Jon Secada

‘Noche Bohemia’ Showcases Best of BMI Latin Singer/Songwriters

2006-03-12T17:00:00-05:00

BMI New York presented its "Noche Bohemia" Latin showcase on March 6, with four of the best local Latin singer/songwriters performing acoustic sets. The show, held at famed world music club S.O.B.'s, featured Nico Tovar, Franco Sattamini, Oldenburg and CruzMonty.

BMI's Porfirio Pina, Nico Tovar, Miguel Oldenburg, Franco Sattamini and BMI's Diane Almodovar

Colombian singer/songwriter NicoTovar has had a highly successful career as a songwriter, having created songs for Cristian Castro, Ricky Martin, Paulina Rubio, Jon Secada, Carlos Ponce, Obie Bermudez and La India. Currently he is focusing on finishing his solo CD, set for release this year. Recognizing his Colombian roots on the record, his heritage is at the core of his solo CD and was a personal journey for him to create music for himself. "I just woke up one day and decided it was time to go to the studio and start recording my album," he says. "I wanted to be the voice expressing the journey told within the song."

(Top row) members of Oldenburg, (middle row) CruzMonty's Franklen Poole, BMI's Porfirio Pina, Nico Tovar, Miguel Oldenburg, Franco Sattamini, BMI's Diane Almodovar, Dave Edwards, SOB's Larry Gold, (front row) Café da Silva, Alana Marie and Marko Marcinko

Franco Sattamini is one of Latin music's true renaissance men. A singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and producer, Sattamini has bridged the traditional roots of Brazilian music with the modern influences of today's mainstream music. His long list of credits includes commercial recordings, extensive TV scoring, world touring, arranging and producing numerous CDs. He has worked and collaborated with the creators of the Bossa Nova musical movement - Antonio Carlos Jobim and Roberto Menescal - as well as with Brazilian luminaries Danilo Caymmi, Robertinho de Recife, Fagner, Simone, Emilio Santiago, Pepeu Gomes, Sandra de Sa, and many more. Now living in the U.S., Franco is focusing on the continuity of his successful career in the same diverse style that it was built upon back in Brazil: writing, arranging, producing and recording.

Oldenburg takes a new approach on the alternative music genre by adding a Venezuelan twist to the sounds of rock & roll, incorporating aboriginal instruments and rhythms from Latin America into their pop-rock influenced songs. Their Venezuelan roots-rock is a well-balanced mix of overdriven electric guitars with the sounds of native instruments, like the four stringed guitar called "cuatro," or the sea shell horns named "guaruras." Oldenburg's lyrics reflect the reality of immigration and social issues within a unique framework of their trademark nature-related metaphors and conservation themes. Based in New York, Oldenburg started as a band in 2003 with former King Chango (Luaka Bop, Virgin) guitar player Miguel Oldenburg and drummer Luis "el pulpo" Ruiz, guitar extraordinaire Inti Maldonado and bassist Andres Jimenez.

Born Pedro Cruz in Santiago, Dominican Republic, CruzMonty spent his teen years performing in three Dominican groups whose music ranged from pop to reggaeton. In 2005, he decided to record his first independent album with an acoustic pop sound, Yo Sabre Perder. Reflecting on a period of self-examination in his life, CruzMonty described the songs as, "trying to cope and find the positive in the negative." Through his unique, sentimental, heart-felt songs, CruzMonty's music has struck an emotional cord with its affecting melodies and sincere lyrics.

photos by Mark Barron

Jon Secada Appointed to Presidential Education Commission

2002-07-22T18:00:00-05:00

by Paul Zollo

Latin pop sensation Jon Secada has been appointed to a Presidential Commission on Education Excellence for Hispanic Americans. “The President said that he would leave no student behind,” the BMI songwriter stated during an interview from his Miami home, “and he meant it. He is dedicated to improving the educational opportunities for all students in this country.”

The function of the Commission, which includes astronaut Fernando Caldeiro along with 16 other Latino leaders, is to form an action plan intended to abolish the educational achievement gap between Hispanic students and their peers. It will spotlight role models in the Latin community, such as Secada, as well as community leaders, business leaders, educators and public officials. Advice and information about how best to achieve maximal results will be gathered from town meetings held in Hispanic communities around the country, and compiled into an official report for the President.

