John Lee Hooker appears in...
Rock ‘n’ Roll Pioneer Bo Diddley Dies at 79
Venerable rock 'n' roll music architect Bo Diddley died Monday. He was 79 years-old. Born Otha Ellas Bates on December 30, 1928, in McComb, Mississippi, to a 15 or 16 year-old mother, Mr. Diddley was raised by a cousin, Gussie McDaniel. While still a young child, he and his family moved to Chicago, and he officially adopted the surname McDaniel. In…
Soul Singer Curtis Mayfield Honored on RockWalk
At a recent ceremony, legendary BMI singer/songwriter Curtis Mayfield was posthumously inducted into Hollywood's RockWalk. Mayfield's widow Altheida paid tribute to her husband's substantial achievements, which include songs "People Get Ready "and "Keep On Pushing" - dubbed the unofficial anthems of the civil rights movement by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Shown are (l to r): BMI's Malik Levy and…
BMI Attends Smashing Celebration

BMI celebrated the return of one of the most popular rock bands of the 90s, Smashing Pumpkins, by congratulating original members Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin as they were inducted into Hollywood's RockWalk. Held at the Guitar Center on April 23, the ceremony honored the multi-platinum and multi-Grammy award nominees of the Chicago band, who enjoyed such modern-rock hits as "Today" and "1979." Founded in 1985, Hollywood's RockWalk on Sunset…
Rocco DeLuca

If you’re the type of singer/songwriter to name your debut album I Trust You to Kill Me (Ironworks), chances are you’re not going to be shy in interviews — and so it is with Rocco DeLuca, a 30-year-old modern blues act who’s more Robert Johnson than Robert Cray. “The music I was raised on had heat. Energy. That feeling of aggression,” he declares. “The music of today…
BMI Songwriter/Artists Sweep Blues Awards

BMI songwriters made a clean sweep of the 2007 Blues Music Awards, winning in every category. To date, BMI songwriters have won 95% of these awards, the highest recognition of excellence in the blues community, given out by the Blues Foundation. The event was held on May 10th at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee before an enthusiastic crowd. In addition to the awards ceremony, more than25 performances…
Charlie Musselwhite Leads List of BMI Blues Awards Noms
BMI blues artists once again dominated the nominees list for the Blues Music Awards, set for May 10 at the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis. Presented by the Blues Foundation and co-sponsored by BMI, the Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards, celebrate excellence in the performance and recording of the blues and is the highest honor bestowed upon artists in the genre.…
Suzan-Lori Parks and Paul Oscher

The Odd Couple? Her mentor was James Baldwin; he learned the fine points of guitar playing looking over Muddy Waters's shoulder. As a teen in the '80s, she gave up guitar playing soon after she started because it was such a white-guy thing; he encouraged her to go back to playing. She encouraged him to write about his years playing harmonica in Waters band. She is playwright…
BMI Songwriters Top List of NEA National Heritage Fellows
Since 1982, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded the National Heritage Fellowships to noted individuals in the folk and traditional arts for "their artistic excellence, cultural authenticity and contributions to their field." Virtually every one of the award winners who writes songs is a member of BMI. Past musical recipients of the National Heritage Fellowships include B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Doc…
BMI Legends Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings Inducted Into Hollywood RockWalk
BMI's Barbara Cane, Tracie Verlinde and Joe Maggini were on hand to celebrate the induction of legendary BMI songwriters Kris Kristofferson and the late Waylon Jennings into the Hollywood RockWalk in Los Angeles. BMI country singer/songwriter Jessi Colter, Jennings' wife, accepted the posthumous induction in his honor.
BMI Blues Legends Honored at Annual Awards Ceremony
BMI songwriters once again dominated the annual Blues Music Awards, held May 11 in Memphis. Presented by the Blues Foundation and co-sponsored by BMI, the Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards, celebrate excellence in the performance and recording of the blues, and is the highest honor bestowed upon artists in the genre.
