Songwriter Joe West shows off one of many new plaques as publisher Kelly King grins.

Dave Pahanish surprised Wayne with a sentimentally significant guitar, while Joe West reflected on his accomplishment. “This is so humbling,” West said. “It’s an honor to be able to make the music you really feel good about.”

Pictured are (l-r): BMI’s Clay Bradley, producer Mark Bright, My Good Girl Music’s Kelly King, Wright of Center Music’s Cole Wright, and King’s husband Jeff Doerflinger.

Sony/ATV’s Troy Tomlinson (right) congratulates the song’s creative team which includes Jimmy Wayne (left) and Dave Pahanish (center).

Songwriter Dave Pahanish (right) surprises Jimmy Wayne (center) with a guitar, as co-writer Joe West (left) watches happily.

Jimmy Wayne (left) performs with formative influence John Oates (right).

The party’s stellar band comprised not only John Oates and Jimmy Wayne, but also songwriters and skilled musicians Joe West and Dave Pahanish.

Pictured are (l-r): BMI’s Jody Williams, BMI songwriter Joe West, Jimmy Wayne, BMI songwriter Dave Pahanish, and BMI’s Clay Bradley.

Pictured are (l-r): BMI Icon John Oates, Jimmy Wayne and Valory Music Group’s Scott Borchetta.

Pictured are (l-r): BMI’s Jody Williams, Wright of Center Music’s Cole Wright, BMI songwriter Joe West, Jimmy Wayne, BMI’s Perry Howard, My Good Girl Music’s Kelly King, BMI songwriter Dave Pahanish, BMI’s Clay Bradley, BMI Icon John Oates, Valory Music Company’s Scott Borchetta, and William Morris Agency’s Greg Oswald. (Photos by Alan Mayor)

The Icon designation is given to BMI songwriters who have bestowed “a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” Bryan Ferry joins an elite list of past honorees that includes multi-genre nobility Peter Gabriel, Ray Davies, Van Morrison, the Bee Gees, Isaac Hayes, Dolly Parton, James Brown, Willie Nelson, Hall & Oates, Paul Simon, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steve Winwood and more.

From work in the early 1970s with progressive glam rock legends Roxy Music to his innovative solo work, Bryan Ferry redefined pop culture as a delicate balance of street savvy and refined luxury. An unparalleled ability to slip from svelte snarling to moody crooning to dramatic staccato and back again makes his vocals instantly recognizable. As a songwriter, his own wealth of work including Roxy Music’s international hit “Love is the Drug,” ”Slave to Love,” “Kiss & Tell,” “Angel Eyes,” “More Than This,” “This Is Tomorrow” and “Don’t Stop the Dance” often sift through layered themes of romance, isolation and loneliness. In addition to his influential compositions, Ferry’s intelligent interpretations of songs penned by others are dizzyingly original and witty, evidenced most recently in his 2007 release Dylanesque. A synergist of genres and aesthetics, Ferry’s impact on music and neighboring realms of visual art and fashion remains splendidly incalculable. As provocative as he is discerning, Bryan Ferry is the quintessential critic and purveyor of sheer beauty.

Hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Executive Director, Writer/Publisher Relations, Europe & Asia Brandon Bakshi, the BMI London Awards will also present the Robert S. Musel Award to the writer and publisher of the most performed song of the year. BMI will also bestow “Million-Air” certificates on writers and publishers whose songs have achieved over three million U.S. radio and television performances — the equivalent of more than 17 years of continuous airplay.

The showcase will also feature Kylie Sackley, Jeff Cohen, and Hugh Prestwood.

Cost: $15.00

During a career that spanned more than 35 years, Ms. Baird had become a well-known music business executive, media relations professional and journalist in the music industry, befriended by dozens of noted authors, artists, music producers and executives.

She began her career as a publicist for prominent music producer Jimmy Ienner, helping to launch the careers of emerging talent such as Isaac Hayes, Donny Hathaway, Three Dog Night, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Grand Funk Railroad. In 1974 she joined industry trade publication Record World as Assistant Editor where she authored an influential column devoted to music publishing, and developed a broad network of contacts among executives in the publishing industry. In 1981 she became East Coast Professional Manager at Arista/Interworld Music Publishing Group, with responsibility for signing writers and managing the company's New York office. Later, as head of her own media relations consultancy, she represented artists and projects associated with Atlantic Records, Elektra Records and MTV Networks. In 1984 she was hired by RCA Records where she was Director of National Publicity, working with artists including Lou Reed, the Eurythmics, Diana Ross, Starship, John Denver and Hall & Oates.

