Hit troubadours including Bobby Pinson (Sugarland’s “Want To,” his own “Don’t Ask Me How I Know”), Jon Randall (Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss’s “Whiskey Lullabye”), Stephony Smith (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill’s “It’s Your Love,” Kenny Chesney’s “Big Star,” Reba McEntire’s “How Was I To Know”), Billy Montana (Sara Evans’ “Suds In the Bucket,” Jo Dee Messina’s “Bring On the Rain,” Garth Brooks’ “More Than A Memory”), John Wiggins (Joe Nichols’ “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off”), and Chuck Jones (Diamond Rio’s “Love A Little Stronger,” Deana Carter’s “Count Me In,” John Berry’s “Your Love Amazes Me”), Woody Mullis and Mike Geiger (co-writers of George Strait’s “Adalida,” Sawyer Brown’s “This Missin’ You Heart of Mine,” and Neil McCoy’s “City Put The Country Back In Me”), along with smoldering singer/songwriters Jessi Alexander and Shelly Fairchild, and CMT Can You Duet show standouts The Coppolas (Kate and Kasey) will mingle with music industry executives and ambitious up-and-comers.

In addition to BMI, sponsors include the Florida House Inn, WQIK-FM, Folio Weekly, WRJY the WAVE and Amelia Island Tourism Development Council. For lodging, schedule, venues and ticket information, please visit www.songwriterfestival.org.

Yoakam’s music updates tradition with glamour, and continues the Bakersfield sound of California country pioneers such as Owens and Wynn Stewart. Along with guitarist Pete Anderson, whose powerful guitar and sympathetic production would become an important part of Yoakam’s subsequent hit recordings, the singer moved to the Golden State in 1978 after rejection in Nashville. Once on the West Coast, Yoakam became part of a post-punk-rock scene that included other artists with a similar feel for combining roots and experimentation. He played shows alongside such bands as Rank and File and the Blasters, both of which owed a debt to the hardcore sounds of ’50s and ’60s country and the country-rock of Gram Parsons and the Byrds.

Although Yoakam made his debut on an independently recorded EP, A Town South of Bakersfield, in 1984, it was the 1986 release of Guitars, Cadillacs Etc. Etc. that established him as the latest in a line of neo-traditionalist artists who had come to prominence in the early part of the decade. And like John Anderson, Ricky Skaggs and George Strait, Yoakam toed the line between reverence for past glories and a desire to remake country in his own image. Guitars, Cadillacs produced two top-ten country singles: a brilliant cover of Johnny Horton’s “Honky Tonk Man” and the title track. He continued to have hits throughout the decade, while he proved himself master of his own slightly enigmatic but always intelligently presented persona.

In the ’90s, Yoakam and Anderson made records such as This Time and Gone, which produced more hit singles. The voice soared and seemed, at times, to comment on the down side of romance and success, while Anderson’s tightly wound licks dramatized every moment. Anderson produced 2003’s Population: Me; that record’s closing song, “The Back of Your Hand,” remains among Yoakam’s most devastating. Yoakam had also begun an acting career, notably in Billy Bob Thornton’s 1996 Sling Blade, and has continued to take on dramatic roles. After a split with Anderson, Yoakam produced 2005’s Blame the Vain and two years later released Dwight Sings Buck, a spirited tribute to one of the giants of the California-Nashville sound that Yoakam has drawn upon throughout his career. Like Owens, Yoakam is an innovator whose career proves that intelligent experimentation will always have a place in country music.

A crowd gathered in the BMI lobby to salute the writers of “I Saw God Today.”

The song marked King George’s record-breaking 56th chart-topper, making Strait the purveyor of more no. 1 singles than any other artist, regardless of genre, in history. Throughout the party, the songwriting trio constantly referred to the career and personal significance of penning a George Strait cut, let alone a no. 1 hit.

