Mavis Staples appears in...
Lady Antebellum Soars at 2011 Grammy Awards

Lady Antebellum will bring a host of Grammy gold home to Nashville: With five wins, the crossover trio led the BMI charge at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, held last night in Los Angeles. Lady A's "Need You Now," co-written by members and BMI songwriters Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley, earned Record and Song of the Year, as well as Best…
BMI Congratulates Our Members on More Than 375 Grammy Nominations!

Read BMI’s 2011 Grammy nominees news story from Decmeber 2, 2010. Name, Number of Nominations Eminem, 10 Lady Gaga, 6 John Legend, 5 Rihanna, 5 The Roots, 5 B.o.B, 4 Drake (socan), 4 Cee Lo Green,…
BMI @ SXSW: 25 Years and Counting

In 1986, BMI found a kindred spirit in a baby music festival with big ideas. 25 years later, the SXSW Music and Media Conference sets the industry standard, and anchor sponsor BMI is still one of the festival’s most dedicated supporters. At its core, SXSW’s and BMI’s relationship is one of shared values. SXSW has long-since perfected the marriage of raw musical thrill and real-stakes business machine—the same balance of…
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Ball of Fire

Against all conceivable odds, expectations, predictions, rumors, gossip and reason, Jerry Lee Lewis is 75 years old. He still sounds like he could hit the key of a piano with his pinky harder than most men could hit it with their right fist. His legacy—a smoldering trail of mayhem and masterpieces that stretches from here to Ferriday, Louisiana—was forged with the scorching barrelhouse piano and Pentecostal brimstone…
BMI’s New Holiday Standards Announce That Time of Year

Holiday songs are no longer elevator music for the month of December—nor, as seems to increasingly be the case, for late October and November. The BMI repertoire is stacked with new classics that command attention, channeling lovesick blues, winking irreverence and funk-laced grooves into original odes to the season. In no particular order, here are 15 favorites from the BMI catalog: “Please Come Home for Christmas” Originally recorded by…
Eminem, Lady Gaga & Lady Antebellum Lead List of 2011 BMI Grammy Nominees

Eminem, Lady Gaga and Lady Antebellum lead BMI’s triumphant surge in the 2011 Grammy nominations, announced last night in Los Angeles. With 10 nominations, Eminem proves yet again that popularity and critical acclaim are best enjoyed hand in hand. His Recovery will vie for Album of the Year, while "Love the Way You Lie,” recorded and co-written by Eminem and his…
Jeff Turmes Steps into Overdue Spotlight

Like all the best music journeymen, multi-instrumentalist Jeff Turmes has spent much of his career toiling modestly in the shadows. Reputed for providing the sort of bedrock musical accompaniment that makes his employers sound their best, Turmes has supplied formidable support for the legendary likes of Mavis Staples, Tom Waits, Richard Thompson, R.L. Burnside, Gatemouth Brown and more. But as his…
Lanz

Rap’s not the easiest genre to break into, especially if you’re an 18-year-old white woman. But New York native Lanz isn’t one to be fenced in by expectations. Signed to Interscope Records, which will be releasing her debut album, Young $ Restless, on Feb. 12, 2008, Lanz is currently on tour opening for no less a hip-hop icon than Snoop Dogg, winning converts and…
Porter Wagoner: A Satisfied Mind

Country music legend Porter Wagoner passed away on Sunday, October 28, 2007, after a long battle with lung cancer. MusicWorld's Deborah Evans Price interviewed Wagoner just weeks prior to his death. Talent and authenticity are ageless, and Porter Wagoner is living proof. At 80 years old, Wagoner is enjoying a career resurgence that has included a Madison Square Garden performance with the White Stripes,…
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…
Recent Mavis Staples events
| Sep 14 2006 | 2006 NEA National Heritage Awards: Washington, D.C. |
