En Español

Grammy and Oscar award-winning composer and producer Gustavo Santaolalla will become an Icon Thursday, June 12, at BMI's 15th annual Latin Awards. Staged at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles and hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and BMI Assistant Vice President, Latin Music, Delia Orjuela, the black-tie, invitation-only gala will also recognize the songwriters and publishers of the past year's top BMI Latin songs played on American radio and television.

The BMI Icon award is bestowed on creators who have had a "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." An all-star musical tribute will pay homage to the achievements of Gustavo Santaolalla, who joins an elite list of past honorees that includes Latin music titans Los Tigres Del Norte, Juan Luis Guerra and Carlos Santana, along with legends Willie Nelson, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton and the late James Brown.

Artist, talent scout, producer, documentarian and composer, Gustavo Santaolalla's genius spills over into numerous disciplines. The Argentina-native helped define the nascent Latin rock movement of the 1970's with his innovative Latino folk/rock band, Arco Iris, and later as a solo artist. Santaolalla has mastered Andean string instrument the ronroco and filmed Pan-American, indigenous folk musicians. His transformation to producer was inevitable; the subsequent cultural unification was historic. Along with partner Anibal Kerpel, he united the traditionally separate Mexican and Argentine rock spheres, gaining recognition for production work on numerous platinum and gold-selling projects. The duo achieved a new level of visibility with band Café Tacuba, whose collaborations with Santaolalla/Kerpel garnered multiple Grammy nominations and a Latin Grammy win. Santaolalla triumphantly entered the world of cinema, where he has composed numerous BMI, Golden Globe and Oscar award-winning original scores for films including Brokeback Mountain and Babel. His work on Babel and the critically-acclaimed Motorcycle Diaries also earned BAFTA honors. Through the creation of his label Surco, Santaolalla has also launched and sustained marquee artists, including international star Juanes.

In addition to the Icon tribute, the ceremony will also recognize the Latin Song, Songwriter and Publisher of the Year. Previous honorees include Latin superstars Juanes, Shakira, Estéfano, Gloria & Emilio Estefan, Wisin & Yandel, Luis Miguel and Cristian Castro.

The BMI Latin Awards recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most played Latin songs on U.S. radio and television from the company's repertoire of more than 6.5 million musical works from around the world. The Latin Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Publisher of the Year will be announced during the evening. In addition, the BMI Icon honor will be given to a creator of Latin music for their "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers."

Past Latin Award winners include last year's BMI Icon honoree Carlos Santana, as well as Shakira, Estéfano, Gloria & Emilio Estefan, Juanes, Luis Miguel, Juan Luis Guerra, Ramon Ayala, Intocable, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Los Tigres del Norte, Banda Recodo and Lupillo Rivera. The ceremony has previously been staged in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, San Antonio and Puerto Rico.

In announcing the move to New York City, Diane J. Almodovar, BMI Assistant Vice President, Latin Music, commented, "New York is the cultural center for music and entertainment of all genres, and Latin music is an essential part of that. There is a rich and diverse history of Latin cultures in New York and it emanates through the music that is created and supported there. From Dominicans to Puerto Ricans to Colombians to Mexicans and beyond, the music that pulsates through the city represents the diversity, passion and command of Latino music and culture. We have moved our Latin Awards every year to fully embrace the diversity of the many musical regions in the U.S., and New York is the obvious choice for 2006. We look forward to having Latin music take over 'la Gran Manzana'."

Performing rights organization BMI presented its 12th Annual Latin Awards last night (4/21) with top honors going to Emilio Estefan and Est�fano as Songwriters of the Year, "Fotograf�a" by Juanes as Song of the Year, and SER-CA Publishing, Inc. as Publisher of the Year. The black-tie ceremony, hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Assistant Vice President of Latin Music Diane J. Almodovar, recognized the writers and publishers of the past year's most performed Latin songs on US radio and television. The invitation-only gala was held for the first time in Las Vegas at the Four Seasons Hotel and featured a special tribute to BMI Icon Carlos Santana.

