How Does Jackson Browne Do It?

Yes, Jackson Browne belongs in both the RRHOF and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. But he shouldn't have gotten in either before waiting his turn. Browne was a great writer. He no longer is. And his 70's albums are better than his recent ones. But the Songwriter's Hall of Fame has always inducted strange names. It's list of bypassed writers is pretty staggering: Neil Young, Pete Townshend, Merle Haggard. All those names were nominated with Browne this year. My guess is that Browne is seen as more of a singer-songwriter than Young or Townshend. But there's usually never any logic to the SHOF, so my thoughts could be wrong. As for the RRHOF, Browne vaulted ahead of singer-songwriters on the order of Randy Newman , Cat Stevens and Leonard Cohen. All of whom recorded before him. Yet he got the nod. Whether it was his friendship with Jann Wenner or the glow of baby boomers who long for songs like "The Pretender", I don't know. But for someone who is never mentioned with the canon of songwriters, Browne has had a formidable presence at award shows.