Becca Stevens, Marcus Hummon, Martie Seidel and BMI's David Preston at the 2000 BMI Country Awards

The 90-minute production again pairs playwright/composer Hummon with Actors Bridge artistic director/BMI writer Bill Feehely (American Duet, Francis of Guernica). Warrior is the first theatrical production in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's intimate 213-seat Ford Theater.

"Born To Fly" writers Marcus Hummon, Sara Evans and Darrell Scott

The Jim Thorpe role will be performed by acclaimed singer/songwriter Mark Luna, who is making his theatrical debut.

James Francis Thorpe (1887-1953) was a Native American member of Oklahoma's Sac and Fox tribe who won both the pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 Olympics, a feat unmatched before or since. Widely regarded as the greatest athlete of the 20th Century, he was the first American to play professional baseball and football in the same season, and served as the first president of the National Football League.

Thorpe is enshrined in the National Indian Hall of Fame, the Helms Professional Football Hall of Fame, the Professional Football Hall of Fame, the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. In 1999, the United States Congress officially designated Thorpe "America's Athlete of the Century."

Thorpe's private life, however, was marred by personal demons and professional setbacks. In 1913, the Amateur Athletic Union, having learned that he had played semiprofessional baseball, voided Thorpe's amateur status and disallowed his Olympic victories. His amateur status and gold medals were restored posthumously in 1982. In Warrior, Thorpe's story is presented as a Greek Tragedy narrated by Whiskey, the personification of Thorpe's Achilles' heel, alcoholism.

Warrior is the newest creation of multi-talented singer/songwriter/playwright Marcus Hummon. The Careers-BMG Music Publishing writer, who is best known for penning chart-toppers like the Grammy-winning "Ready to Run" and "Cowboy, Take Me Away", both co-written with Dixie Chick Martie Siedel, is currently nominated for Song of the Year by the Country Music Association for "Born to Fly", which he co-wrote with Sara Evans and Darrell Scott.

Hummon's additional No. 1 hits include Wynonna's recording of "Only Love" and Tim McGraw's "One Of These Days." Hummon's own recordings include the critically-respected All In Good Time on Columbia and The Sound Of One Fan Clapping and Looking For the Child on Velvet Armadillo Records. A published poet, he also wrote the lyrics for the PBS children's cartoon series Book of Virtues.

In addition to Luna, the Warrior cast includes Jim Bagby, Milton Bagby, Pam Boylan, Alain Browning, Tim Orr Fudge, Jacqueline Graziano, Nathan Lacey, Tara Lacey, Jeff Lewis, Michael Prentice, Lisa Marie Smith, Becca Stevens, and Dean Hall.

With Feehely as director, Warrior is produced by Tracy Gershon (publisher with High Seas Music), with Hummon and BMI composer Andrea Zonn as co-musical directors.

Tickets are $20 and are on sale now at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum or by calling (615) 416-2096.

Top Female Vocalist
Faith Hill

Top Male Vocalist
Toby Keith

Top Vocal Duo
Brooks & Dunn

Vocal Group of the Year
Dixie Chicks

Top New Male Vocalist
Keith Urban

Top New Vocal Duet/Group
Rascal Flatts

Video of the Year
"Goodbye Earl" -- Dixie Chicks

Album of the Year
How Do You Like Me Now?!
Toby Keith
Producers: James Stroud and Toby Keith (DreamWorks Records)

Single Record of the Year
"I Hope You Dance"
Producer: Mark Wright (MCA Nashville)

Song of the Year
"I Hope You Dance"
Composer: Tia Sillers
Publishers: Choice Is Tragic Music and Ensign Music Corporation

Vocal Event of the Year
(Award to Artist/Producer) "I Hope You Dance"
Producer: Mark Wright

