Dr. John thrilled the crowd by sitting down at the piano and playing a few of their requests. The first request of the evening came from Dr. John’s old friend and fellow luminary Aaron Neville. The song: “Such a Night.”

Longtime friends and sometime collaborators Aaron Neville (left) and Dr. John (right) recalled some good times.

Dr. John tickled the ivories and the crowd.

Many of Music Row’s finest attended the party to meet the legend in person. Pictured shooting the breeze are (l to r): Dr. John and BMI’s Harry Warner with premier songwriter and guitarist Al Anderson.

Pictured are (l to r): BMI’s Jody Williams, Dr. John and Aaron Neville.

Photos by Steve Lowry

“I got a bad, bad cold, but I’m alright,” he says with a laugh. “I know how to get around that. When you been blind as long as I have, you know how to get around anything you can come up with.”

The Blind Boys were formed in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind, and now, 64 years later, Fountain and fellow founding members Jimmy Carter and George Scott are still going strong. “My philosophy always has been: Out of all the things you do, just remember to put the Lord first and you can go longer than you think you can go,” Fountain says.

In 2003, the Blind Boys released Go Tell It On The Mountain , a Christmas record with appearances from Mavis Staples, Aaron Neville, Solomon Burke and Tom Waits as well as a backing band that included John Medeski and Duke Robillard. It is a vibrant, thrilling release and, though it may feature appearances from George Clinton and Chrissie Hynde, it’s a gospel record through and through.

“What we really want to do is sing gospel,” Fountain explains. “We didn’t want to sing rock & roll. We had a chance to do all that Sam Cooke and Little Richard stuff, back in that day. But my thought was never on the rock & roll. I knew you could make more money, but I never wanted to be rich. I just wanted to get along and be happy and do what I was doing. I’m glad I did it that way. I wouldn’t do it no other way.”

Wayne Haun	Steven Curtis Chapman	Pete Stewart

Producer Wayne Haun topped the list with nine nods including Southern Gospel Song, Bluegrass Song, Country Song, Southern Gospel Album, Country Album, Special Event Album and Choral Collection. Steven Curtis Chapman earned seven mentions for recordings in the Song of the Year, Male Vocalist, Pop/Contemporary Album and Long Form Music Video categories. Producer Pete Stewart is vying for six trophies including Rap/Hip Hop Song, Rock Song and Rock Album.

CeCe Winans	Connie Smith	Marc Byrd

Additional Song of the Year contenders are Chris Eaton [PRS] ("Child of Mine"), Doug Johnson ("Three Wooden Crosses"), and Mark Hall of Casting Crowns ("If We Are The Body"), who has also just been added to the Songwriter of the Year list. Other BMI-affiliated nominees include Marc Byrd, The Crabb Family, Jars of Clay, Toby McKeehan, Sandi Patty, Robert Randolph, Relient K, Rizen, Marty Stuart and Cece Winans.

The Dove Awards will broadcast live from Municipal Auditorium in Nashville on Thursday, April 28.

Casting Crowns

Congratulations to BMI's 2004 Dove Award Nominees:

NINE NOMINATIONS
Wayne Haun

SEVEN NOMINATIONS
Steven Curtis Chapman

SIX NOMINATIONS
Pete Stewart

FIVE NOMINATIONS
CeCe Winans

FOUR NOMINATIONS
Marc Byrd
The Crabb Family
Barbara Fairchild
Lari Goss
Toby McKeehan
Smokie Norful
Robert Randolph
Connie Smith

THREE NOMINATIONS
Audio Adrenaline
Kevin Bond
Cedric Caldwell
Casting Crowns
Miguel Angel Guerra
Jars of Clay
The Martins
Otto Price
Michael Tait

TWO NOMINATIONS
Matt Bronleewe
Byron Cage
Kurt Carr
Gerald Crabb
Chris Eaton
George Hamilton IV
The Hoppers
The Hoskins Family
Doug Johnson
Greater Vision
Grits
Dave Moody
Newsboys
Charlie Peacock
Relient K
Rebecca St. James
Mark Stuart
Marty Stuart
Michael Anthony Taylor

