwriters Hall of Fame that consists of dozens upon dozens of influential artists across genres, including the likes of the aforementioned Nelson, Jennings and Kristofferson as well as household names such as Clint Black, Ronnie Dunn, Townes Van Zandt, Buck Owens, Buddy Holly and more.
Earlier in the week, the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association announced their star-studded 2026 Hall of Fame class consisting of four new members: George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Don Cook and Keith Gattis.
The King himself is ironically probably the most controversial inductee in this class. Despite being the undeniable King of country from a numbers perspective, complete with the most #1s for any artist in any genre (60), the most #1 albums (27) and over 113.5 million units sold in the U.S. (fourth among country artists), Strait has consistently been criticized for his lack of songwriting credits. Though he has written a few dozen songs throughout his career, none of his iconic hits have been written by him.
Lambert feels like a modern no-brainer for the association. Over her two-decade career, she has penned iconic tracks such as “Tin Man,” “Over You,” “Heart Like Mine,” “Vice” and a plethora of underrated songs such as “Carousel,” “Pushin’ Time” and more. Being a quintessential artist in the mainstream over the past two decades, she’s undoubtedly one of the most influential songwriters working right now with 10 #1 hits, seven #1 albums, 3 Grammy awards and nearly two dozen platinum certifications.
Announcing her induction on Instagram, Lambert said:
“It is a huge honor to learn that I will be inducted into the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame next year. Especially alongside my hero George Strait, and legends Don Cook and Keith Gattis. My dad was my first co-writer. He taught me how to play guitar and is a huge part of the reason for my love of country music. I’m grateful for what music and songwriting have done in my life. Thank you Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association for the honor.”
As for Don Cook, he has spent decades as a co-writer with Brooks & Dunn, scoring 13 #1 hits with the duo on hits such as “Brand New Man,” “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone,” “My Next Broken Heart” and “Lost and Found.” Overall, he’s scored 20 #1 hits throughout his career, also writing for the likes of fellow inductee George Strait, as well as Charley Pride, Alabama, Kenny Rogers and Conway Twitty.
Finally, the late Keith Gattis will posthumously be inducted into the hall. It’s hard to understate the scope of Gattis’ songwriting throughout his career. He has songs cut on everyone from Willie Nelson, George Strait, George Jones and Randy Travis to Kenny Chesney, Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, Miranda Lambert and more. Notably, he penned one of Strait’s last Top 20 hits, “I Got a Car,” and Randy Houser’s severely underrated “What Whiskey Does.”
Strait, Lambert, Cook and Gattis will be inducted on February 21, 2026, at ACL Live in Austin during the 20th annual Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards Show.