Pioneer Award
Barbara Mandrell

Fiddle
Mark O'Connor

Guitar
Brent Mason

Keyboards
John Hobbs

Specialty Instrument
Jerry Douglas -- Dobro]]> 2001-05-09T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233535 Artists, Alabama, Allen, Deborah, Anderson, Al, Daniels, Charlie, Evans, Sara, James, Etta, Ketchum, Hal, LeDoux, Chris, Lonestar, Mavericks, The, McGraw, Tim, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The, Seidel, Martie, Steele, Jeffrey, Tippin, Aaron, Tucker, Tanya, Twain, Shania, Vincent, Rhonda, White, Jason, Williams Jr., Hank, Williams, Hank, Musical Styles, Country, Rock, Musicworld, Feature
Al Anderson — who, along with Shania Twain, Skip Ewing and Dixie Chick Martie Seidel, was named a BMI Country Songwriter of the Year this past fall — has in recent years emerged as one of Nashville's most dependable tunesmiths, churning out an impressive string of irresistibly catchy, organically gritty hits for the likes of The Mavericks ("All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down"), Trisha Yearwood ("Powerful Thing"), LeAnn Rimes ("Big Deal"), Diamond Rio ("Unbelievable"), Carlene Carter ("Every Little Thing") and Hal Ketchum ("Fall In Love Again").

Indeed, Anderson's compositions have been recorded by an impressively broad array of acts, including Tim McGraw, Alabama, Wynonna, Deana Carter, Lonestar, Shenandoah, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aaron Tippin, Neal McCoy, Asleep at the Wheel, Etta James, K.T. Oslin, Sara Evans, Charlie Daniels, Tanya Tucker, Chris LeDoux, Deborah Allen, Ty England, Sammy Kershaw, Billy Ray Cyrus, Confederate Railroad, T. Graham Brown, Joe Diffie, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Neal McCoy, Rhonda Vincent, Stacy Dean Campbell, Lari White, Jason Sellers, Robbie Fulks and Olivia Newton-John.

Though he's risen to the level of Nashville royalty in recent years, Anderson was well known to rock fans long before he stormed the country charts. He first made his mark as singer, guitarist and main writer of the Connecticut foursome the Wildweeds, who scored a substantial regional hit in 1967 with his composition "No Good to Cry," and subsequently in a 24-year stint with the beloved cult band NRBQ. Over the course of a dozen or so NRBQ albums, Anderson contributed numerous memorable tunes, and was celebrated equally for his stellar instrumental work; in 1993, Musician magazine named him one of the Top 100 guitar players of the century.
At the end of 1993, Big Al shocked NRBQ's fans by exiting the hard-touring band to concentrate on working behind the scenes as a songwriter. Anderson says the decision to quit had more to do with embracing sobriety than any dissatisfaction with the legendarily eclectic band.

"I'll tell ya, those are very fuzzy years," Anderson laughs. "Playing with NRBQ was a great school, and I can't tell you how much I learned from those guys. It wasn't until I got clean that I realized that 24 years of the Quality Inn and Red Roof and smoky clubs and the same broken chairs in the dressing room was getting old for me. I was in the most free band in rock & roll, but I started to feel limited."

Anderson had actually begun going to Nashville to co-write in the mid-'80s, and Hank Williams Jr. recorded his "You're Gonna Be A Sorry Man" in 1988, but it wasn't until after leaving NRBQ that he began pursuing the life of a professional songwriter in earnest. His transition from road warrior to pro tunesmith began when he and Carlene Carter co-wrote "Every Little Thing," which became the biggest hit of Carter's career. Anderson followed that success with another Carter collaboration, "Something Already Gone," for the Maverick film soundtrack, and hasn't looked back since.

Anderson has also found himself in demand as a session player for the inventive guitar chops he honed during his years on the road, and his distinctively gruff vocals have been tapped for numerous commercial jingles. But it's his writing talents that are his main focus these days.
"I've learned a lot, but I still have no idea what I'm doing," he says. “I'm still a rock & roll guy, and I believe in recognizing the value of dumbness. My motto is 'Make dumb good.' 'All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down' is, like, the dumbest song ever written — the chorus is exactly the same melody as the verses — but it's the greatest record goin'."

Anderson, whose discography includes three solo releases, says that he's hoping to release a new album of his own at some point in the near future, though not under his own name. He's more interesting in making an album with his Nashville-based combo Whitey, which also includes the aforementioned Jeffrey Steele, guitarist Scott Baggett, bassist Glenn Worf, keyboardist Reese Wynans and drummer Chad Cromwell. Though the band has played some local dates and Anderson admits that he misses performing, he's quick to add that he's in no hurry to return to the road.

"I'm not getting on the bus again," he says. "Considering that I'll be 54 in July, (songwriting) is a much nicer way to be making a living in music. I like feeling good every day."