OTHER NOMINEES
Craig Adams
Alejandro Allen
Duane Allen
Paul Allen
Dallas Austin
Percy Bady
Cindi Ballard
Barry Beckett
Josiah Bell
Kene Bell
Big Dismal
Big Rocc
Blue Highway
Jason Burkum
Myron Butler
Steve Carey
Teron Carter
Chad Chapin
The Churchmen
Mike City
Club Zoo Music
John Cooper
Aaron Crabb
Adam Crabb
Jason Crabb
Kathy Crabb
Billy Ray Cyrus
dcTalk
Christine Dente
Scott Dente
Craig Duncan
Sheri Easter
James R. "Budd" Ellison
Jerome Fontamillas
David Foster
Richard Frierson
John Ginty
GlassByrd
Karen Peck Gooch
Wendi Foy Green
Andy Griffith
Mark Hall
Sanchez Harley
Dan Haseltine
Mark Heimermann
Tom Hemby
Rick Hendrix
Maurice Henderson
Bob Herdman
Here's To JO Music
Jeremy Holderfield
Canton Jones
Monroe Jones
Stacy Jones
Jay Joyce
Joey Kibble
Mark Kibble
Wayne Kirkpatrick
Jennifer Knapp
The Lewis Family
Charlie Lowell
Stephen Mason
Lisa McClendon
Donnie McClurkin
Joyce Martin McCollough
Ann McCrary
Rod McGaha
Will McGinniss
Nelson McSwain
Mike Curb Music
Carlton Moody
Phillip Moore
Dan Munizzi
Martha Munizzi
Dan Murph
Naomi and the Segos
Greg Nelson
Grant Nicholas
Arnold Lanni
Adriann Lewis
Ay'Ron Lewis
Little Pooky's Music
Aaron Neville
Art Neville
Newsboys
Grant Nicholas
The Oak Ridge Boys
Alan O'Bryant
Matt Odmark
Joe Pace
Dolly Parton
Sandi Patty
Peach Hill Songs
The Perrys
Dan Pitts
The Principles
Desmond Pringle
Tom Reeves
Alvin Richardson
Rizen
Ric Robbins
Carroll Wayne Roberson
Joseph Rojas
Matt Rollings
George Rowe
Roger Ryan
Sandtown
Ray Scott
Seventh Day Slumber
Mike Severson
Skillet
Belinda Smith
Soul Dog
Aaron Sprinkle
Kevin Stokes
Storm Boy Music
Jerry Sullivan
Swecs Music
Sweet Radical Music
Sydney Erin Music
Tait
T-Bone
Matthew Thiessen
Mark Lee Townsend
Virtue
Billy Joe Walker, Jr.
Kevin Ward
Steven Weaver
West Lodge Music
Fletch Wiley
Mario Winans
Marvin L. Winans, Jr.
Vickie Winans
Gerald Wolfe
Vicki Yohe]]> 2004-03-31T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233913 Artists, Aguilera, Christina, Akwid, Alabama, Audioslave, Banton, Buju, Batson, Mark, Black Eyed Peas, Blind Boys of Alabama, The, Blue Highway, Bowie, David, Branch, Michelle, Brecker, Randy, Brooks & Dunn, Buffett, Jimmy, Cam'ron, Cash, Rosanne, Clarke, Stanley, Corea, Chick, DiFranco, Ani, Eminem, Evanescence, Flaming Lips, The, Floetry, Foo Fighters, Fountains of Wayne, Franklin, Aretha, Gill, Vince, Gorillaz, Green, Pat, Guy, Buddy, Hamilton, Anthony, Hargrove, Roy, Harrison, Rich, Hill, Faith, Hugo, Chad, India, Intocable, James, Etta, Jane's Addiction, Jarrett, Keith, Jars of Clay, Jones, Norah, Keith, Toby, Kelly, R., Kenny G, Korn, Krauss, Alison, LaBelle, Patti, lang, k.d., Larrieux, Amel, Les Nubians, Lewis, Glenn, Lil' Kim, Linkin Park, Lonestar, Los Tigres del Norte, Loveless, Patty, Matrix, The, McBride, Martina, McClurkin, Donnie, McGraw, Tim, McLachlan, Sarah, Metheny, Pat, Miguel, Luis, Mirwais, Molotov, Muddy Waters, Nelson, Willie, Neptunes, The, Neville, Aaron, Nickelback, Parton, Dolly, Queens of the Stone Age, Roots, The, Scruggs, Earl, Setzer, Brian, Shorter, Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Sting, Tedeschi, Susan, Twain, Shania, Vincent, Rhonda, White Stripes, The, Williams, Lucinda, Williams, Pharrell, Wilson, Charlie, Wonder, Wayne, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yeston, Maury, Zevon, Warren, Musical Styles, Blues, Jazz, Pop, Rock 46th Annual Grammy Awards, announced December 4 at a press conference held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Pharrell Williams of red hot production duo, The Neptunes, leads the BMI pack with six nods including three individual and three with partner Chad Hugo, who himself earned five. In addition to nominations for Album of the Year as producers and Best Rap Song as songwriters, the pair is also up for the coveted Producer of the Year Grammy.

Evanescence

The White Stripes

Rock band Evanescence also topped this year's list, picking up five nominations including Best New Artist and Best Rock Album for their multi-platinum breakthrough release, Fallen. Other five-time nominees were rapper Eminem and the late Warren Zevon. Also receiving multiple nods were Willie Nelson, Jack White of The White Stripes (three with his band and one individual), and classical composer Jose Serebrier with four each and Christina Aguilera with three, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her smash hit, "Beautiful."

