Luckily, it didn’t come to that. Miller instead became a top-rank songwriter whose hits include chart-toppers for stars like Terri Clark (“I Just Wanna Be Mad”) and Trace Adkins (“You’re Gonna Miss This”).

But when the classically trained multi-instrumentalist headed south from his native Nicholasville, Kentucky, he didn’t think of himself as a songwriter. He discovered his true calling with the encouragement of associates like BMI’s Thomas Cain. “He said, ‘You’re not reinventing the wheel as a musician or singer, but you might be able to write songs’,” Miller remembers.

Ken Mellons recorded two of his songs, and soon Miller was getting cuts regularly. BlackHawk took his “Days of America” to the Top 40 in 2002, and a few months later Joe Nichols’s rendition of “The Impossible” went all the way to the top. “That changed everything,” Miller recalls. “It was suddenly easier to get people to listen — and honestly, I think it gave me more confidence.”

That breakthrough began a hot streak that continues today. Miller has branched out into production work with artists including Steve Holy and Amy Dalley, but songwriting remains his top priority.

“I’m living a fantasy,” he declares. “I’m a father of four with a wife I’ve been married to for 16 years, and I make stuff up for a living. I’m the happiest person in the world.”

The BMI Country Awards turned a spry 55 years old as they were held tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the performing right organization's Music Row offices in Nashville. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) - the first home for country music - was also the first U.S. organization to honor the genre's songwriters and publishers with their own awards show in 1953. BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Jody Williams, Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville, hosted the black-tie ceremony toasting the writers and publishers of the past year's 50 most-performed country songs in the BMI repertoire.

2007 BMI Country Awards: Award Winning Songs

Jeffrey Steele received his second Country Songwriter of the Year title, while his poignant composition "What Hurts The Most" earned the coveted Song of the Year crown. Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville snagged Publisher of the Year bragging rights for the sixth consecutive year, and a tribute to Willie Nelson recognized the newest BMI Icon's unifying music and humble dignity.

"What Hurts The Most," co-written by Jeffrey Steele and published by Gottahaveable Music and Bug Music/Songs of Windswept, landed the 39th Robert J. Burton Award, presented to the most performed country song of the year. Recorded by crossover titans Rascal Flatts, the nostalgic ballad earned a slew of accolades including two Grammy nominations, and became the group's fifth no. 1 single.

Nashville's best-selling artists have come to rely on 2007 Country Songwriter of the Year Jeffrey Steele's uncanny hitmaking prowess. Steele secured his first Country Songwriter of the Year win in 2003, and has spent the past four years enriching his bejeweled catalog, which includes five of this year's most performed songs: Rascal Flatts' "My Wish," "Me and My Gang," and "What Hurts the Most," Steve Holy's "Brand New Girlfriend" and Keith Anderson's "Every Time I Hear Your Name."

With 17 songs among this year's top 50, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville (through its companies Sony/ATV Acuff Rose, Sony/ATV Songs LLC, Sony/ATV Melody and Sony/ATV Tree) picked up its sixth consecutive Publisher of the Year win. The publishing powerhouse accumulated the highest percentage of copyright ownership thanks to award songs including "Give It Away," "Would You Go With Me," "Every Mile A Memory," "Tim McGraw" and "Kerosene."

The capstone of the evening took the form of the Icon tribute to beloved legend Willie Nelson, featuring performances by fellow pioneers Kris Kristofferson and Emmylou Harris, along with contemporary country trendsetters Toby Keith, Josh Turner and Keith Urban. Willie Nelson's ascendance to internationally-renowned treasure is a singular path marked by self-belief and musical brilliance. As a BMI Icon, Nelson will perhaps be recognized most for his songwriting, which has long enraptured the entire world. His love of the offbeat and heedlessness of conventional time signatures have made Nelson an innovative and inimitable guitarist. As a singer, his deft phrasing and naked sincerity are irresistible. A romantic aesthete, Willie Nelson makes all that he touches beautiful. The Texas native's "Crazy," "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground," "Funny How Time Slips Away," "On the Road Again" and "Good Hearted Woman" merely skim the surface of a catalog stacked with unvarnished classics. Famous for his ceaseless touring, Nelson is an untiring philanthropist and humanitarian, most visibly through Willie-coined events including Farm Aid.

The 2007 BMI Country Awards also honored hit songwriters Brett Beavers, Rodney Clawson, Jamey Johnson, Tony Martin, Bill Anderson, Steve Bogard, Scotty Emerick, Toby Keith, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Bobby Pinson and the Warren Brothers, who each supplied two or more songs to the top 50 list.

Publishers EMI Blackwood Music, Inc; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.; Jeffrey Steele Music Group; Bug Music/Songs of Windswept; Universal Music Publishing Group; Big Gassed Hitties; Brett Beavers Music Group; Gold Watch Music; Music of Stage Three and StyleSonic Music each took home three or more awards.

DiPiero and Steele will lead a session focusing on "The Making of a Hit" at the annual gathering for radio broadcasters. To be held at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center, June 27 – July 1, this year’s conference is titled "Radio Under Construction."