“I’m from Texas – and you have to understand, there’s nobody bigger than George Strait in Texas,” Rodney Clawson explained, smiling. “I never thought I’d have a George Strait cut. I grew up listening to him. This is just unreal.”

All of the co-writers are members of the BMI family. Pictured are (l to r): BMI’s Thomas Cain, co-writers Wade Kirby, Rodney Clawson and Monty Criswell, with BMI’s Jody Williams.

“We love the way George did the song,” added Wade Kirby, the quietest of the group. “We heard it for the first time together, looked at each other and said, ‘Man, that’s perfect.’”

“When I met George, I told him, ‘We don’t know how to thank you enough for this,’” Monty Criswell remembered. “George just smiled at me at said, ‘Well, write me another one like it.’”

Pictured are (l to r): back row: Big Tractor’s Scott Hendricks and Jason Krupek, songwriters Monty Criswell and Wade Kirby, MCA’s Royce Risser, Extreme Music Group’s Michael Martin, with Big Loud Shirt’s Marc Driskill and Craig Wiseman; front row: BMI’s Thomas Cain and Jody Williams, songwriter Rodney Clawson and Extreme Music Group’s Jason Houser.

Photos by Eric England

The 13th Annual Hog's Breath Key West Songwriters Festival looms enticingly on the horizon. Presented by Cherry Heart Music and proudly supported by charter sponsor BMI, the event is slated for April 30 through May 4 in Key West, Florida. The festival revolves around five days and nights of more than 20 free shows, staged at an array of the island's most popular drinking holes and hot spots. Informal adaptations of Nashville's signature in-the-round acoustic showcases dominate much of the schedule, while this year, a street concert Saturday, May 3 featuring the Jeffrey Steele Band and Robert Earl Keen adds a Mardis Gras fillip to the mix.

BMI songwriters dominate the diverse lineups. Americana trendsetters including Robert Earl Keen, Raul Malo, Kim Richey and John Oates will perform alongside Nashville's most engaging and prolific hitmakers, including Jeffrey Steele (Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most"), John Scott Sherrill (Steve Wariner's "Some Fools Never Learn"), Wendell Mobley (Rascal Flatts' "Fast Cars & Freedom"), Jamey Johnson (George Strait's "Give It Away"), Scotty Emerick (Toby Keith's "As Good As I Once Was"), David Lee (Tim McGraw's "I Need You," featuring Faith Hill), Keith Follese (Tim McGraw's "Something Like That"), Jim Beavers (Gary Allan's "Watching Airplanes"), Heather Little (Miranda Lambert's "Gunpowder and Lead"), Steve Bogard (Dierks Bentley's "Every Mile A Memory"), Bobby Pinson (Sugarland's "Want To"), Doug Johnson (Randy Travis's "Three Wooden Crosses"), Chas Sandford (John Waite's "Missing You"), Chuck Cannon (Toby Keith's "How Do You Like Me Now"), Max T. Barnes (Diamond Rio's "That's How Your Love Makes Me Feel"), Chuck Jones (Chris LeDoux's "Cadillac Ranch"), Rodney Clawson (Jason Aldean's "Why"), Gary Hannan (Joe Nichols's "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off"), Billy Yates (George Jones's "Choices"), Jerrod Niemann (Garth Brooks' "Good Ride Cowboy") and Dallas Davidson (Trace Adkins's "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"), with Curb recording artist Lee Brice (Garth Brooks' "More Than A Memory"), singer/songwriters Heather Morgan, Stephanie Chapman and Lauren Lucas and Orange County rock outfit Lit's Jeremy Popoff.

For a complete list of sponsoring hotels, local businesses, schedules and participating songwriters, please visit www.keywestsongwritersfestival.com or call 305.296.4222.

Key West and country music’s thirteen year love affair is anything but secret, and the Hog’s Breath Key West Songwriters Festival, presented by Cherry Heart Music and BMI, serves as the 13th annual spring rendezvous.