Willie Nelson

Eminem

Warren Zevon

The 46th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 8, 2004, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on CBS from 8-11:30 p.m. on the East and West Coasts.

BMI's Grammy Nominees

SIX NOMINATIONS
Pharrell Williams

FIVE NOMINATIONS
Eminem
Evanescence
Chad Hugo
Warren Zevon

FOUR NOMINATIONS
Willie Nelson
José Serebrier
The White Stripes

THREE NOMINATIONS
Christina Aguilera
Jeff Bass
Michael Brecker
Chick Corea
Anthony Hamilton
Alison Krauss
Lil' Kim
Shania Twain

TWO NOMINATIONS
Audioslave
Black Eyed Peas
Jorge Calderón
Ry Cooder
Foo Fighters
Fountains of Wayne
Aretha Franklin
Rich Harrison
Heather Headley
Bishop T.D. Jakes
Toby Keith
R. Kelly
k.d. lang (SOCAN)
The Matrix
Martina McBride
Aaron Neville
Nickelback (SOCAN)
Pink
Neal Pogue
Earl Scruggs
Wayne Shorter
Snoop Dogg
Sting (PRS)
Union Station
Doc Watson
will.i.am
John Williams
Lucinda Williams

ONE NOMINATION
Mirwais Ahmadzaï
Akwid
Allman Brothers Band
Audio Adrenaline
Marcia Ball
Luther Barnes & the Sunset Jubilaires
Buju Banton (PRS)
Mark Batson
Steve Berkowitz
Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones
Carla Bley Big Band
Blind Boys of Alabama
Blue Highway
Michelle Branch
Randy Brecker
Brooks & Dunn
David Bowie (PRS)
Joe Budden
Jimmy Buffett
Martin Buttrich (GEMA)
Café Tacuba
Michel Camilo
Cam'Ron
Caribbean Jazz Project
Rosanne Cash
Stanley Clarke
Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater
The Crabb Family
The Crusaders
Sam Cooke
Adrian Cosentini
Diamond Rio
Ani DiFranco
Reggie Dozier
Jimmy Douglass
Eagles
Fred Ebb
Kurt Elling
Scotty Emerick
The Flaming Lips
Floetry
Bill Frisell
Kenny G
Vince Gill
Gorillaz (PRS)
Percy Gray, Jr.
Buddy Guy
Eddie Gonzalez
Jimmy Gonzalez y El Grupo Mazz
Pat Green
Stephan Haeri
William Hamilton
Roy Hargrove
Faith Hill
Dave Holland Quintet
Eric Idle (PRS)
India
Intocable
Jane's Addiction
Etta James
Keith Jarrett
Jars of Clay
Norah Jones
The Jordanaires
John Kander
Peter Kater
John P. Kee
Garrison Keillor
Kitaro (JASRAC)
Korn
Dave Koz
Nathaniel Kunkel
Patti LaBelle
Amel Larrieux
Glenn Lewis
Mark Levine
Linkin Park
The Light Crust Doughboys
Lonestar
Irving Lorenzo
Patty Loveless
Luis Miguel
Timo Maas (GEMA)
Marilyn Manson
Masters at Work
Donnie McClurkin
Del McCoury Band
Tim McGraw
Sarah McLachlan (SOCAN)
Jim McNeely
Joel McNeely
Pat Metheny
Bette Midler
Ismael Miranda
Molotov
Joel Moss
Newsboys
Bob Norberg
Les Nubians (SACEM)
The Oak Ridge Boys
Walter Ostanek (SOCAN)
Joe Pace
Dolly Parton
Nicholas Payton
Ray Price
Queens of the Stone Age
Eugene Record
Relient K
Don Rollins
Roomful of Blues
The Roots
Scott Rouse
David Sanborn
Pete Seeger
The Sensational Nightingales
Thomas Z. Shepard
Brian Setzer Orchestra
Sean Smith
Luciana Souza
Los Straitjackets
Micheal Strange, Jr.
Jimmy Sturr
Howard Tate
Susan Tedeschi
Télépopmusik (SACEM)
Jacky Terrasson
Los Tigres Del Norte
Los Tucanes De Tijuana
Caetano Veloso
Rhonda Vincent
Redd Volkaert
Muddy Waters
Charlie Wilson
Gerald Wilson Orchestra
Kim Wilson
Vickie Winans
George Winston
Wayne Wonder
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Yerba Buena
Maury Yeston
Yellowjackets

"That's the reason I came to town, and probably is still the most exciting and precious thing to me," says the Texas native.