Nashville, October 3 — Performing rights organization BMI staged the 48^th edition of its Country Awards tonight, with superlative honors reserved for "Amazed," songwriters Al Anderson and Skip Ewing, songwriter/artists Martie Seidel and Shania Twain, and publishing giant Sony/ATV Tree. BMI Citations of Achievement were presented by President & CEO Frances W. Preston and Vice President Roger Sovine to the songwriters and publishers of the past year’s 50 most performed songs during a black-tie gala at the company’s Music Row offices. This celebration -- the oldest awards program saluting country music’s creators -- culminated in the announcements of Country Song, Songwriter, and Publisher of the Year.

Sony/ATV Tree was proclaimed Publisher of the Year at the 48th BMI Country Awards, with nine songs on the list of the 50 most performed songs of the past year. Onstage for the presentation are BMI's Roger Sovine, Sony/ATV Tree's Woody Bomar and Donna Hilley, BMI's Frances Preston and Sony/ATV Tree's Don Cook.

"Amazed" earned writers Marv Green, Chris Lindsey and Aimee Mayo the 32^nd Robert J. Burton Award as Most Performed Country Song of the Year. An unprecedented 8-weeks-at-#1-Billboard smash for RCA recording artists Lonestar, "Amazed" is published by Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc. (Nick Firth and Karen Conrad accepting); Golden Wheat Music (Scott Hendricks accepting); Silverkiss Music (Aimee Mayo accepting); Songs of Nashville DreamWorks (Chuck Kaye and James Stroud accepting) and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (Les Bider and Tim Wipperman accepting).

BMI's Roger Sovine, Al Anderson, Skip Ewing, Shania Twain, BMI's Frances Preston, Martie Seidel and BMI's Del Bryant

Al Anderson, Skip Ewing, Martie Seidel and Shania Twain each placed three songs on the list of 50 to form a Country Songwriter of the Year quadrumvirate. Anderson and Ewing were presented with BMI Crystals inscribed with Songwriter of the Year; Seidel and Twain were gifted with the inaugural Songwriter/Artist Crystal.

Stephony Smith and Toby Keith

Al Anderson’s winning titles were "Powerful Thing," "Big Deal" and "Unbelievable" (the last two co-written with Jeffrey Steele). Anderson, former NRBQ guitarist who has written hits for Carlene Carter, Hal Ketchum and The Mavericks, previously earned BMI Awards for "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down" and "Should’ve Asked Her Faster."

Skip Ewing, who has scored hits for Kenny Chesney, Clint Black and Bryan White as well as for himself, brought his BMI Awards total to 14 citations with the success of "Put Your Hand In Mine," "Wish You Were Here" and "You Had Me From Hello."

Martie Seidel of the Dixie Chicks saw her first-ever BMI Awards — for "Cowboy Take Me Away," "Ready To Run" and "You Were Mine" — deliver a share of the night’s top songwriting prize. "You Were Mine" (composed with sister/Chick Emily Robison) is from the Monument trio’s 10-million-selling Wide Open Spaces album; the other two songs (with collaborator Marcus Hummon) were #1 hits from six-times-platinum album Fly.

Returning champ Shania Twain’s award-winning compositions were "Come On Over," "Man! I Feel Like A Woman" and "That Don’t Impress Me Much," all from the 17-times platinum Mercury release Come On Over (the best-selling album in country music history and the best-selling album ever by a female solo artist). The 1999 CMA Entertainer of the Year, who captured both BMI Country Songwriter and Song ("You’re Still The One") honors last year, was also crowned BMI Pop Songwriter of Year the past two years; she now owns 22 BMI Country and Pop Awards.

Sony/ATV Tree basked in the spotlight as BMI Country Publisher of the Year by accumulating the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs. Sony/ATV Tree Publishing President & CEO Donna Hilley and Sony/ATV Music Publishing President Richard Rowe accepted the BMI Crystal for the publisher, which placed nine songs on the most-performed list.