BMI, an organization that represents thousands of songwriters, composers and music publishers, has regularly sponsored events at the Conclave to promote better understanding between the professions. "The Conclave is an excellent educational opportunity for radio industry professionals, and it's appropriate that songwriters should be a part of that learning experience," said Mike O'Neill, BMI Senior Vice President, Licensing.

An award-winning songwriter, Steele noted that, "While some of the songwriting process is inspiration, we writers rely on the skills we've developed through the years to bring us to that place where 'the magic' happens. Bob and I will talk about co-writing partnerships — the good and the bad of collaborating — and also share some stories about the unique combination of words, music and, of course, luck that made certain songs hits for us."

As a songwriter, artist and producer, Jeffrey Steele is enjoying one of the hottest streaks in music. Named Songwriter of the Year by BMI (2003) and by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (2003, 2005-06), he was nominated for a 2007 Grammy Award for the crossover Rascal Flatts smash, "What Hurts the Most." Among the more than 300 songs he's had recorded in the past six years are the #1 singles "The Cowboy in Me" (Tim McGraw), "These Days" and "My Wish" (Rascal Flatts), "Something To Be Proud Of" (Montgomery Gentry) and "Brand New Girlfriend" (Steve Holy). Other highlights of his catalog — recognized by BMI for more than 25 million airplays — are the hit singles "Chrome," "Hell Yeah," "Help Somebody," "Unbelievable" and "My Town." Steele performs frequently around the country — solo and with his band — and has produced recent projects for Montgomery Gentry and Keith Anderson, among others.

With literally hundreds of songs recorded over the last 20 years, Bob DiPiero is one of Nashville's most celebrated songwriters: 19 Top 10 hits, 13 of them number ones. He's won 19 BMI Awards, including the 1995 Robert J. Burton Award for most-performed country song of the year for Neal McCoy's "Wink." He was named 1998's Songwriter of the Year at the Nashville Music Awards and in both '95 and '96 he won CMA Triple Play (an award for having three number one songs in a 12-month period) for chartbusters including Faith Hill's "Take Me As I Am," Reba McEntire's "Till You Love Me," George Strait's "Blue Clear Sky, and Vince Gill's "Worlds Apart." He has also had songs recorded by pop artists including Neil Diamond, Dusty Springfield and Jason and the Scorchers.

Pictured with their colorful smattering of awards are (l to r): Steve Holy, Jeffrey Steele, Bart Allmand, Shane Minor and BMI's Jody Williams. Photo by Eric England

New Hall of Famers and BMI songwriters Hugh Prestwood and Jimmy Buffett (center) celebrate their induction with Nashville Songwriters Foundation Chairman and Hall of Fame songwriter Roger Murrah, and BMI's Jody Williams, Del Bryant and Phil Graham.

Buffett's ascension from Nashville hopeful to beloved cultural phenomenon is well-known. Staples like "Margaritaville," "Son of a Son of a Sailor" and "Come Monday" skim the surface of not simply an extensive song catalog, but a way of life. This marks Jimmy Buffett's first induction into a hall of fame of any kind, but most certainly not the last.

Posing for a BMI family portrait are (l-r): songwriter and publisher Roger Murrah, Big & Rich's Big Kenny, hit songwriter and NSAI Board of Directors President Steve Bogard, BMI's Del Bryant, BMI hit songwriter Gary Hannan, NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison, Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Buffett, BMI's Phil Graham, hit songwriters Tammi Kidd and George Teren, Hall of Fame inductee Hugh Prestwood, singer Michael Johnson, BMI's Jody Williams, and American Idol finalist George Huff.

Elder statesman Hugh Prestwood's contributions include nuggets like Randy Travis' "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart," Trisha Yearwood's "The Song Remembers When" and Shenandoah's "Ghost In This House." Prestwood's soliloquies mine the depths of human experience to heartbreaking perfection.

The NSAI also named BMI's Jeffrey Steele 2006's Songwriter of the Year. The unstoppable Steele, also dubbed Music Row's 2006 Songwriter of the Year, composes hits at a mind-numbing pace; Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most" and Steve Holy's "Brand New Girlfriend" are his most recent chart-toppers.

Country superstar Toby Keith was named 2006 Songwriter/Artist of the Year, adding another songwriting honor to his impressive collection. "As Good As I Once Was," "Honky Tonk U" and "A Little Too Late" number among the latest hits written or co-written by Keith.

Songwriters also voted on their peers' Top Ten contributions to country music in the "10 Songs I Wish I'd Written" category. BMI winners were well-represented, thanks to "Believe," co-written by Ronnie Dunn, "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way," co-written by Tammi Kidd, Joe South's classic "Rose Garden," "Skin (Sarabeth)" co-written by Doug Johnson, John Wiggins' and Gary Hannan's "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off," "What Hurts the Most" co-written by Jeffrey Steele, and "When I Get Where I'm Going," co-written by George Teren.

