Mikesfox · CC BY 3.0

Wrote "From a Distance," a song that became a global hit for Bette Midler and won the 1991 Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Its reach went well past the charts: it was read into the Congressional Record by Senator Barbara Boxer, translated into numerous languages, turned into a children's book, and played as a wake-up call for American astronauts aboard the Mir space station. Dozens of artists recorded it, from Judy Collins to Nanci Griffith, who was the first to release it.