Highlights of the evening included the presentation of the President’s Award to Alabama; songwriter members Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry accepted the sterling silver loving cup. BMI created the President’s Award in 1993 to honor an exceptional person or persons in the entertainment industry deserving of special recognition. Presented tonight for only the fourth time, the honor has previously been bestowed on Harlan Howard, Brian Wilson and Earle Hagen. Preston also recognized the family of the late Faron Young on the eve of the BMI songwriter’s induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The BMI Country Awards, the first songwriter awards event to be carried live on the internet, were made available to the world wide web audience through coverage by liveonthenet.com.

Of the 59 songwriters recognized, nine were double winners: Bill Anderson, Jim Collins, Andy Griggs, Marcus Hummon, Tony Martin, Jeffrey Steele, Steve Wariner and "Amazed" authors Aimee Mayo and Chris Lindsey.

Additional publishers collecting four or more awards were Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp; Universal Music Publishing Group (Songs of Universal, Inc. and Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.); EMI Music Publishing (Beechwood Music Corporation, EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc., EMI-Tower Street Music and EMI-Longitude Music); Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc.; and Mighty Nice Music.

Four songs were cited for the second time. The Nat Stuckey-penned "Pop A Top" picked up its first Country Award in 1968; "Stand Beside Me," "This Kiss" and "Unbelievable" each posted a previous win in 1999.

Among this year’s honorees, 31 songs have earned the status of BMI Million-Air (accumulating at least one million broadcast performances) for a total of over 36 million performances. "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" have each reached the two million milestone; "Missing You" has hit the four million mark. All three songs have also previously garnered BMI Pop Awards. Based on an average length of three minutes, one million airplays is the equivalent of 50,000 hours or 5.7 years, continuously; Million-Airs on the 2000 Country list translate into 1.8 million hours or 205+ years of continuous airplay.

BMI’s Citations of Achievement are given annually in recognition of popularity in the field of country music, as measured by feature broadcast performances on American radio and television; the 2000 Country Awards eligibility period ran April 1, 1999 through March 21, 2000.

Founded in 1940, BMI is an American performing rights organization represent-ing more than 250,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all music genres. Through music performance and reciprocal agreements, it grants businesses and media access to its repertoire of more than 4.5 million musical works from around the world.

BMI Country Awards 2000

The 50 Most Performed Songs
 

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
Tim Hunt
Smith Haven Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. Yankee Grey: Monument

AMAZED
Marv Green
Chris Lindsey
Aimee Mayo
Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc.
Golden Wheat Music
Silverkiss Music
Songs of Nashville DreamWorks
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Lonestar: BNA

BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME
Kostas
John Scott Sherrill
Nothing But The Wolf Music
Seven Angels Music
Sony/ATV Tree
Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.
Jo Dee Messina: Curb

BIG DEAL
Al Anderson
Jeffrey Steele
Al Andersongs
Mighty Nice Music
My Life's Work Music
Songs of Windswept Pacific
Yellow Desert Music
LeAnn Rimes: Curb

BREATHE
Stephanie Bentley
Hopechest Music
Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.
Faith Hill: Warner Bros.
 
COME ON OVER
Shania Twain
Loon Echo, Inc.
Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.
Shania Twain: Mercury

COWBOY TAKE ME AWAY
Marcus Hummon
Martie Seidel
Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc.
Floyd's Dream Music
Woolly Puddin' Music
Dixie Chicks: Monument

CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE
Freddie Mercury (PRS)
Beechwood Music Corporation
Dwight Yoakam: Reprise

EVERYTIME I CRY
Karen Staley
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Terri Clark: Mercury

GOD MUST HAVE SPENT A LITTLE MORE TIME ON YOU
Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken
Bayjun Beat Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Alabama: RCA
View website

HANDS OF A WORKING MAN
Jim Collins
David Vincent Williams
Megalex Music
Sugar Bend Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Ty Herndon: Epic
  
HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW?!
Chuck Cannon
Toby Keith
Tokeco Tunes
Wacissa River Music, Inc.
Toby Keith: DreamWorks

HOW FOREVER FEELS
Wendell Mobley
New Works Music Co.
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Kenny Chesney: BNA

I CAN'T GET OVER YOU
Ronnie Dunn
Terry McBride
Constant Pressure Publishing
Showbilly Music
Sony/ATV Tree
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Brooks & Dunn: Arista

I'LL GO CRAZY
Andy Griggs
Zack Turner
Sony/ATV Tree
Andy Griggs: RCA

I'LL THINK OF A REASON LATER
Tony Martin
Tim Nichols
Baby Mae Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Hamstein Cumberland Music
Ty Land Music
Lee Ann Womack: Decca

