Martina McBride appears in...
Kara DioGuardi Delivers with Start-to-Finish Finesse

An ambitious practitioner of the old-fashioned art of matching song and artist, Kara DioGuardi wasn't sure if her agent had gotten hold of the right person a few months ago. But the news was indeed good: Already an amazingly successful songwriter who had come up in the record business the hard way, the New York-born DioGuardi learned she was on the short list to become the newest…
Key West Songwriters Festival Slated for April 29 – May 3
The 14th Annual Key West Songwriters Festival will invade the venues of its paradisiacal namesake April 29 through May 3, 2009, offering eclectic show lineups that introduce crowds to the faces, voices and stories behind the songs. The festival features more than 100 top songwriters and revolves around five days and nights of more than 20 free concerts, staged at an array of the island’s most popular drinking holes and…
Nassau Hosts Nashville Songwriter Invasion Led by BMI
BMI co-sponsored the 5th Annual Nassau Songwriters Festival in the Bahamas’ namesake December 5 and 6. Staged at local hotspot the Green Parrot, a cross-section of Nashville’s songwriting veterans and buzz-generating new voices performed. Lineups featured Booker T. & the MG’s Steve Cropper (Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”); Bobby Pinson (Sugarland’s “All I Want…
2008 Nassau Songwriters Festival Stacked with BMI Songwriters
Two-Night Event in Bahamas Slated for Dec. 5 & 6 BMI will proudly present the Nassau Songwriters Festival December 5-6, 2008, in the Bahamas. The 5th annual installment of the paradisiacal music festival will revolve around two shows slated for 8 p.m. Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6 at local hotspot The Green Parrot (East Bay Street). A cross-section of Nashville's songwriting elite and most promising new voices will…
BMI Artists Dominate Nominee List for 2008 CMA Awards
The Country Music Association announced nominees for the 2008 installment of the CMA Awards Wednesday, September 10, and BMI songwriters and artists overwhelmingly populate the anticipated list, sweeping the Female Vocalist of the Year nominations and dominating numerous categories. Effervescent duo Sugarland underscored their critically acclaimed year, counting an inaugural nod in the prestigious Entertainer of the Year club among their five nominations. The pair also snagged…
Rodney Atkins Leads BMI 2008 ACM Award Nominations
Big & Rich, Sugarland, Miranda Lambert & Taylor Swift Also Boast Multiple Nods BMI affiliates staked claim to the majority of the 2008 Academy of Country Music award nominations announced Tuesday, March 4 in Nashville. Reigning Top Female Vocalist Carrie Underwood helped announce the nominees live during CBS' The Early Show broadcast, which also featured live performances…
Angelo Joins BMI
Nashville-based songwriter/producer/musician extraordinaire Angelo recently joined BMI. Once the guitar player for Kim Richey, Angelo has written tunes for a uniquely diverse collection of artists including EmmyLou Harris, Martina McBride, Kings of Leon, Brooks & Dunn, The Mavericks and Trisha Yearwood. Pictured are (l to r): BMI's Bradley…
Ed Hill

Growing up on a cotton farm in California might not seem like the best preparation for a songwriting career, but for Ed Hill, BMI’s 2006 Songwriter of the Year, it held plenty of valuable lessons that have helped him rise to the top of his profession. The biggest one probably applied after he had been in Nashville awhile struggling, trying to make things happen and painting houses…
Jerry Crutchfield

He may be best known as a hit producer and Nashville music publishing and record company titan, but when Jerry Crutchfield started out 50 years ago, he was a songwriter/artist. “I had a pop/doo-wop kind of vocal group that signed with RCA Victor and our first record was released in 1956,” recalls Crutchfield. “It’s amazing to think I’ve been in this crazy business for 50 years!” Crutchfield’s…
Like Father, Like Son: BMI Welcomes Keith and R.K. Follese

Hit songwriter Keith Follese’s songs have been recorded by genre-crossing superstars including Faith Hill (“The Way You Love Me”), Tim McGraw (“Something Like That”) and Martina McBride (“I Love You”), but these days, Keith isn’t the only Follese generating a steady music industry buzz. His son, R.K. Follese, fronts Miracle Drug, a rock quartet based in Nashville. Set to play BMI’s…