That devotion to song is likely one of the reasons he's had such success: 14 BMI-award-winners cut by an eclectic group of artists including Al Jarreau ("We're in This Love Together,") Mark Wills and 98° ("I Do [Cherish You]"), Dr. Hook ("Sexy Eyes") and Sammy Kershaw ("Love of My Life").

Though much of his success in the early '80s was with pop hits, Stegall wowed the world when he produced Randy Travis's seminal debut Storms of Life in 1986. That album not only launched Travis's career, it did nothing less than reset the genre's direction for the next decade.

Stegall, who started playing piano at age four and made his own stage debut at eight, quickly bowed out of the Travis project to focus on his own record deal. But the course behind the board was set, and Stegall soon struck up another collaboration with an upstart singer/songwriter named Alan Jackson.

Jackson and Stegall, through their "tremendous mutual respect and trust," have to-date made 12 platinum or multi-platinum records. Twenty-nine singles have reached number one, many of which they wrote together, including "Dallas," "Don't Rock the Jukebox" and "If I Could Make A Living."

The former folk singer also has shepherded some noted progressive projects, including Eric Heatherly's Swimming in Champagne and Jamie O'Neal's breakout debut Shiver. Among his many production clients are Aaron Neville, George Jones, Terri Clark and this great singer and musician named Keith Stegall.

So far, Stegall has created 39 number one records as writer and/or producer. He's had five Grammy nominations and has won numerous CMA, ACM, and TNN awards - including a 1995 ACM nod as Top New Male Vocalist for Stegall himself. But this self-proclaimed "insecure" gentleman tries "not to pay attention to that stuff."

"No accolade," he says, "no award, nothing compares to writing a great song. Or producing a great record."

Such versatility is nothing less than astounding. While many of their contemporaries have focused on writing only pop songs or only r&b tunes, Mann and Weil have consistently proven themselves adept at working in a wide range of styles, often working with other songwriters either alone or as a team.

The recognition that they have received is extraordinary in itself: Mann and Weil have collected myriad accolades from BMI, including 108 Pop, Country and R&B Awards and 76 "Million-Air" Awards, denoting airplay of 1 million or more. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" is the most performed song in BMI's repertoire and is the first song ever to achieve 8 million performances.

In addition, the twosome received the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Songwriters, The Clooney Foundation's Award for Legendary Song Composition, and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The Mann & Weil story has a humble beginning. While still a teenager, Mann gave up studying architecture to become a full-time songwriter. After penning "She Say (Oom Dooby Dom)," a hit for the Diamonds, Mann joined music publisher Aldon Music as a staff writer. There he co-wrote such hits as "Footsteps" by Steve Lawrence, "I Love How You Love Me" by The Paris Sisters," and "Patches" by Dicky Lee. A talented singer in his own right, in 1961 Mann recorded the hit single "Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)," co-written by Gerry Goffin.

Weil began her career as an actress and dancer, but, encouraged by famed composer Frank Loesser, soon began pursuing songwriting as a career. Before long she, too, found herself at Aldon, where a professional relationship soon began with Mann. This was the famed "Brill Building" era, during which the pair competed and sometimes collaborated with such other talents as Goffin, Carole King, Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller (with whom they wrote "On Broadway") and Phil Spector ("Lovin' Feelin'").

Songwriting was only one of Mann and Weil's collaborations, however; they married during their stay at Aldon. Professionally, as the partnership deepened and evolved, Mann would take care of the music while Weil wrote the lyrics. Weil's savvy extended well beyond the routine love songs that marked the era, and she is widely credited with helping to bring a political consciousness to the Brill Building style via such cornerstone works as "On Broadway" and "Uptown." The increasing intensity of their work became even more evident with such songs as "Kicks," a top 10 hit for Paul Revere & the Raiders, which examined the pitfalls of drug use, and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," popularized by the Animals, which served as a desperate anthem for both Vietnam War soldiers and protesters.

Moving into the '70s, '80s and '90s, Mann & Weil were instrumental in crossing Dolly Parton over from country to pop ("Here You Come Again"), introducing James Ingram ("Just Once"), and reinvigorating the careers of Aaron Neville (the Grammy-nominated "Don't Know Much") and Sergio Mendes ("Never Gonna Let You Go"). During this period the pair also wrote with teen idols Hanson the hit ballad "I Will Come to You."

Hits have also consistently been scored with other tunesmiths: Weil wrote "Running with the Night" with Lionel Richie, "Through the Fire" with David Foster and Tom Keane, "He's So Shy" with Tom Snow and "Wrong Again," a number one country hit for Martina McBride, with Tommy Lee James. Mann has collaborated with such acts as Leo Sayer ("How Much Love"), Dan Hill ("Sometimes When We Touch") and Curtis Stigers ("Never Saw a Miracle").

