John Hiatt's deep catalog includes many American staples. A true writer's writer, Hiatt has penned songs recorded by legends including Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Three Dog Night, Iggy Pop, Rosanne Cash, Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Willie Nelson. Hiatt has joined Guy Clark, Joe Ely and Lyle Lovett on an acoustic tour, and his upcoming album Same Old Man promises more signature Hiatt observations and inviting self-reflections.

The Americana Honors and Awards ceremony will toast the eclectic genre's best, feature live performances and serve as the resounding conclusion of the Americana Music Conference and Festival, September 17-20 in Nashville.

For more information on the Americana Music Association, please visit www.americanamusic.org.

The Americana Music Association is a professional trade organization whose mission is to provide a forum for the advocacy of Americana music and to promote public awareness of the genre. The Americana Music Association works closely with artists, labels, radio stations, retailers, print media, festivals, agents, publishers and more to help organize and build the infrastructure necessary for the Americana genre to achieve success both creatively and financially.

In English

Gustavo Santaolalla, compositor, productor y ganador de premios Oscar y Grammy será honrado como "Icono de BMI" en la ceremonia anual de premios latinos de BMI, a celebrarse el jueves 12 de junio. Dicho evento tendrá lugar en el Beverly Wilshire de Los Ángeles, en la cual el presidente y CEO de BMI Del Bryant, y la vicepresidenta asistente de la división de música latina de BMI, Delia Orjuela servirán como maestros de ceremonia; en ésta gala formal sólo para invitados también se reconocerá a los compositores y editoras de las canciones latinas con más ejecución el año pasado.

El premio "Icono de BMI" es otorgado a creadores que han demostrado una "influencia única e indeleble en las próximas generaciones de músicos." Mediante un tributo musical estelar se habrá de reconocer los logros de Gustavo Santaolalla, quien se une a la élite de ganadores previos, la cual incluye a grandes exponentes de la música latina como Los Tigres del Norte, Juan Luis Guerra y Carlos Santana, al igual que leyendas como Willie Nelson, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton y el fenecido James Brown.

Artista, descubridor de talentos, productor, documentalista y compositor, el genio de Gustavo Santaolalla se expande por numerosas disciplinas. Este hijo de la nación Argentina ayudó a definir el movimiento neonato del rock latino en los años 70 con su innovadora banda de rock Arco Iris, y más tarde como solista. Santaolalla es un maestro del ronroco, un instrumento de cuerdas andino, y ha filmado a varios artistas panamericanos de música folklórica indígena. Su transformación de músico a productor fue inevitable; la unión cultural subsiguiente fue histórica. Junto a su compañero Aníbal Kerpel, unificó las esferas de rock argentino y mexicano, y ganó reconocimiento por su labor de producción en numerosos proyectos de discos de oro y platino. El dúo obtuvo aun mayor visibilidad con el grupo Café Tacuba, cuya colaboración con el dúo Santaolalla/Kerpel produjo no sólo varias nominaciones a los premios Grammy, sino que también logro ganar dicho galardón.

Santaolalla entró triunfante al mundo del cine, donde ha compuesto varias bandas sonoras originales ganadoras de premios BMI, Golden Globe y Oscar para tales películas como Brokeback Mountain y Babel. Su trabajo en Babel y el aclamado Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de motocicleta) también ganaron premios BAFTA. Mediante la creación de su sello Surco, Santaolalla ha lanzado y fomentado las carreras de varios artistas estelares, incluyendo a la estrella internacional Juanes.

En adición al premio "Icono de BMI", esta ceremonia también premiará la Canción, Compositor y Editor del Año. Entre algunos de los ganadores anteriores de estas categorías podemos mencionar a Juanes, Shakira, Estéfano, Gloria y Emilio Estefan, Wisin y Yandel, Luis Miguel y Cristian Castro.

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.

Mind, we’re not talking about a record 10 years in the making. But it has been about a decade since nelo (rhymes with “hello”) founder and principal songwriter Matt Ragland first picked up an acoustic guitar in high school and started writing songs and occasionally jamming with school friends and fellow Dallas natives Stephen Goodson (electric guitar), Chris Hill (drums) and David Long (saxophone). A couple of years later, while in college, Ragland was refining his songwriting and performing around Austin with singer Reid Umstattd while Goodson, Hill and Long were perfecting their own chops studying jazz at the University of North Texas in Denton. By 2002, they all reconvened — along with another UNT alum, bassist Mike St. Clair — and nelo was born.