Live music bliss and a favorite of Key West locals, the event introduces brimming crowds to the songwriters behind smashes. Diverse lineups deliver rare, “Key West only” moments: Hit makers including Jeffrey Steele (Rascal Flatts’ “What Hurts the Most), Jamey Johnson (George Strait’s “Give It Away”) and Scotty Emerick (Toby Keith’s “As Good As I Once Was”) will perform alongside Americana trendsetters including Robert Earl Keen and Raul Malo. The festival revolves around five days and nights of more than 20 free shows, staged at an array of the island’s most popular drinking holes and hot spots. Informal adaptations of Nashville’s signature in-the-round acoustic showcases dominate much of the schedule, while this year, a street concert Saturday, May 3 featuring the Jeffrey Steele Band and Robert Earl Keen adds an enticing Mardis Gras fillip to the mix.

For a complete list of sponsoring hotels, local businesses and participating songwriters, please visit www.keywestsongwritersfestival.com or call 305.296.4222.

“Don’t Blink” marked yet another No. 1 hit for 2007 BMI Country Publisher of the Year Sony ATV. Pictured are (l to r): BMI’s Jody Williams, Casey Beathard and Sony ATV’s Troy Tomlinson.

“BMI’s Jody Williams (right) welcomed songwriter Casey Beathard (left) to the party.

“Don’t Blink” co-writer Chris Wallin drew warm applause.

BMI songwriter Casey Beathard grinned as he shared the story behind his most recent No. 1.

Pictured at the late afternoon bash are (l to r): BMI’s Jody Williams, co-writer Chris Wallin, BMI songwriter Casey Beathard, producer Buddy Cannon and Sony ATV’s Troy Tomlinson.

Photos by John Russell

Singer/songwriter Blu Sanders kicked off the day's music. Jack Ingram recorded Sanders' "Hold On" for his latest album, This Is It.

Capitol recording artist Jedd Hughes's stunning guitar-picking and soulful vocals shushed the crowd.

Songwriter Troy Jones performed his wry tune "Shiftwork," which was recorded by reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney and features Country Music Hall of Famer George Strait.

Heather Little performed Miranda Lambert's current single, "Gun Powder and Led." Little co-wrote the tune with Lambert, along with the Texan's breakout hit, "Me and Charlie."

Esteemed singer/songwriter Bruce Robison treated listeners to a prime selection of his incomparable tunes including "First Thing About Mary," "Travelin' Soldier," and "Oklahoma Christmas."

Pictured are (l to r): back row: singer/songwriter Bruce Robison, Carnival's Matthew Miller, Travis Hill, Goodloe Harman and Frank Liddell, singer/songwriter Blu Sanders & Carnival's Ashley Givens; front row: Carnival's Mark Wilson, BMI's Jody Williams, singer/songwriters Jedd Hughes, Troy Jones and Heather Little, with Carnival's Courtney Gregg & Brittany Shearer.

Photos: E. Dawson

He wrote his first hit song 50 years ago. It was a Ray Price hit called “City Lights,” and he wrote it when he was a disc jockey at a Georgia radio station. He had his first Top 10 record as a solo artist 47 years ago and he joined the Grand Ole Opry 46 years ago.

And he had his last big cut . . . well, what time is it? Anderson continues to be an in-demand songwriter, writing for Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and a slew of other new millennium favorites. His co-written “Give It Away” was a rarity: a No. 1 hit that was co-written by a Country Music Hall of Famer (Anderson) and sung by another Hall of Famer (George Strait). And in 2005, his “Whiskey Lullaby” (written with Jon Randall and sung by Paisley and Alison Krauss) won the Country Music Association’s song of the year prize. BMI’s first country Icon is, as retired former Sony/ATV President Donna Hilley once noted, both an elder statesman and a contemporary talent.

“He’s young for his age,” Randall said. “I think he can go on indefinitely. I want to be Bill Anderson when I grow up.”