The team has also made its mark in the film world, winning (with James Horner) a pair of Grammys, an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for "Somewhere Out There" from An American Tail, receiving a Grammy nomination (with Horner) for "Whatever You Imagine" from The Pagemaster, and writing the song score for Muppet Treasure Island. In addition, Weil provided the Christmas carols (again with Horner) for the big-screen version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas and wrote the song "For Always" with John Williams for the A.I. soundtrack album.

Even after their many successes over the years, the team is hardly slowing down: In addition to songwriting, Mann and Weil are currently working on two Broadway projects: one based on their amazing catalog of songs, and Mask, an original rock musical based on the 1985 film.

Obviously, it is impossible to consider popular songwriting in the second half of the past century (and beyond) without including the landmark work of this phenomenal duo. Maintaining popular and critical success for such an extended time - and continuing to diligently hone their craft - Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil are, simply put, a songwriting team for the ages.

Legendary BMI writer Harlan Howard, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, died suddenly on Sunday evening , March 3, in Nashville. He was 74.

photo: Beth Gwinn

In a career that spanned six decades, Howard penned more than 100 Top 10 hits. The man behind such timeless songs as "I Fall To Pieces," "Busted," "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" and "Heartaches By the Number" was once dubbed "the Irving Berlin of country music" because of the size of his catalog of classics. A BMI writer for over 45 years, Harlan Howard provided hit songs to several generations of stars, from Kitty Wells to Patty Loveless, from Patsy Cline to Reba McEntire, from Mel Tillis to Pam Tillis. A who's-who of the country music world has sung his compositions: ? George Jones, Buck Owens, Waylon Jenning, Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell, the Judds, Jimmy Dickens, Ray Price and Conway Twitty, to name just a few. But his songs have also enjoyed R&B and pop interpretations by a variety of artists such as Ray Charles, Joe Simon, Shirley Caesar, Brenda Lee, The Kingston Trio, Kay Starr and Burl Ives.

At the 1994 BMI Country Awards: Patty Loveless, Kostas, Sony/Tree's Donna Hilley, BMI's Roger Sovine, Harlan Howard, and BMI"s Frances Preston celebrate Song of the Year "Blame It On Your Heart"

Among his numerous accolades were 45 BMI Country Awards, 4 BMI Pop Awards and two BMI R&B Awards. BMI President & CEO Frances Preston, who met Howard almost 40 years ago, remembered, "When Harlan was inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame several years ago, he said he was surprised he was being honored by people in New York when he so rarely crossed Tennessee’s Cumberland River. Harlan himself may have stayed close to his Nashville home, but his songs were his ambassadors to the rest of the world and the world loved him for it.

Greeting Roger Miller and Waylon Jennings at the 1990 Harlan Howard Birthday Bash

"He understood the spirit of creative collaboration and was willing to share his melodies and his words with other songwriters -- those who were his contemporaries and those who came to "the master" to learn the art. He was generous with his gifts and another generation of successful songwriters is grateful to him for showing them the way.

"Harlan was my friend and I will miss him," concluded Preston.

With co-host Tammy Wynette and Mark Knopfler at the 1990 Birthday Bash

Harlan Perry Howard was born September 8, 1927 in Detroit, Michigan. After a difficult childhood in a number of foster homes, he dropped out of school in the ninth grade and became a manual laborer. After military service, he settled in Los Angeles in 1955 and began driving a forklift in a printing factory.

At the 1961 BMI Country Awards: BMI's Frances Preston and Robert J. Burton, Harlan Howard, Joe Allison and Buck Owens

As a boy, he'd been captivated by the music of Ernest Tubb and had begun writing song lyrics. In California, he socialized with other country-music lovers; one of his early writing partners was Buck Owens. His first publishing deal came courtesy of cowboy stars Tex Ritter and Johnny Bond.

With Buck Owens at the 1998 Birthday Bash

Grand Ole Opry star Charlie Walker launched Howard's hit writing career in 1958 with "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down." The following year, "Heartaches B y the Number" topped both the country and the pop hit parades in versions by Ray Price and Guy Mitchell.

After writing for Kitty Wells, Warren Smith and Jan Howard (his wife from 1957 to 1967), Harlan Howard moved to Nashville in June 1960. Along with fellow BMI writers Bill Anderson, Boudleaux & Felice Bryant, Willie Nelson, Mel Tillis, Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin, John D. Loudermilk and Roger Miller, he was among the first full-time songwriting professionals in the city.

Working at Pamper Music, he collaborated on songs with Hank Cochran, with whom he cowrote Patsy Cline's "I Fall To Pieces" and George Jones' "You Comb Her Hair." At one point in 1961 Harlan Howard had 15 songs on the country popularity charts at the same time , a feat not equaled since. BMI gave him 10 songwriting awards that year of the 39 songs on the "most performed" list and he was named Billboard magazine's songwriter of the year in 1962 and 1963.