She joined BMI in 1987, heading up its Media Relations department, and was promoted to Assistant Vice President in 1993. She built a national media relations team for BMI with staff in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. She also served as Senior Editor of BMI's MusicWorld magazine, the largest circulation magazine for music professionals in the United States. As a writer, reviewer and journalist, she made frequent contributions to music publications and was a sought-after music industry collaborator for television producers and authors, contributing to biographies of Johnny Ace, Tim and Jeff Buckley, and Brian Wilson, among others. She was the awards coordinator for the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Awards and a frequent consultant for the BBC.

Over the years, she served as Media Chair on the committees for major music industry charitable organizations, including the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, the City of Hope, the T.J. Martell Foundation, and the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. She served as a governor of the New York chapter of the Recording Academy, and was a member of the Country Music Association, Gospel Music Association, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Television Academy.

She is survived by cousins Patricia Casey of Marlton, N.J., Richard Casey of Darien, Conn., and Joanmarie McMahon of Princeton, N.J.; a niece, Shannon Winkler of Voorhees, N.J.; a nephew, Blake Fadem, of Richardson, Texas; and a great-niece, Eve Winkler of Voorhees, N.J. The family plans a private interment ceremony and has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations in her honor be made to the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and Aids Research. A celebration in her memory for her family and her many friends and colleagues in the industry is being planned for early fall in Manhattan.

The T.J. Martell Foundation may be reached at 212-833-5444.]]> 2006-08-22T05:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/334870 Artists, Bryant, Del, Franklin, Aretha, Hall & Oates, Jones, Norah, Mardin, Arif, Nelson, Willie, Prine, John, Ross, Diana Internationally renowned producer/arranger and BMI songwriter Arif Mardin passed away June 25 from pancreatic cancer. He was 74.

In a career that lasted more than four decades, Mardin collected numerous awards, including 12 Grammys, and his many recordings earned him more than 40 gold and platinum albums. Honored by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) with a Trustee Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2001, he played a vital role in the careers of such diverse artists as Aretha Franklin, the Bee Gees, Willie Nelson, Dusty Springfield and Norah Jones.

We are deeply saddened by the news of Arif's passing," said BMI President & CEO Del Bryant. "A member of the BMI family for more than 40 years, he made an indelible mark on our industry, crafting countless hits across virtually every musical genre. He will be remembered as one of the true giants in the history of recorded music."

Arif Mardin was born on March 15, 1932, in Istanbul, Turkey. Trained in economics but also a composer, arranger and orchestrator, Mardin's life changed in 1956 when he met Dizzy Gillespie and Quincy Jones at a Turkish concert. So impressed were they by his compositions, Jones recommended Mardin for a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, Mass., where Mardin studied from 1958 to 1961.

Mardin joined Atlantic Records in 1963 as an assistant to Neshui Ertegun, who supervised the jazz division. When music legend and Atlantic label head Jerry Wexler heard some of Mardin's arrangements for King Curtis at a BMI Awards event, he recognized an untapped in-house talent. He quickly became, in Wexler's words, a "super pro" and "soulful Turkish eminence."

During his association with Atlantic, Mardin arranged and helped to produce such outstanding artists as the Young Rascals, Hall & Oates, Bette Midler, Robert Flack, John Prine, Donnie Hathaway and the Average White Band. He was made a Vice President of the label in 1969 and retired in 2001.

Later successes followed with albums by Chaka Khan, Rod Stewart, Barbara Streisand and Diana Ross, among many others. One of his last major achievements was the breakthrough release by Norah Jones in 2003.

Of his associate, Atlantic founder Ahmet Ertegun said, "In a business driven by trend and fashion, Arif has remained a true artist, a man of incredible musical talent."

Mardin is survived by his wife, Latife, a novelist and playwright; his son, Joe, a producer and arranger; and two daughters, Julie and Nazan Joffre.]]> 2006-06-26T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/334811 Baby Gerry, Bell, Thom, Black Eyed Peas, Bowlegged Lou, Brown, James, Bryant, Del, Crosby, David, Crosby, Stills & Nash, DeGraw, Gavin, DioGuardi, Kara, Full Force, Hall & Oates, Hayes, Isaac, Jazze Pha, Lennon, John, Lil Jon, Los Lonely Boys, Maroon 5, Nash, Graham, Neptunes, The, Ono, Yoko, Parton, Dolly, Reed, Dennis E., Santana, Carlos, Simon, Paul, Usher1, Weezer, Williams, Pharrell, Wilshire, Wilson, Brian, Ying Yang Twins, Pop, BMI Pop Awards Rockers Maroon 5 Share Songwriter of the Year Crown with Rapper Lil Jon and See 'She Will Be Loved' Named Song of the Year; EMI Music Repeats Publisher Win

BMI staged its 54th Annual Pop Awards on May 16, with top honors given to BMI Icons Crosby, Stills & Nash; Jesse Carmichael, Ryan Dusick, Adam Levine and Mickey Madden of Maroon 5 and Lil Jon as Songwriters of the Year; "She Will Be Loved" as Song of the Year; and EMI Music as Publisher of the Year. Hosted by BMI President/ CEO Del Bryant and Los Angeles VP/GM Barbara Cane at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the black-tie dinner recognized the writers and publishers of the past year's 50 most performed pop songs from BMI's catalog of more than 6.5 million compositions.