Click here for photos from the 2005 BMI Latin Awards

Click here for the 2005 BMI Latin Awards Song List

Multiple Grammy winning songwriter/producer Emilio Estefan and six-time BMI Latin Songwriter of the Year Est�fano shared the Songwriter crown this year by placing three titles each on the most performed list of 50.

Carlos Santana	Emilio Estefan

Emilio Estefan's award-winning tracks included Cristian Castro's "No Hace Falta," Shalim's "Se Me Olvid� Tu Nombre," and Victor Manuelle's "Tengo Ganas." As head of Estefan Enterprises, which includes music publishing, music and movie production, several restaurants and managing the career of his superstar wife Gloria Estefan, the Cuban-born entrepreneur is best known as founding member and leader of groundbreaking crossover group the Miami Sound Machine.

Estéfano	Juanes

Est�fano accepted his sixth BMI Latin Songwriter of the Year Crystal for his award-winning songs "Ahora Qui�n" by Marc Anthony, "Quit�monos La Ropa" by NG�, and "Y Todo Queda En Nada" by Ricky Martin. He also won the top honor in 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Born in Colombia, the multitalented songwriter, artist and producer got his start in Miami in the early 90s and has written hits for Julio Iglesias, Thal�a, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Chayanne, Paulina Rubio and many others.

"Fotograf�a," written, published and performed by Colombian rocker Juanes (featuring Nelly Furtado) and co-published by peermusic III ltd., was named BMI Latin Song of the Year for tallying the most US radio and television performances. The international hit is from the nine-time Latin Grammy winner's multiplatinum CD, Un Dia Normal, which has garnered more awards than any other Latin album in history. Juanes, who now has a total of seven BMI awards, was recently named one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World."

SER-CA Publishing, Inc. was named Publisher of the Year, boasting six titles on the Latin song list, including three by Norte�o/Tejano fusion band Intocable. The honor is given to the publisher with the highest percentage of ownership of songs on the most performed list. Founded 40 years ago in Monterrey, Mexico, by Don Servando Cano, the company focuses on Regional Mexican artists like Ramon Ayala, Cornelio Reyna, Bronco El Gigante de America, Grupo Pesado, Duelo and Los Invasores de Nuevo Leon, among others.

The gala ceremony also paid tribute to multiple Grammy Award-winning artist Carlos Santana, who was named a BMI Icon for his "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." The first songwriter to receive the Icon honor at BMI's Latin Awards, Santana joins a distinguished list of past honorees, including James Brown, Brian Wilson, Dolly Parton, Isaac Hayes and Van Morrison.

The Icon presentation featured a special musical salute with performances by Mana guitarist Sergio Vallin, Conjunto Primavera lead singer Tony Melendez, Jaguares percussionist Leo Mu�oz and Latin rock group Ozomatli. From his most recent hits, including 2004 Pop Song of the Year "The Game of Love" (featuring Michelle Branch), "Smooth" (featuring Rob Thomas), and "Why Don't You & I" (featuring Chad Kroeger), to Santana Band classics like "Evil Ways," "Black Magic Woman," and "Oye Como Va," Carlos Santana has been creating a unique fusion of passionate, guitar-powered music for more than 30 years, creatively blending potent rock and roll with blues-driven elements and sensuous Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Double award-winning songwriters included Ram�n Gonz�lez Mora, Juanes, Luis "Louie" Padilla, Archie Pe�a, A.B. Quintanilla III, Mario Quintero, Kike Santander and Jos� Miguel Vel�squez. Publishers earning two or more Citations of Achievement were Sony/ATV Music Publishing (including Sony/ATV Acuff Rose and Sony/ATV Latin Music Publishing LLC); Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.; peermusic (including Peer International Corp. and peermusic III ltd.); Disa Latin Publishing LLC; Kike Santander Music LLC/Santander Songs; World Deep Music Publishing Corporation; EMI Music Publishing (including EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. and EMI Music Publishing Italia [SIAE]); Iron Tigga Music/King of Bling Music; Nati Publishing; Seg-Son Music, Inc.; Songs of Camaleon; and Universal Music Publishing (including Universal M?sic Italia [SIAE] and Universal-M?sica Unica Publishing).