I'M ALREADY TAKEN
Terry Ryan
Steve Wariner
Fleetside Music
Steve Wariner Music
Steve Wariner: Capitol

LESSONS LEARNED
Paul Nelson
Asifits Music
Sony/ATV Tree
Tracy Lawrence: Atlantic
 
LITTLE GOOD-BYES
Kenny Greenberg
Kent Greene Music
Sony/ATV Tree
SheDaisy: Lyric Street

LONELY AND GONE
Greg Crowe
Dave Gibson
Bill McCorvey, Jr.
House of Integrity Music
Little Tornadoes Music
Timberock Music
Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Montgomery Gentry: Columbia

MAN! I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN!
Shania Twain
Loon Echo, Inc.
Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.
Shania Twain: Mercury

MISSING YOU
John Waite
Paperwaite Music
Brooks & Dunn: Arista

MY BEST FRIEND
Aimee Mayo
Bill Luther
Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc.
Tim McGraw: Curb

(NOW YOU SEE ME) NOW YOU DON'T
David Lee
Ken Ten Publishing, Inc.
Lee Ann Womack: MCA Nashville

ONE HONEST HEART
David Malloy
Malloy's Toys Music
Starstruck Angel Music, Inc.
Reba: MCA Nashville

PLEASE REMEMBER ME
Will Jennings
Blue Sky Rider Songs
Tim McGraw: Curb
 
POP A TOP
(2nd Award: 1968)
Nat Stuckey
Sony/ATV Tree
Alan Jackson: Arista

POWERFUL THING
Al Anderson
Al Andersongs
Mighty Nice Music
Trisha Yearwood: MCA Nashville

PUT YOUR HAND IN MINE
Skip Ewing
Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
Write On! Music
Tracy Byrd: RCA

READY TO RUN
Marcus Hummon
Martie Seidel
Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc.
Floyd's Dream Music
Woolly Puddin' Music
Dixie Chicks: Monument

SHE THINKS MY TRACTOR'S SEXY
Jim Collins
Paul Overstreet
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Jelinda Music
Scarlet Moon Music, Inc.
Kenny Chesney: BNA

SHE'S IN LOVE
Keith Stegall
EMI-Tower Street Music
Little Cayman Music
Mark Wills: Mercury

SINGLE WHITE FEMALE
Shaye Smith
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Zomba Songs, Inc.
Chely Wright: MCA Nashville

SMILE
Chris Lindsey
Songs of Nashville DreamWorks
Lonestar: BNA

SOMETHING LIKE THAT
Rick Ferrell
Mr. Noise Music
We Make Music
Tim McGraw: Curb

STAND BESIDE ME
(2nd Award: 1999)
Stephen Allen Davis
Hamstein Cumberland Music
Jo Dee Messina: Curb

THAT DON'T IMPRESS ME MUCH
Shania Twain
Loon Echo, Inc.
Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.
Shania Twain: Mercury

THIS KISS
(2nd Award: 1999)
Robin Lerner
Puckalesia Songs
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Faith Hill: Warner Bros.

TWO TEARDROPS
Bill Anderson
Steve Wariner
Mr. Bubba Music, Inc.
Sony/ATV Tree
Steve Wariner Music
Steve Wariner: Capitol

UNBELIEVABLE
(2nd Award: 1999)
Al Anderson
Jeffrey Steele
Al Andersongs
EMI-Longitude Music
Mighty Nice Music
My Life's Work Music
Songs of Windswept Pacific
Yellow Desert Music
Diamond Rio: Arista

WHAT DO YOU SAY
Michael Dulaney
Dulaneyhouse Music
Ensign Music Corporation
Michael Dulaney Music
Reba: MCA Nashville

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT
Jim Lauderdale
Melba Montgomery
Caroljac Music
Laudersongs
Mighty Nice Music
George Strait: MCA Nashville
WHATEVER YOU SAY
Ed Hill
Tony Martin
Baby Mae Music
Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc.
Hamstein Cumberland Music
Music Hill Music
Martina McBride: RCA
WHEN I SAID I DO
Clint Black
Blackened Music
Clint Black with Lisa Hartman Black: RCA