Well, unofficially, at least. According to Ragland, nelo didn’t officially take off until August of ’05 — the month he and the rest of the band left Texas for Athens, Ga. “That was really the defining moment,” he says, “when I called everyone and said, ‘OK, I’m ready to really do this. If you want to do it, too, come and join me.’

“I’d been to Athens a number of times already, and I just felt like it was a great place to start a band,” he continues. “It’s a relatively small town, but there’s so much respect in that part of the country for the music that goes on there. I’d heard the music there and thought we would really fit in. And, I really wanted to get out of Austin at the time, because I’d been playing with these guys for so long that I wanted there to be that unifying moment where we all packed our bags and moved somewhere with one goal in mind. It was time to get serious.”

The fact that it was Ragland, who opted to major in philosophy and psychology while most of his band mates went to a music school, who issued that fateful “time to get serious” call to arms underscores just how much nelo owes its existence to his own clear vision. But Ragland is quick to credit everyone else in the band for helping him bring that vision to life, and one other musician of note for awakening his vision in the first place: Dave Matthews.

“Without going too long on it, it’s just one of those situations where I feel like I owe the guy something, because without Dave Matthews, I don’t think I would have this inspiration to write like I do now and put a band together” he explains. “I was just a kid in high school when I first heard his music, but there was something about it that really helped me understand me a little bit. I know that sounds kind of clichéd, but it’s true. That was the first time I was exposed to the idea that music and lyrics and songs can really help you figure out what you’re about … and what you want out of life.”

Along with Matthews, Ragland also cites Stevie Wonder and Sting as major songwriting heroes. Clearly, in order to do those influences — and his own melodic instincts — justice, Ragland knew his songs were going to require a degree of musicianship beyond both his own self-taught chops and your everyday garage band. Luckily, the first guys he started playing with (Goodson, Long and Hill) all came with similarly demanding influences, ranging from John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Steve Jordan to Bill Frisell, Jimmy Page and Duane Allman. Bassist St. Clair, the last of the instrumentalists to join the fold, came with a Master’s degree in jazz studies and formidable real world experience: prior to joining nelo, he toured with the Glen Miller Orchestra and played trombone in Dallas’ acclaimed The Polyphonic Spree.

Even before St. Clair joined the band, Ragland knew he had the makings of the perfect ensemble in place. All he lacked was a proper singer. Enter Umstattd — the proverbial “X” factor. The funny thing is, Ragland had known him longer than anyone else in the band. He just didn’t know that Reid — soon to become his best friend — could sing. “Reid and I had been going to camp together for many, many years — from third grade all the way up to college,” he says. The summer before their senior year of high school, they were back at the same camp in Colorado, training to be counselors, when somebody pulled out a guitar and started to strum the opening chords to Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles.”

“I open my mouth to sing the first verse to myself,” recalls Ragland, “and I am literally frozen by another voice coming from directly behind me.” He spun around and saw it was Umstattd. “There was something about Reid’s voice that completely blew me away. I knew this was the real thing immediately. There was some kind of organic or spiritual connection between Reid’s voice and my dream. Only it wasn’t just a dream anymore — I knew I had what I needed.”

Fast forward a few years, and nelo was well on its way toward firmly establishing itself on the Athens music scene. But an early, homemade demo was stirring up quite a buzz back home in Texas, too — so much so that nelo was soon playing shows to crowds of up to 400 fans in both states. Among those drawn to the buzz on the Texas side was producer and studio owner Freddy Fletcher, who took in a nelo show at Austin’s Momo’s last December and became an instant convert.

“That was the first time I ever saw them live,” says Fletcher. “I kept hearing, ‘You really need to hear this band!’ And when I got down to Momo’s, there were people lined up around the door to get in and see them. I thought, ‘Hmm, this is interesting.’ So I just started watching them, and I really liked what I heard.” Fletcher and nelo hit it off right off the bat, striking the deal that quickly led to Ragland and Co. moving back to Austin and heading straight into the studio to begin work on their Fletcher-produced debut. The album will be released on Pedernales Records, the label owned by Fletcher and his uncle — none other than the legendary Willie Nelson.