Another of the evening's highlights included the announcement of the winner of the 2nd annual BMI Foundation/peermusic Latin Scholarship. This year's $5,000 scholarship recipient was 22-year-old Mexican singer/songwriter Manelick de la Parra for his song "Me Toco Amarte." Established by the BMI Foundation and funded by the generosity of the peermusic publishing companies, the scholarship is awarded annually through a competition for original Latin songs and instrumental compositions.

BMI today announced that multiple Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Carlos Santana will be honored as a BMI Icon at the music performing right organization's 12th annual Latin Awards. The dinner and ceremony will be held April 21 at The Ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, the first time the awards will be held in that city.

Santana will be the first songwriter honored as a BMI Icon at the company's Latin Awards. The designation is given to a creator who has been a "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." He joins a distinguished list of previous BMI Icons, including pop songwriting master Brian Wilson; R&B legends James Brown, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Isaac Hayes and Al Green; Motown songwriting trio Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland; blues/rock/soul artist Van Morrison, and country songwriter/artists Loretta Lynn, Bill Anderson and Dolly Parton.

The BMI Latin Awards recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most played Latin songs on U.S. radio and television from the company's repertoire of approximately 4.5 million musical works from around the world. A Latin Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Publisher of the Year will be announced during the evening. Winners from previous years include Ramon Ayala, Intocable, Shakira, Estefano, Ramon Gonzalez Mora, Emilio & Gloria Estefan, Juanes, Luis Miguel, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Los Tigres del Norte, Banda Recodo, Juan Luis Guerra and Lupillo Rivera.

According to Diane Almodovar, BMI Assistant VP of Latin Music: "When we created our awards 12 years ago we intended to bring them to each of the major U.S. Latin markets. Our intent holds true. Las Vegas is known for its diversity, and we are very pleased to bring BMI's premiere Latin event there."

The black-tie, invitation-only awards have previously been staged in California, Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico.

En Español

BMI presented its 11th Annual Latin Awards on March 16 with top honors going to songwriter/producer Estéfano, his publishing company World Deep Music Publishing Corporation and the Conjunto Primavera hit "Perdóname Mi Amor" written by Ramón González Mora. The black-tie ceremony, hosted by BMI President and CEO Frances W. Preston, Executive Vice President Del Bryant, and Assistant Vice President of Latin Music Diane J. Almodovar, honored the top writers and publishers of the most performed Latin songs on U.S. radio and television at the Ritz Carlton San Juan Hotel, Spa and Casino. This is the first time the performing rights organization has held its Latin Awards in Puerto Rico.

Click here for more photos from the Latin Awards

Click here for the Complete Latin Awards Song List

Pictured on stage are BMI Executive Vice President Del Bryant, Ramón Gonzáles Mora, BMI President & CEO Frances Preston, Estéfano, BMI Assistant Vice President Diane Almodovar, and BMI Senior Vice President Phil Graham.

Songwriter/producer Estéfano, who has earned the prestigious title for the last three years in a row, was named BMI Latin Songwriter of the Year once again by placing the most songs on the list of 50, including "Es Por Amor" by Alexandre Pires, "Herida Mortal" and "Vuela Muy Alto" both by Jerry Rivera, "Márchate" by Gisselle and "No Me Enseñaste" by Thalía. He also shared the Songwriter of the Year crown with Marco Antonio Pérez, Mario Quintero, Kike Santander and Shakira at the 2000 awards ceremony.

Estéfano

Ramón González Mora

Rafael Hernandez

Also in the spotlight was Estéfano's World Deep Music Publishing Corporation, named Publisher of the Year with all five of his award-winning songs. This distinguished honor is given to the publisher with the highest percentage of ownership of songs on the most performed list.