The NSAI's 2006 President's Award was posthumously bestowed on SunTrust's Brian Williams, Music Row friend and new breed of banker, for his unrelenting dedication to and fostering of Nashville's songwriting community.

Photos: Krista Lee for Krista Lee Photography]]> 2006-10-26T05:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/334991 Holy, Steve, Gentry, Montgomery, Green, Pat, Morgan, Craig, Rascal Flatts, Slater, James, Steele, Jeffrey, Trick Pony, Country Jeffrey Steele-and the bar for "better" doesn't get much higher than his. Named Music Row's 2006 Songwriter of the Year and author of the magazine's Song of the Year, "What Hurts the Most," Steele's status as the genre's go-to guy for chart-toppers has long since been cemented.

Following the presentation of their BMI cups, the honorees paused for a quick photo. Pictured (l to r) are: BMI's Jody Williams, Windswept's Steve Markland, BMI songwriter Jeffrey Steele and producer Dann Huff

The composer of five No. 1 singles and a barrage of hits for country's biggest stars, his role as producer for artists Montgomery Gentry, Keith Anderson and Trick Pony provides yet another creative outlet for the industrious artist. Brand New Girlfriend (Steve Holy), Me and My Gang (Rascal Flatts) and Something To Be Proud Of (Montgomery Gentry) are just three of a staggering eight albums named after songs penned by Steele. His tracks on upcoming releases by Gretchen Wilson, Pat Green, Montgomery Gentry and Craig Morgan promise to keep the ball rolling.

GAC's Storme Warren snagged a few minutes with the man of the hour, Jeffrey Steele

Steele's indisputable enthusiasm for his work proved infectious. He coached 12 hungry newcomers through his first-ever Songwriting Boot Camp held in Nashville Sept. 22-24. The attendees were hand-selected from hundreds of applicants and worked through an intense three-day, two-night writing seminar closely guided by Steele. For Jeffrey, the goal was simple: "We hope these writers leave challenged with a new perspective on the craft and grow into better writers as a result of their experiences," he shared.

Friends and family gathered to celebrate Steele's 4th no. 1 hit. Pictured are (l to r): Billy Block with Jeffrey and Stephanie Steele

When the two-time NSAI Songwriter of the Year and 2003 BMI Songwriter of the Year celebrated the chart-topping success of Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most" at BMI's Music Row offices recently, the packed room reverberated with the easy chatter of hit songwriters, publishers and well-wishers. Jeffrey Steele relayed the song's back story, voiced his sincere thanks and moved about the room, perhaps already formulating the hook for his next hit song.

Steele's bootcampers took the opportunity to mingle with some of Nashville's top writers. Pictured is (center): BMI hit songwriter James Slater flanked by eager attendees Jeffrey Steele's songwriter bootcamp

Photos by Eric England]]> 2006-09-29T05:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233178 Holy, Steve, Alabama, Anderson, Bill, Braddock, Bobby, Diamond Rio, Dunn, Ronnie, Gill, Vince, Grant, Amy, Green, Marv, Griggs, Andy, Haggard, Merle, Howard, Harlan, Johnson, Carolyn Dawn, Keith, Toby, Kristofferson, Kris, Loudermilk, John D., Maguire, Martie, McBride, Martina, Miller, Roger, Overstreet, Paul, Owen, Randy, Preston, Frances, Robison, Bruce, Roe, Marty, Shapiro, Tom, Sherrill, Billy, Sillers, Tia, Steele, Jeffrey, Tippin, Aaron, Trick Pony, Twain, Shania, Urban, Keith, Wariner, Steve, Country, BMI Country Awards Frances Preston and BMI Nashville Vice President Paul Corbin will present Citations of Achievement to the writers and publishers of the top 50 songs. The evening will culminate in the announcement of Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year, and Most Performed Country Song of the Year (the Robert J. Burton Award).

Among the guests expected are last year's BMI Songwriter/Artist of the Year Toby Keith, Kix Brooks & Ronnie Dunn, Martina McBride, keith urban, Kenny Chesney, Marty Roe and Jimmy Olander of Diamond Rio, Vince Gill & Amy Grant, Aaron Tippin, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Steve Wariner, Bill Anderson, Jeffrey Steele, Randy Owen of Alabama, Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis, Andy Griggs, Trick Pony and Steve Holy.

Among the distinguished talents who have previously been crowned BMI Country Songwriter of the Year are Harlan Howard, Don Gibson, Bill Anderson, Roger Miller, John D. Loudermilk, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Dennis Morgan, Paul Overstreet, Vince Gill, Shania Twain, Tom Shapiro, Dixie Chick Martie Maguire, Ronnie Dunn, Bobby Braddock and eight-time victor Billy Sherrill. In addition to Keith, other top winners from the 2001 BMI Country Awards were Songwriters Marv Green and Aimee Mayo, and Tia Sillers, writer of Song of the Year "I Hope You Dance."

Check back here at 10 pm CT/11 pm ET November 5 for a complete list of 2002 BMI Country Award winners. High-resolution photos will also be available for downloading at press.bmi.com.