“It may be their first record,” says Fletcher, “but these guys in the studio — they’re so damn good. They’re all accomplished musicians, the songs are really well written and I love the arrangements. And Reid, the singer, is just phenomenal. Their style is definitely not something you hear every day — it’s new to me. But I like what they’re doing, and I like everyone in the band, too.”

Ragland makes it clear that the feeling of admiration is mutual. “Freddy, for whatever reason, seems to really understand the music as I was hoping that it would be received,” he says. “The thing I love about a good album is when you get a general vibe from the entire record — almost like the whole album is one tone, one feeling. And listening to the roughs we have so far, I think that’s starting to develop. I can’t describe it or give it an adjective yet, but I will say that we’re getting there.”

Come February, nelo will have fully arrived.

www.nelomusic.com www.myspace.com/nelomusic

BMI Icons are selected because of their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” As BMI Icons, Daryl Hall & John Oates will join elite ranks that include the Bee Gees, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, James Brown, Ray Davies, Carlos Santana and Dolly Parton.

The effervescent popularity of Daryl Hall and John Oates’s magical collaborations springs from the duo’s devout passion for Philly soul and buoyant pop harmonies. Warmly accessible and expertly polished, Daryl Hall & John Oates’s smooth production utilizes undeniable hooks and innate contemporary lyrical sensibility. The resulting eight no. 1 singles, three double-platinum and two platinum albums catapulted the pair into pop superstardom; in 1987, Daryl Hall & John Oates became the #1 selling duo in pop music, according to the RIAA. Skilled songwriters, Daryl Hall & John Oates are both members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, together boasting 24 BMI Pop Awards and a catalog studded with 14 BMI Million-Air award songs, including “She’s Gone,” “Everytime You Go Away,” “Kiss On My List,” “Maneater” and “Sara Smile.” They have prompted a surge of interest and homage from a diverse bevy of new artists, who cite the pair as definitive influences. Restless creators, Daryl Hall & John Oates have spent much of the last decade touring throughout the world.

In addition to the Icon, BMI will recognize Song, Songwriter and Publisher of the Year during the evening, along with the recipient of the BMI Foundation’s John Lennon Scholarship. Pop Award winners from previous years include Maroon 5, R. Kelly, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Pharrell Williams, Michelle Branch, Lil Jon, the Foo Fighters, Linkin Park and Sheryl Crow.

Check out live photos from the event

Full BMI Grammy Award Winners List

Unable to attend the ceremony due to a tardy issuance of her visa, Winehouse watched, accepted awards and performed twice via satellite in London. Her innate vintage cool and authentic emotion echoed through her performances of Record and Song of the Year, “Rehab,” along with “I’m No Good.” After claiming the most Grammys of any artist throughout the evening, including Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album, Winehouse’s ubiquitous artistic shadow was most certainly in attendance.

Charismatic rap star Kanye West further emphasized his staying power with wins in Rap Album and Solo Rap Performance of the Year. Honored both as a songwriter and recording artist, West also earned Rap Song of the Year bragging rights for “Good Life.” In addition to garnering accolades for his solo work, West claimed Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his collaboration with Common on “Southside.”

“What a beautiful day this is in Los Angeles!” Herbie Hancock’s visible surprise while accepting his Album of the Year trophy provided a sublimely extemporaneous moment during the telecast. The first jazz project in 43 years to win Album of the Year, Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters features collaborations with numerous contemporary stylists, including Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae. The project also garnered Best Contemporary Jazz Album honors.

BMI’s preeminent rock family enjoyed a successful night as well. The unfaltering Foo Fighters took home Best Hard Rock Performance honors for driving single “The Pretender,” while their Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace earned Rock Album of the Year. Critical darlings and rock purists The White Stripes claimed Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for the title track to Icky Thump, which also garnered Best Alternative Album bragging rights for the enigmatic duo.

Beloved jazz saxophonist and composer Michael Brecker received posthumous awards for Best Jazz Instrumental Album (Individual or Group) and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. Perennial favorites The Clark Sisters also secured honors for Best Gospel Performance and Best Gospel Song.