Juanes

Kike Santander

Teodoro Bello Jaimes

"Perdóname Mi Amor" ("Forgive Me My Love"), written by Ramón González Mora and published by Seg-Son Music, Inc., earned the Song of the Year trophy as the most performed song on the Latin list. A hit for norteño group Conjunto Primavera, the Latin Grammy-nominated song is one of González Mora's many compositions that brought the veteran band stardom some 20 years into their career. This is González Mora's second Song of the Year win; he also wrote another Conjunto Primavera hit, "Morir De Amor," which earned him the title at BMI's 2001 Latin Awards.

Emilio Estefan, Jr.

Lester Mendez

Mario Quintero

A special musical tribute to the late Rafael Hernandez was presented by Cucco Peña featuring renowned artists Andy Montañez, Rafy Escudero, and Chucho Avellanet who performed a medley of Hernandez's most treasured songs. Considered one of the most important composers of Puerto Rican popular music in the 20th century, Hernandez, who died in 1965, left a legacy of more than 3,000 musical compositions, including such classics as "Lamento Borincano," "Silencio," and "Ausencia." Guests were also treated to a taste of traditional Puerto Rican music with performances by Rondalla Típica Orocoveña and Rikaplena.

Jorge Villamizar

Marco A. Godoy

In addition to Estéfano, other multiple award-winning songwriters included Juanes and Kike Santander with three songs each, as well as Teodoro Bello Jaimes (SACM), Emilio Estefan, Jr., Lester Mendez, Mario Quintero and Jorge Villamizar with two songs each on the most performed list. Publishers earning two or more Citations of Achievement were Apollinaire Music; Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc.; Disa Latin Publishing LLC; EMI Music Publishing; Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.; Kike Santander Music LLC/Santander Songs; Más Flamingo Music; Mexican Music Copyright, Inc.; peermusic; SER-CA Publishing, Inc.; Songs of Camaleon; Tigres del Norte Ediciones Musicales; Universal Music Publishing Group; and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.

Another of the evening's highlights included the announcement of the winner of the BMI Foundation/peermusic Latin Scholarship. Hailing from Caracas, Venezuela, 21-year-old Berklee College of Music freshman Marco A. Godoy was named the scholarship's first winner for his instrumental piece entitled "My Latin Feel." Established by the BMI Foundation and funded by the generosity of the peermusic companies, the new $5,000 scholarship will be awarded annually through a competition for original Latin songs and instrumental compositions.

Pires (born Alexandre Pires do Nascimento) inaugurated his professional career in the late '80s with a local band named Só Pra Contrariar. The group climbed steadily from their 1993 self-titled debut to 1997, when they became a top charting act, selling in excess of 10 million records. In 1999, Só Pra Contrariar recorded an album in Spanish titled Juegos de Amo, featuring "Santo Santo," with Gloria Estefan. The two musical forces first met in Monaco when Estefan presented a World Music Award to the band.

Certainly, his televised duet with American Idol Kelly Clarkson on the 2003 Latin Grammy Awards has presented Pires to an even broader worldwide audience, but Estrella Guia reflects the spiritual side of the artist as well, with a transcendent suite of songs destined to project his career into the stratosphere.]]> 2003-12-08T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233907 Artists, Crespo, Elvis, Estefan, Emilio, Estefano, Guerra, Juan Luis, Juanes, Los Tigres del Norte, Miguel, Luis, Rivera, Lupillo, Shakira, Musical Styles, Latin The awards recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most played Latin songs on U.S. radio and television from the company's Latin repertoire for a one year period. The Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Publisher of the Year will be announced during the evening. Previous winners include Los Tigres del Norte, Elvis Crespo, Estefano, Shakira, Gloria & Emilio Estefan, Juanes, Luis Miguel, Juan Luis Guerra and Lupillo Rivera, to name a few.

According to Diane J. Almodovar, Assistant VP of Latin Music at BMI: "We are very pleased to bring BMI's premiere Latin music event for the first time to San Juan. When we created the awards 11 years ago, we intended to bring them to each of the major Latin markets. San Juan is certainly one of the most important."

The black-tie, invitation-only awards ceremony has previously been staged in Los Angeles, Miami and San Antonio.]]> 2003-11-19T17:00:00-05:00