	BMI Pop Awards Photo Slideshow
	BMI Icon Tribute
	2006 BMI Pop Awards song list
	Crosby, Stills, & Nash Bio

A highlight of the gala ceremony featured a musical tribute to legendary singing trio Crosby, Stills & Nash, who were honored as BMI Icons for their "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, whose signature three-part harmony has endured for more than three decades, join an elite list of previous BMI Icons that includes Paul Simon, James Brown, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Dolly Parton and Carlos Santana.

Martin Bandier and his EMI Music Publishing team accept the publisher of the year award

The musical partnership of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash has produced some of the most timeless rock songs ever written, including "Marrakesh Express," "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Helplessly Hoping," "Guinnevere," "Teach Your Children," "Wooden Ships," "Dark Star" and "Just a Song Before I Go." Called "the voice of an entire generation," CSN has just announced a summer reunion tour with Neil Young.

Maroon 5	Lil Jon	Crosby, Stills & Nash

Pop-rockers Maroon 5 were joined on stage by rapper Lil Jon to collect their BMI Songwriter of the Year Crystals for placing three songs each on the most performed list of 50. The trio of tracks earning Maroon 5 members Jesse Carmichael, Ryan Dusick, Adam Levine and Mickey Madden the prestigious title were "Sunday Morning," their two-time BMI Pop Award-winning smash, "This Love," and Song of the Year "She Will Be Loved."

Lil Jon picked up his third Songwriter of the Year win - he was both BMI's top Pop and Urban writer in 2005 - for penning "Lovers and Friends" (Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz featuring Usher & Ludacris), "Goodies" (Ciara featuring Petey Pablo) and "Salt Shaker" (Ying Yang Twins featuring Lil Jon), the latter two of which also made the list of top songs at the 2005 BMI Urban Awards. He was also honored at that ceremony as writer of the Song of the Year ("Yeah!"), as well as named one of BMI's Top 10 Urban Producers.

Included on Maroon 5's multi-platinum debut, Songs About Jane, "She Will Be Loved" was named BMI Pop Song of the Year for scoring the most airplay of any song on the most performed list during the award period. Co-written by the band's four BMI members, and published by Careers-BMG Music Publishing and February Twenty-Second Music, "She Will Be Loved" earned Maroon 5 their second Grammy this past February for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal; they were named Best New Artist the previous year.

EMI Music Publishing (EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc./EMI-Hastings Catalog, Inc./Stone Diamond Music) claimed its second consecutive BMI Pop Publisher of the Year prize with 18 songs on the top 50 list, giving the publishing giant the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs. EMI Chairman & CEO Martin Bandier accepted the company's 11th BMI Pop Publisher Crystal.

In addition to the Song of the Year, BMI also recognized the performance achievements of two other songs: "Beverly Hills" earned Most Performed Song on College Radio kudos for songwriter Rivers Cuomo of Weezer and publisher E.O. Smith Music, and "1, 2 Step," written by BMI Top 10 Urban Producer Jazze Pha and published by Bubba Gee Music, Noontime Tunes and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., received BMI's very first Internet Song of the Year award by tallying the most hits on BMI-licensed web sites during the award period.

Three other songs besides "This Love" took home a second BMI Pop Award, including "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys, which also won last year; D.H.T.'s version of "Listen to Your Heart," which earned a Pop Award in 1990 for the recording by Roxette; and the Hall & Oates remake of "I'll Be Around," which won a Pop Award in 1972 for the original Spinners hit written by Thom Bell and Phil Hurtt.

Songwriters Gavin DeGraw, Kara DioGuardi, George Pajon, Jr., will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes, and Full Force members Paul Anthony, Baby Gerry, B-Fine, Bowlegged Lou, Curt-T-T and Shy Shy each scored two BMI Pop Awards, while publishers Careers-BMG Music Publishing/Zomba Songs, Cherry River Music Co., Dimensional Songs of the Knoll, El Cubano Music, Ensign Music LLC, February Twenty-Second Music, Forceful Music/Mokojumbi Music, G. DeGraw Music, Inc., K'Stuff Publishing, Songs of TVT, Sony/ATV Songs LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group (Songs of Universal, Inc./Irving Music), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., Waters of Nazareth Publishing and will.i.am music, inc. were each cited for multiple award-winning songs.