Additional winners included Carrie Underwood for Best Female and Keith Urban for Best Male Country Vocal Performances; Calle 13 for Best Latin Urban Album; Ray Price and Willie Nelson for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals; Juan Luis Guerra for Best Tropical Latin Album; Vince Gill’s These Days for Best Country Album; Rihanna’s “Umbrella” for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration; Maroon 5 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals; and Alison Krauss for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

When pressed, Fats softly declares undying admiration for Presley. “I like Elvis myself,” Domino says over the phone from his New Orleans residence. “So does everybody.” With a humble air that warmly wraps around each of his concessions, Fats says he was simply “lucky” such songs as “I’m Walkin’” and “Blueberry Hill” allowed him to support his family.

The man’s authentic modesty is awe-inspiring, especially when Fats could argue he doesn’t get enough credit for creating the rock-&-roll sound. His induction into the 1986 inaugural Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class prompted more comparisons to the Memphis boy who would be king: The Hall notes that Fats Domino “sold more records (65 million) than any other Fifties-era rocker except Elvis Presley.”

In fact, any query about who “started” rock & roll could be answered by taking roll call of that class. In addition to Fats and Elvis, 1986 alumni include Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and the Everly Brothers.

The man the musicians themselves look to as the architect of rock sounds is, perhaps, most telling. “Elvis called Fats the ‘King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.’ Bob Marley said reggae started with Fats Domino,” says r&b scholar Rick Coleman, author of the 2006 biography “Blue Monday: Fats Domino and the Lost Dawn of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

Evidence of his importance can be found on Vanguard Records’ new double-CD set, Goin’ Home: a Tribute to Fats Domino, which benefits Tipitina’s Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to musical rebirth in the Crescent City.

On the tribute album, Paul McCartney sings “I Want to Walk You Home” and his Beatles mate John Lennon sings “Ain’t That a Shame.” The Fab Four’s 1968 “Lady Madonna” is homage to Domino. That same year, Fats cut his own version, marking his last appearance in the Billboard Top 100 pop singles.

Other iconic contributors to Goin’ Home include Elton John performing “Blueberry Hill,” B.B. King’s “Goin’ Home,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “I’m Walkin’,” Robert Plant’s “It Keeps Raining” and Willie Nelson’s “I Hear You Knockin’.”

The emotional peak comes with Neil Young’s “Walking to New Orleans,” which he sang at a Katrina fund-raising concert. Fats’s version, released June 1, 1960, was his last Top 10 pop hit. A potent string of wonder and musical history preceded that nostalgic song.

On Dec. 10, 1949, Fats Domino cut eight tracks at Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Studios. Among them: “The Fat Man,” often called “the first rock & roll song.”

Domino’s songbook also includes “All By Myself,” “Be My Guest,” “Bo Weevil,” “Don’t Blame It On Me,” “Every Night About This Time,” “Let the Four Winds Blow,” “Going to the River,” “My Girl Josephine,” “I’m in Love Again,” “Please Don’t Leave Me,” “Poor Me,” “So Long,” “Something’s Wrong,” “Three Nights a Week,” “Valley of Tears” and “Whole Lotta Loving.’’ In Fats’s fashion, the man is quick to share credit with co-writer and producer Dave Bartholomew.

While the music is universally present, Fats had settled in to a peaceful life with family and dear friends, flying contentedly below the world’s contemporary radar — until Katrina nearly killed him. The musician and his family chose to ride out the storm in their home in the Lower 9th Ward, the working-class neighborhood where he grew up. As helicopters plucked victims off roofs, there were media reports Fats was missing. That fear ended with the publication of a New Orleans Times-Picayune photo of Domino being helped off a boat after being rescued from his house.

Like almost everyone in the Lower 9th, he lost everything. But Fats says, “I ain’t missed nothing, to tell you the truth, and I was able to replace what I lost.” Today, he and his family live in a West Bank suburb, while their home is being rebuilt.

Thanks in large part to Tipitina’s Foundation, Fats Domino has become the quintessential face of New Orleans’ rebirth. The foundation is an offshoot of the New Orleans music venue. “Before the storm, our programs were designed to uplift the music culture of New Orleans,” says Bill Taylor, executive director. ”Since Katrina, it’s about saving that same culture.”