WISH YOU WERE HERE
Bill Anderson
Skip Ewing
Debbie Moore
Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
Belton Uncle Music
Mr. Bubba Music, Inc.
Sony/ATV Tree
Write On! Music
Mark Wills: Mercury

WRITE THIS DOWN
Kent Robbins
Colter Bay Music
Irving Music
George Strait: MCA Nashville

WRONG NIGHT
Rick Bowles
Josh Leo
Hellmaymen Music
Starstruck Angel Music, Inc.
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Reba: MCA Nashville
 
YOU HAD ME FROM HELLO
Kenny Chesney
Skip Ewing
Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
Roots and Boots Music
Write On! Music
Kenny Chesney: BNA

YOU WERE MINE
Emily Robison
Martie Seidel
Woolly Puddin' Music
Dixie Chicks: Monument

YOU WON'T EVER BE LONELY
Andy Griggs
Sony/ATV Tree
Andy Griggs: RCA

NSAI Songwriter/Artist of the Decade Vince Gill with wife Amy Grant; co-writer of NSAI Song of the Year �Amazed� Marv Green; and BMI�s Patsy Bradley and Thomas Cain

Gill (a two-time BMI Country Songwriter of the Year) became the first recipient of NSAI�s Songwriter/Artist of the Decade award, Chapman was named NSAI�s Songwriter/Artist of the Year for 1999, and award-winning writer/producer Shapiro (a three-time BMI Country Songwriter of the Year) became the first recipient of NSAI�s Songwriter of the Decade. The team of Green/Lindsey/Mayo laid claim to Song of the Year honors for the multi-format smash �Amazed,� recorded by Lonestar.

In all, 33 different songs and their accompanying 60 writers were presented with achievement awards, which were voted by NSAI�s membership as their favorite songs of 1999.

BMI�s NSAI Songwriter Achievement Award Winners for 1999:

SONGWRITER/ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
Steven Curtis Chapman

SONG OF THE YEAR:
�Amazed�
Marv Green, Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo

SONGWRITER OF THE DECADE:
Tom Shapiro

SONGWRITER/ARTIST OF THE DECADE:
Vince Gill

ADULT CONTEMPORARY CATEGORY

Amazed
Marv Green, Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo (artist: Lonestar)

I Do (Cherish You)
Dan Hill, Keith Stegall (artist: 98 Degrees)

Let Me Let Go
Dennis Morgan (artist: Faith Hill)

COUNTRY CATEGORY

Amazed
Marv Green, Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo (artist: Lonestar)

Breathe
Stephanie Bentley (artist: Faith Hill)

Busy Man
George Teren (artist: Billy Ray Cyrus)

Choices
Billy Yates (artist: George Jones)

Cowboy Take Me Away
Marcus Hummon, Martie Seidel (artist: Dixie Chicks)

I'll Think Of A Reason Later
Tony Martin, Tim Nichols (artist: Lee Ann Womack)

No Place That Far
Sara Evans, Tony Martin, Tom Shapiro (artist: Sara Evans)

Please Remember Me
Will Jennings (artist: Tim McGraw)

Pop A Top
Nat Stuckey (artist: Alan Jackson)

Single White Female
Shaye Smith (artist: Chely Wright)

Two Teardrops
Bill Anderson, Steve Wariner (artist: Steve Wariner)

When I Said I Do
Clint Black (artist: Clint Black)

Wish You Were Here
Bill Anderson, Skip Ewing, Debbie Moore (artist: Mark Wills)

Write This Down
Kent Robbins (artist: George Strait)

You Had Me From Hello
Kenny Chesney, Skip Ewing (artist: Kenny Chesney)

GOSPEL CATEGORY

Can't Keep A Good Man Down
Eddie Carswell, Russ Lee (artist: Newsong)

Count Your Blessing
Joe Johnston (artist: The Martins)

POP CATEGORY

I Do (Cherish You)
Dan Hill, Keith Stegall (artist: 98 Degrees)

Man! I Feel Like A Woman
Shania Twain (artist: Shania Twain)

ROCK/ALTERNATIVE CATEGORY

In 2 Deep
Mark Selby, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Danny Tate (artist: Kenny Wayne Shepherd)

You Blew Me Off
Bobby Bare Jr. (artist: Bare Jr.)