Prominence as a writer led to recording his own albums in 1961, 1965, 1967 and 1971. But the finest collection of his songs came with a 1967 tribute LP by Waylon Jennings, titled Waylon Sings Ol' Harlan. During his career, Jennings recorded more than 40 of Howard's songs, far more than any other artist.

Howard was Jennings' songwriting mentor and his bonds with other artists were equally strong. Harlan Howard helped Bobby Bare obtain an RCA recording contract and lobbied for Conway Twitty's transition from teen pop idol to country superstar. He also opened doors on Music Row for current star Sara Evans.

Howard's peers began calling him "Mr. Songwriter" after Ray Charles won a Grammy Award with "Busted" in 1963. Originally recorded by Johnny Cash, that song is one of a number of Harlan Howard compositions that have been recorded multiple times. Others include "Life Turned Her That Way," "The Chokin' Kind," "Yours Love," "Above and Beyond," "I Fall To Pieces," "The Key 's In the Mailbox" and "Too Many Rivers."

In 1982, Opry star John Conlee revived "Busted" and introduced "I Don' t Remember Loving You" and "Nothing Behind You (Nothing in Sight)". Thereafter, a new generation of Nashville stars began singing his songs. Reba McEntire ("Somebody Should Leave"), The Judds ("Why Not Me"), Highway 101 ("Somewhere Tonight") and others extended Howard's hit streak through the 1980s.

In the 1990s Pam Tillis ("Don't Tell Me What To Do"), Doug Stone ("These Lips Don' t Know How To Say Goodbye"), Collin Raye ("All I Can Be") and more had hits with Harlan Howard songs. Trisha Yearwood and Aaron Neville won a Grammy Award for their 1994 revival of "I Fall To Pieces." At the 1994 BMI Country Awards banquet, Howard's "Blame It O n Your Heart," co-written with Kostas and recorded by Patty Loveless, was named BMI Country Song of the Year.

His presence on Music Row was such that that for a dozen years (1983-95 ) the community celebrated the "Harlan Howard Birthday Bash," an all-star concert staged in the BMI Nashville parking lot as a benefit for songwriter organizations. Declining health forced him to discontinue these events after 1995. He and fifth wife Melanie Howard continued to run his song publishing business, however, and they aided such developing writers as Jackson Leap and Bobbie Cryner.

Harlan Howard was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1973 and, in 1997, both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Survivors, in addition to his wife, Melanie Howard, are sons Perry Howard (BMI Nashville Associate Director, Writer/Publisher Relations) and Carter "Corky" Howard, daughters Clementine Howard and Jennifer Howard Carmella, granddaughter Michele Carmella, and brother Milton Howard.

Visitation at Nashville's Roesch-Patton-Austin-Bracey & Charlton funeral home (1715 Broadway) is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5 from 11am - 2pm and 6pm - 8pm and again on Wednesday, March 6 from 11am - 2pm. There will be a private family service on Wednesday.

A memorial service has been set for Tuesday, March 19th, from 2-4 p.m. at the Ryman Auditorium.

The Howard family has requested memorial donations to The Harlan Howard Music Scholarship Fund, SunTrust Bank, 1206 17th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212. (reference account number 7021676536).