For the record, Anderson was born on Nov. 1, 1937. Writing top hits at his age is like Sandy Koufax pitching a no-hitter against a modern-day New York Yankees team. Anderson never figured it would work out this way, exactly, though he also never planned on retiring and fading away.

“I just knew that this is what I wanted to do for my life’s work,” he said. “But I do remember telling people I’d stop if it wasn’t working out.”

It worked out, in spades. He wrote “City Lights” when he was 19, entering the hit parade and launching a remarkable career in music. The songwriting success preceded his triumphs as an idiosyncratic solo artist: Though he didn’t have a classically superior voice, Anderson developed a signature vocal style that led folks to call him “Whispering Bill Anderson.” His breathy, intimate singing helped him to score smashes including “Mama Sang A Song,” “Still,” “I Get The Fever” and “Wild Week-End.”

“In the days when I came along, the style was the thing,” he said. “If you weren’t different, you didn’t stand much of a chance.”

Anderson’s career as a top-draw solo artist cooled in the late 1970s, though he remained a popular fixture on the Opry. He quit writing songs in the 1980s, figuring that his writing well was dry and that it was better to concentrate on other things (such as hosting game shows on ABC and The Nashville Network). But Steve Wariner’s version of Anderson’s “The Tips of My Fingers” became a radio hit in 1992, proving that a classic country song could resonate through the decades, and Wariner and Vince Gill kept pushing him to co-write.

“That’s when the writing thing started to bubble again, and that’s when I got happier than I ever had been in my life,” Anderson said.

And so Bill Anderson’s career entered unprecedented territory. Never before had someone been to the top of an industry as a songwriter in one decade, as a performer in another and then re-emerged as a top songwriter again decades later. His works have been sung at the Opry, at county fairs and at Carnegie Hall. And his longevity and versatility helped Anderson become a common denominator in the careers of a seemingly disparate group of artists: Ernest Tubb, James Brown, Loretta Lynn, Trini Lopez, Aretha Franklin, The Louvin Brothers, Elvis Costello, Merle Haggard, Dean Martin and Waylon Jennings have all recorded his songs.

A friend recently sent Anderson a 50th birthday card, which surprised him since he has long passed 50 and it wasn’t his birthday. But the date was August 27, 2007, and it was the 50th anniversary of the day he wrote “City Lights.” Ray Price recorded it the next year, and a small town disc jockey became a professional songwriter. The day Price recorded “City Lights,” Anderson received a congratulatory call from Roger Miller and then another congratulatory call from a publisher. Later that afternoon, he got a call from a second publisher who said, “If you’ll sign with us, I think I can talk Ray Price into cutting ‘City Lights’.”

“In four hours, I got a good lesson into the realities of the music business,” Anderson said.

In those days, Bill Anderson was still learning lessons. These days, he could teach them.

Bruce Robison (left) chats with legend Guy Clark (right).

BMI also presented a Million-Air certificate to Carter's "Crossfire" co-writer and Double Trouble member Reese Wynans, celebrating more than one million performances of the tune.

BMI's Jody Williams (right) presents "Crossfire" co-writer and Double Trouble member Reese Wynans (left) with a Million-Air certificate.

Singer/songwriter Bill Carter kicked off the performances.

Austinite Monte Warden performs his composition "Desperately," a hit for George Strait. Warden co-wrote the tune with fellow performer Bruce Robison.

Bruce Robison performed familiar hits along with songs from his newest album Eleven Stories and 2007 EP It Came From San Antonio.

Sunny Sweeney introduces her distinct honky tonk to the audience.

Bill Carter belts out another tune.

Pictured are (l to r): BMI's Jody Williams, "Crossfire" co-writers Ruth Ellsworth Carter, Bill Carter and Reese Wynans, Sunny Sweeney, Bruce Robison and Monte Warden.

Photos by Eric England