In May of 2007, Fats tore through an exhilarating 32-minute set at Tipitina’s. Proceeds benefited the foundation’s drive to provide musical instruments to New Orleans public schools, and to help musicians recover. Profits from the Goin’ Home tribute will also go to Tipitina’s Foundation. Twenty-five percent of monies earned at that red-letter show went toward the restoration of Fats’ Lower 9th home. In addition to helping Domino rebuild, funds will also fuel the construction of a Lower 9th community center and other programs aimed at lifting the neighborhood.

Haydee Ellis, the longtime family friend who helped orchestrate the concert and album, says her experiences recruiting talent for Goin’ Home demonstrate the appreciation artists have for Fats. “I talked to Randy Newman. . . . I said ‘we would enjoy your participation on this album’.” Newman, who performs “Blue Monday,” emphatically told her, “I’d love to. I’ve been stealing from Fats for years.”

Nashville A Teamer Jerry Kennedy was one of the night's inductees. Music runs wild through the Kennedy bloodline: All of Jerry's three sons are hit songwriters, while Shelby Kennedy is also a Writer/Publisher Relations representative in the Nashville office. Pictured are (l to r): Gordon Kennedy, Jerry Kennedy, Bryan Kennedy and BMI's Shelby Kennedy.

The vast majority of 2007's inductees are BMI affiliates, veterans and virtual architects of the American popular music canon. Nashville's A Team lent their gifts to studio recordings by Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Brenda Lee, Marty Robbins and countless others. The Blue Moon Boys and the Tennessee Two helped shape the sounds of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, respectively. The Wrecking Crew's musicianship finessed legendary singles for The Ronettes, The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, The Carpenters and more. Detroit's Funk Brothers were a tour de force in Motown, playing on Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It through the Grapevine," singles by Smokey Robison & The Miracles and a smorgasbord of others. The Memphis Boys picked, strummed and drummed through major hits for icons including Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson.

Pictured at the event are (l to r): host Creed Batton, the Musicians Hall of Fame's Joe Chambers, guitar legend Scotty Moore and BMI's Jody Williams.

Joe Chambers, gatekeeper of the Musicians Hall of Fame, took great care in organizing the event, which brought due recognition to behind the scenes virtuosos. Peter Frampton, Vince Gill, George Jones, Brenda Lee, Mandy Barnett, The Jordanaires, Dobie Gray, The Supremes' Mary Wilson, Amy Grant, Keith Anderson, Ray Scott, Garth Brooks, John Carter Cash and Rodney Crowell presented, performed and reiterated glowing praise. Actor/musician Creed Bratton, beloved character of the same name on The Office, proved an able host; before gaining attention for his television and film work, Batton played guitar in popular 60s group The Grass Roots.

Photos by Beth Gwinn

But New York native Lanz isn’t one to be fenced in by expectations. Signed to Interscope Records, which will be releasing her debut album, Young $ Restless, on Feb. 12, 2008, Lanz is currently on tour opening for no less a hip-hop icon than Snoop Dogg, winning converts and proving her mettle night after night.

Born Alana Michelle Josephs, the only child shuffled between her parents for a few years, eventually ending up with her mother. Despite what Lanz calls a “blissful” relationship, the reunion was soon shattered by her mother’s boyfriend’s unstable, drug-fuelled behavior. Combined with the absence of her father, Lanz increasingly turned to such straight-ahead, occasionally rage-fueled acts as Tupac, DMX and Eminem, and, in the process, began developing her own skills.

“As a young kid, instead of having my mind guarded, it wasn’t really shielded at all,” she says. “So real life at an early age was a real thing for me.”

Lanz started recording demos and rapping on the underground scene, eventually gathering a team of industry professionals and ultimately becoming the subject of label interest, leading to a meeting at Interscope honcho Jimmy Iovine’s home. The pair clicked, and Lanz is now finishing up her album with such well-established producers as Three 6 Mafia, Stargate, and Organized Noize.

“When you’re creating waves in uncharted waters, there’s always going to be haters who try to sink your float,” she says. “No matter how many times they try to stop me, I’ve kept right on my beautiful struggle. I’ve felt both the pain and the love so I speak for the kid always pushed on. I show them how to shove back. I'm not just trying to make it, I’m trying to be one of the best to ever do it.”