Harlan Howard's Hit Songs

1958: "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down" ? Charlie Walker
1959: "Heartaches by the Number" ? Ray Price
"Heartaches by the Number" ? Guy Mitchell "Mommy for a Day" ? Kitty Wells
1960: "Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache)" ? Buck Owens
"Above and Beyond" ? Buck Owens
"I Don't Believe I'll Fall in Love Today" ? Warren Smith
"The One You Slip Around With" ? Jan Howard
"I Wish I Could Fall in Love Today" ? Ray Price
"The Everglades" ? The Kingston Trio
"The Key's in the Mailbox" ? Freddie Hart
1961: "I Fall to Pieces" ? Patsy Cline
"Heartbreak U.S.A." ? Kitty Wells
"Under the Influence of Love" ? Buck Owens
"Foolin' Around" ? Buck Owens
"Foolin' Around" ? Kay Starr
"The Blizzard" ? Jim Reeves
"Odds and Ends" ? Warren Smith
"Three Steps to the Phone" ? George Hamilton IV
1962: "Call Me Mr. In-Between" ? Burl Ives
"Second Hand Rose (Second Hand Heart)" ? Roy Drusky
"Mary Ann Regrets" ? Burl Ives
"Sally Was a Good Old Girl" ? Hank Cochran
1963: "Busted" ? Johnny Cash
"Busted" ? Ray Charles
"You Comb Her Hair" ? George Jones
"You Took Her Off My Hands" ? Ray Price
"Don't Call Me from a Honky-Tonk" ? Johnny & Jonie Mosby
"Another Bridge to Burn" ? Jimmy Dickens
"The Deepening Snow" ? Johnny Darrell
1964: "I Won't Forget You" ? Hank Snow
"Your Heart Turned Left" ? George Jones
"Go Cat Go" ? Norma Jean
"Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming In" ? Johnny & Jonie Mosby
"It Takes One to Know One" ? Jimmy Martin
"Life Turned Her That Way" ? Jimmy Dickens
1965: "Too Many Rivers" ? Brenda Lee
"I've Got a Tiger by the Tail" ? Buck Owens
"I Wouldn't Buy a Used Car from Him" ? Norma Jean
"Someone's Gotta Cry" ? Jean Shepard
"She's Gone, Gone, Gone" ? Lefty Frizzell
"What Makes a Man Wander?" ? Jan Howard
"Take Him Fishing" ? Tex Ritter
"Meanwhile Down at Joe's" ? Kitty Wells
1966: "The Hurtin's All Over" ? Connie Smith
"The Minute Men" ? Stonewall Jackson
"Evil on Your Mind" ? Jan Howard
"Streets of Baltimore" ? Bobby Bare
"Look Into My Teardrops" ? Conway Twitty
"Time to Bum Again" ? Waylon Jennings
"Green River" ? Waylon Jennings
"It's All Over But the Crying" ? Kitty Wells
"I've Cried a Mile" ? Hank Snow
1967: "Heaven Help the Working Girl" ? Norma Jean
"The Chokin' Kind" ? Waylon Jennings
"Life Turned Her That Way" ? Mel Tillis
"Any Old Way You Do" ? Jan Howard
1968: "It's All Over But the Crying" ? Hank Williams Jr.
"He's a Good Old Boy" ? Arlene Hardin
"Baby Me, Baby" ? Johnny Duncan
"California Sunshine" ? Waylon Jennings
"Yours Love" ? Waylon Jennings
"I Wish I Felt This Way at Home" ? Dolly Parton
1969: "The Chokin' Kind" ?Joe Simon
"Yours Love" ? Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton
"Thinking �Bout You Babe" ? Billy Walker
"Odds and Ends" ? Tompall & The Glaser Brothers
1970: "Watermelon Time in Georgia" ? Lefty Frizzell
"She's a Little Bit Country" ? George Hamilton IV
1971: "Sunday Morning Christian" ? Harlan Howard
"He Called Me Baby" ? Candi Staton
1972: "The Key's in the Mailbox" ? Tony Booth
1973: "Streets of Baltimore" ? Gram Parsons
1974: "No Charge" ? Melba Montgomery
"She Called Me Baby" ? Charlie Rich
1975: "No Charge" ? Shirley Caesar
1978: "Toddy for the Body" ? Bobby Bare
1980: "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" ? Hank Cochran
"She's Gone, Gone, Gone" ? The New South
1981: "All Fall Down" ? Kris Kristofferson
1982: "Busted" ? John Conlee
"I Don't Remember Loving You" ? John Conlee
"Nothing Behind You (Nothing in Sight)" ? John Conlee
1984: "I Don't Know a Thing About Love" ? Conway Twitty
"You're a Hard Dog to Keep Under the Porch" ? Gail Davies
1985: "Why Not Me?" ? The Judds
"Somebody Should Leave" ? Reba McEntire
1987: "Somewhere Tonight" ? Highway 101
"Too Many Rivers" ? The Forester Sisters
"Never Mind" ? Nanci Griffith
1988: "Life Turned Her That Way" ? Ricky Van Shelton
"I Wish That I Could Fall in Love Today" ? Barbara Mandrell
"I'm Down to My Last Cigarette" ? k.d. lang
1989: "Above and Beyond" ? Rodney Crowell
"She's Gone, Gone, Gone" ? Glen Campbell
1991: "These Lips Don't Know How to Say Goodbye" ? Doug Stone
"Don't Tell Me What to Do" ? Pam Tillis
"The Key's in the Mailbox" ? Barbara Mandrell
"All I Can Be (Is a Sweet Memory)" ? Collin Raye
1993: "Blame it on Your Heart" ? Patty Loveless
1994: "I Fall to Pieces" ? Trisha Yearwood & Aaron Neville
1997: "I've Got a Tiger by the Tail" ? Sara Evans
1999: "I Fall to Pieces" ? LeAnn Rimes

By Rob Patterson

From the dawning days of rhythm & blues through today's multifaceted urban music scene, BMI has been at the forefront of music from the African American tradition, styles and community. A continuity of teamwork between BMI and Black music-makers extends from Aretha Franklin to Janet Jackson, from Motown hitmakers Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland to R. Kelly, and from Miles Davis to Terence Blanchard.