Another of the ceremony's highlights included a special presentation to 21-year-old Catawba College student Dennis E. Reed, Jr., first place winner of the BMI Foundation's 9th Annual John Lennon Scholarship Awards. The Charlotte, North Carolina native, who got to share the stage with some of music's biggest stars, went home with a $10,000 scholarship for his song, "Out of Control." Established in 1997 by Yoko Ono in conjunction with the BMI Foundation and matched by generous donations from Gibson Musical Instruments, the John Lennon Scholarship program recognizes the talent of young songwriters between the ages of 15 and 24.

From their emergence in the early '70s to their most recent 2002 hit "Do It For Love," Hall & Oates have made a career of beating the odds. They started out as white purveyors of Philadelphia soul, a competitive situation that made them musical long-shots. Thanks to their uncanny hitmaking instincts, the duo went on to become an inescapable radio presence during the '70s and '80s. They kept a low profile during the '90s, but when the group was profiled on VH1's "Behind the Music" rockumentary series in 2002, it resulted in a greatest hits compilation featuring a new Hall & Oates track, "Do It for Love." The single, the duo's first studio recording in six years, crept to the top of the adult contemporary charts.

Responding to that unambiguous sign from fans and radio listeners, Hall & Oates repaired to the studio to create an album celebrating their pop and r&b roots. Named after the single that fueled their return, Do It For Love finds Hall & Oates churning out their signature sweet melodies, clever lyrics and deep-felt vocals on songs like "Miss DJ" and the winsome "Forever For You." On their magnificent cover of New Radical's "Someday We'll Know," the duo reunites with Todd Rundgren, producer of Hall & Oates hit '70s album, War Babies.

Introduced while attending Philadelphia's Temple University, Darryl Hall and John Oates were established professional musicians when they met in the mid-'60s. Starting out as a folk-soul act, the duo secured a recording contract with Atlantic Records and almost immediately made their presence felt. Solidifying their credibility as r&b songwriters, Hall & Oates' 1973 tune, "She's Gone," was covered by soul legend Lou Rawls and the funk-pop quintet Tavares, among others.

Moving to RCA Records in 1975, the duo heralded their arrival by starting a seemingly endless hit streak. Starting with their 1976 single "Sara Smile," Hall & Oates fired off smash after smash, including "Rich Girl," "It's A Laugh," "Kiss on My List," "Private Eyes," "I Can't Go for That," "Maneater" and countless others.

During the hitmaking streak, Darryl Hall established himself as one of pop's most expressive and versatile vocalists. The lanky singer won praise from a wide range of respected artists, collaborating or performing with former Temptations David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks, Elvis Costello and King Crimson conceptualist Robert Fripp. Not to be outdone, John Oates has demonstrated impressive vocal prowess on tracks like "She's Gone" and the contemplative new tune "Someday We'll Know."

But solo excursions aside, Hall & Oates’ historic chart run has been fueled by harmony — that is, teamwork, superb songcraft and mutual respect. As their compelling new album attests, Hall & Oates still create great music 30 years after their auspicious arrival.

Bobby Braddock, BMI's Patsy Bradley, David Kent, Talbot Music's Jana Talbot, Kirsti Manna, Blake Shelton, Warner Bros.'s Chris Palmer and BMI's Paul Corbin

Shelton was also congratulated for claiming the #1 position on both Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and Top Country Singles Sales chart, making him the first debut male country artist to own the top spot on both charts simultaneously. His self-titled debut album on Warner Bros. features 10 tracks, four of which he wrote.

BMI/Talbot writer Kent, who formerly toured and recorded with Hall & Oates, has had songs recorded by a variety of artists, including Martina McBride, Neal McCoy, Tracy Byrd, Mark Wills, Lari White, Emilio, Tim O'Brien and Riders In the Sky.

photos by Beth Gwinn

Mardin, a six-time Grammy winner, will also receive a NARAS Trustees Award at this year's Grammys on February 21 in Los Angeles. An accomplished musician, arranger and songwriter, Mardin's talent has benefited such disparate artists as Anita Baker, the Bee Gees, Phil Collins, Culture Club, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Hall & Oates, Donny Hathaway, Jewel, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, Bette Midler, Modern Jazz Quartet, Willie Nelson, Laura Nyro, John Prine, Diana Ross, Dusty Springfield, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr and Barbra Streisand, among others.