Otis Redding appears in...
Nashville Songwriters Feted During Annual NSAI Dinner

The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame joined forces to toast a year’s worth of hit-worthy craftsmanship and several lifetimes’ worth of genre-building during the 40th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony, presented by AT&T, on Sunday, October 17, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. BMI songwriters were called to the stage again and again. Game-changer Taylor Swift…
Steve Cropper, Paul Davis Among 2010 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame & NSAI Honorees

Musical bridge builders Steve Cropper and Paul Davis will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame next month. The two BMI legends will enter the hallowed Hall in separate categories: Cropper in the Songwriter field, Davis under the Songwriter/Artist category. Peers, business allies and family members will toast the new inductees during the 40th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner &…
BMI Jewels Make Up Majority of Rolling Stone’s Top 500

In its June issue, Rolling Stone magazine offered the latest version of its “500 Greatest Songs of All Time," an update of its countdown originally released in 2004. Nuggets crafted by BMI songwriters overwhelmingly dominate the list: Standards from the BMI catalogue make up more than 60% of the classic roll call. Nine out of the top 10 picks are BMI gems: The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,”…
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…
ELO Frontman Jeff Lynne Receives Million-Air Certificates
Songwriter and Electric Light Orchestra frontman Jeff Lynne was awarded Million-Air certificates for “Turn To Stone, “ which has earned over one million airplays, and “Don’t Bring Me Down,” for having over two million airplays. BMI’s Linda Livingston and Phil Graham presented Lynne the certificates at a recent visit to his studio in Los Angeles. BMI recognizes the songwriters, composers and music publishers of its million and…
Soul King Isaac Hayes Dead at 65

Venerable soul king Isaac Hayes died Sunday, August 10 in his Memphis, Tennessee home. He was 65 years old. In the late ’60s and early ’70s, Hayes’s inimitable baritone, honey-buttered delivery and recital segues helped define deep soul and laid the foundation for multiple styles, including disco and rap. In 1964, the Stax record label hired the young Isaac Hayes as a backing musician for legends including…
Eli “Paperboy” Reed

Put on Roll With You, the new album from Boston-based soul band Eli “Paperboy” Reed and The True Loves, and chances are you’ll immediately feel the urge to either dance or cry. “That first response to a record is the most important,” says frontman Eli Reed. “If a record comes on and makes you want to dance right away, then you’re doing a good job. If a record comes on…
Al Kooper Celebrates a Half-Century of Super Sessions

Guess the two-word answer to a most enlightening list of questions. Who, in 1958 at the age of 14, joined the Royal Teens (Top Five hitmakers with "Short Shorts")? Who, in 1960, began his career as a BMI songwriter with a number called "My Kinda Love," which was recorded by Anastasia? Who has written hundreds of songs, all part of his BMI catalog?…
Christina Aguilera Gets ‘Back to Basics’

Given her all-conquering media presence, it’s hard to believe that Christina Aguilera’s current release, Back to Basics (RCA), is just her third English-language album of original material. Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that, after selling over 25 million albums worldwide with her brand of sultry dance-pop, the artist decided to go with a modern take on vintage jazz, soul and blues. “This is a concept…
Recent Otis Redding events
| Nov 5 2009 | An All-Star Musical Tribute to Otis Redding: Atlanta |
| Aug 3 2008 | BMI Stage at Lollapalooza: Chicago |