URBAN CONTEMPORARY CATEGORY

My First Night With You
Kenneth �Babyface� Edmonds (artist: Mya)

They've graced the cover of nearly every major consumer magazine and had feature stories in others. They've appeared on just about every talk and musical variety show, and, of course, have been all over the radio. They've appeared in irreverent print ads for Candie's, silly barnyard scenes for "Got Milk?" They've sung songs about living a loose lifestyle ("Sin Wagon"), and murder ("Goodbye Earl"). Last year they opened for George Strait and Tim McGraw, and played 20 Lilith Fair dates, winning over a primarily pop audience with their cowgirl empowerment.

And, oh, by the way: They've sold 12 million albums.

That's because underneath all the flashy costumes, high-spirited stage hi-jinx and jaw dropping - if admirably honest - innuendo, is a group of substantial musicians and entertainers who revel in pushing the envelope. Natalie Maines' ebullient vocals and devil-may-care personality coupled with the world-class musicianship of sisters Martie Seidel and Emily Robison make for an eclectic musical tour de force.

The threesome recently took some time off from the breakneck pace maintained since their first album, Wide Open Spaces, debuted in 1998, to "nest," if you will.

Maines moved to L.A. to be near her husband, Adrian Pasdar. Robison moved to San Antonio where she set up housekeeping with her new husband, Charlie Robison. The two spent much of the time "clearing a place on my husband's ranch where we're going to build a house," she says, "pulling out stumps, burning brush piles." Seidel lives in Nashville, and spent most of her vacation writing. "I've experienced so much in the last year, personally," she says. "I have a lot to get out and get down on paper." Seidel's pen has already yielded considerable success. Two cuts on the multi-platinum Fly were her co-writes with Marcus Hummon: "Ready To Run" and "Cowboy Take Me Away." Robison has two co-writes on Fly, Maines, three.

The Chicks plan to continue their songwriting while on the road this year, and are trying to create a conducive writing space by taking a 16-track board and recorder with them on the Fly tour, which kicked off June 1 in Winnipeg to an SRO crowd.

Seidel and her sister/fellow Chick Emily Robison were also honored for writing a hit from the group's debut album, Wide Open Spaces: the #1 "You Were Mine."

 

Pictured from left are co-producer Paul Worley, Emily Robison, Sony Music's Cliff Audretch (representing co-producer Blake Chancey), BMG Music''s Karen Conrad, Monument Records' Larry Pareigis, Marcus Hummon with sons Levi and Caney, Martie Seidel and BMI's David Preston.

]]> 2000-04-30T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233601 Artists, Alabama, Dixie Chicks, Evans, Sara, Hummon, Marcus, McGraw, Tim, Seidel, Martie, Wariner, Steve, Musical Styles, Country, Musicworld, Hitmaker The writer behind big hits for Wynonna, Tim McGraw, Bryan White and Alabama, Marcus Hummon has been making waves in Nashville for the past decade. However, the artist/songwriter now has hit a creative stride that is turning out to be the most rewarding period of his career - one that also includes a book of poetry, three stage musicals, and even the lyrics for the PBS children's cartoon series Book of Virtues.

With Dixie Chick Martie Seidel, he co-wrote the first two singles from the Chicks' sophomore #1 album, Fly. Both "Cowboy, Take Me Away" and "Ready To Run" topped Billboard's Country Singles Chart. The latter tune turned up in the Julia Roberts-Richard Gere film Runaway Bride, and netted Seidel and Hummon a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song.

Coinciding with his recent songwriting success, Hummon released Looking for the Child, the follow-up disc to his album All in Good Time, which he cut in 1996 for Columbia. The new collection was released on Velvet Armadillo Records, an Internet-based label owned by Tim McGraw's manager Scott Siman.

Don't expect a dry spell anytime soon from Hummon. He has cuts on upcoming albums by, among others, Steve Wariner and Sara Evans, and he's also been busy writing tunes with Mary Chapin Carpenter, SHeDAISY, Deana Carter and several more songs with Seidel.

"I mostly attribute this rewarding period to perseverance and hard work and not spinning out," Hummon says.

"When things didn't work out with my [artist] deal at Columbia, I did not over emphasize that as a factor in my life. It really isn't a big factor. It was a great opportunity, and it had its low moments, but I pushed through that and believed in myself as a creative person."