B.B. King

Busta Rhymes

Janet Jackson

Eminem

When r&b, in its formative years, was the province of budding independent labels, small publishers, and adventurous radio stations, BMI opened its ranks to the musical movement when the existing performing rights organization failed to recognize the legitimacy and potential brewing in Black American music. The considerable fact that 90 percent of the R&B Foundation's Pioneer Awards have been bestowed on BMI artists attests to BMI's historical commitment to Black music.

Eric Benet

Macy Gray

Mariah Carey

Michael Jackson

The BMI Black music rosters reads like a musical honor role: Jazz giants such as Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington and John Coltrane; blues icons like Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and T-Bone Walker; r&b pacesetters such as Ray Charles, Fats Domino and James Brown; soul sisters Etta James, Irma Thomas and Diana Ross; rock pioneers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard.

Mya

R. Kelly

Snoop Dogg

Toni Braxton

The BMI bloodlines can be traced from then to now, from Carla Thomas to Donna Summer to Vanessa Williams, from Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff to LA Reid and Babyface, from Otis Redding to Michael Jackson. And if you check this space 20 or 30 years from now, the odds say its likely that BMI's contemporary urban music artists will be just as legendary and influential as those BMI has represented throughout the history of Black popular music in America.

In a sense, the pages have already been written by today's BMI star talents. Mariah Carey has proven herself a formidable and enduring presence in popular music, while Macy Gray is arising to help bring soul back to its rightful place of presence in urban music. Kevin Eubanks delivers sublime new variations of the jazz guitar heritage to millions on The Tonight Show, and Joshua Redman redefines the notion of young jazz giant for a new millennium. Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Lil' Kim continue to push the hip-hop envelope, while Kirk Franklin and Winans Phase 2 keep the gospel spirit alive.

But it's not just the marquee names that make these exciting times for BMI's urban music roster. And even some of BMI's team whose work happens primarily behind the scenes are earning public note on the level of the artists they work with. Producer, songwriter, keyboardist and remixer Dallas Austin launched Monica and TLC, and counts Michael Jackson, Madonna, Boyz II Men and Aretha Franklin among his credits. Such musical versatility and vision continues with such recording and writing powerhouses as Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, Master P, Tim & Bob, SoulShock & Karlin, Jean Claude 'Poke' Olivier of The Track Masters, Organized Noise, Teddy Bishop and Cory Rooney - all drawing from a differing wealth of musical wells and creating new and innovative musical moments.

Hip-hop remains a powerfully progressive and sometimes provocative movement in modern popular music. Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Goodie Mob keep it real, and the beats and themes will surely remain hard in the hands of such acts as Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Ja Rule, Mos Def, Trick Daddy, Silkk the Shocker, JT Money, Kurupt and J-Shin. At the same time, acts like The Roots, Black Eyed Peas, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek and Spooks infuse a rich mixture of styles into the hip-hop genre. Once the sound of the street, just as r&b had been, hip-hop is now an integral part of contemporary culture. And its Caribbean cousin dancehall is also claiming the attention of the public ear thanks to Buju Banton.

R&B has always boasted its powerful cadre of female singers. And just as Carla Thomas, Martha Reeves and Jodi Whatley established their voices as trademarks, so have the women like Brandy, Toni Braxton and Faith Evans. Rising to join them are such soul sisters as Angie Stone, Mya, Sunshine Anderson and Aaliyah, while R&B brothers such as Eric Benet and Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes stir up new soul traditions for today's urban music fans as Clyde McPhatter, Sam Moore and Aaron Neville have before them. The girl group traditions forged by The Shirelles and The Supremes find modern expression in the "new jill flava" of Total.

As the recent Ken Burns documentary demonstrated, jazz is one of the richest skeins in the American cultural tapestry. BMI has been a consistent presence in jazz, from Lionel Hampton to Coleman Hawkins to Herbie Hancock to Roy Hargrove. Today, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride, Kevin Eubanks and Bilal maintain the instrumental and compositional greatness of jazz music for the genre's future.

Spirituals have always been an essential element in Black music and BMI's mission, thanks to everyone from James Ingram to The Fairfield Four. And perhaps nobody has had a more profound impact on contemporary music and the popularity of spiritual sounds than minister, songwriter, producer and visionary Kirk Franklin. In the past, one could make similar claims for The Winans, and the family tradition forged there is carried on by Winans Phase 2. The ears reached by these artists are now opening as well to such rising talents as Yolanda Adams and Trin-i-tee 5:7.

Such diversity, commercial impact, innovation and encouragement of burgeoning styles and new artists has been a hallmark of BMI's commitment to Black music from the time that "race music" became rhythm & blues, and on through soul, funk and disco right up to rap and new jack swing. As BMI salutes tradition through its longtime support of the R&B Foundation, it also helps create the future that is urban music in all its breadth and creativity. Because at BMI, Black Music Month is celebrated 12 months a year.