Secada, a Grammy winner who has sold nearly 20 million albums worldwide, expressed pride in the appointment, and a determination to do everything in his power to address the educational needs of Latino students throughout the country. A native of Havana who moved to Miami at the age of nine, he stressed that the state of the American public education system is in dire straits. “Statistics show that the rate of graduation in our schools is getting worse, especially in the inner cities. That’s disturbing for all students. It’s tough enough to be young in this country, but to be young and Latino is a double challenge. The biggest job we have in this country is taking care of our kids. I grew up with a lot of challenges, but my parents always made sure I went to school and stayed on the right path.”

That path has led him to phenomenal success as a recording artist; yet, remarkably, furthering his own career is not his main priority. “People say celebrities have no time to do anything but work on their own success,” he said. “You know what? You have to make the time. It’s about commitment. If you don’t commit, it’s not going to happen.”

BMI Songwriter Carole King to Receive SHOF’s Johnny Mercer Award

2002-05-01T18:00:00-05:00

The National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame, has announced that BMI songwriter Carole King will be this year's recipient of the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award at the 2002 Awards dinner, set for Thursday, June 13 at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. Other inductees were announced previously and include BMI songwriter/artists Barry Manilow, Michael Jackson and Sting, as well as Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Randy Newman, Garth Brooks (Hitmaker Award), Stevie Wonder (Lifetime Achievement Award), National Music Publishers Association CEO Ed Murphy (Abe Olman Publishers Award) and "You're A Grand Old Flag," written by George M. Cohan (Towering Song Award).

Chairman/CEO Hal David commented: "Carole King has been a tour de force in our industry ever since I can remember. She is a gifted songwriter and performer who epitomized a wonderful era of music. I am so pleased that the Songwriters Hall of Fame will be recognizing her outstanding accomplishments at this year's event."

Pop music as we know it would not be the same without Carole King. She began her career during the famed "Brill Building" era in the late 50s and early 60s, creating hit after hit. She composed her first #1 hit "Will You (Still) Love Me Tomorrow," with Gerry Goffin for the Shirelles at age 17. The #1 and Top 10 hits she and Goffin (whom she later married) wrote during this period are part of music legend. In the early 70s, King once again led the way, opening the doors for a brand new genre of artist: the singer/songwriter. Carole released her first solo album, Writer in 1970, but it was 1971's Tapestry that took her to the pinnacle. It spoke personally to every one of her contemporaries, women in particular, and provided the spiritual musical backdrop to the decade. Tapestry remains on the charts some 30 years later, having grabbed the first Grammy grand-slam for a woman: Best Record, Best Song, Best Album and Best Female Vocalist. The album has also received the Diamond Award from the RIAA for sales of over 25 million units and remained the best selling album by a woman for 25 years. King has also amassed three other Platinum records as well as six Gold records in a career that spans nearly half a century.

Carole is one of the first musical performers to move into acting, highlighted by her starring role in "Blood Brothers" on Broadway in 1994. Her acting skills will once again be tested as she will be introduced during May sweeps on the "Gilmore Girls," in a role that she will reprise in the Fall. King also writes for film and television. Recent credits include writing and singing the theme (with daughter Louise Goffin) for "Gilmore Girls," and her 2000 Emmy nomination for "Song of Freedom" (the title track to "Freedom Song," a TNT original movie produced by and starring Danny Glover and executive produced and written by Phil Alden Robinson). Other credits include the films "You've Got Mail," "A League of Their Own" and "Murphy's Romance." In this, her 60th year, the ever prolific King has released her 24th album of timeless pop music with all the bravura of her indomitable female spirit.

The National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame, the organization dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of those composers and lyricists who create popular music around the world, is one of the most prestigious in the industry. At last year's event, the stars came out to honor each other, with Dolly Parton, songwriter Diane Warren, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, singer/songwriter Paul Williams, Billy Joel (Johnny Mercer Award), Gloria & Emilio Estefan (Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award), Dionne Warwick (Hitmaker Award), Ralph Peer (Abe Olman Publishers Award) and Iris Cantor (Patron of the Arts Award) being honored. Songwriters Rob Thomas, Dave Matthews, Clive Davis, Paul Shaffer, Elvis Costello, Judy Collins, Jimmy Webb, Emmylou Harris, Deborah Cox, Marc Anthony, Maria Elena Holly (Buddy Holly's widow), Blu Cantrell, Richard Belzer, Tony Randall, Jon Secada, and even Kermit the Frog came out to present or perform for the honorees. A highlight of the evening was the grand finale performance of "Not Fade Away" that featured all of the artists onstage together.

The National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters' Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The NAPM/SHOF is also devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. Over the past 32 years, some key Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees have included Burt Bachrach, Jim Croce, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Sir Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, James Brown and Curtis Mayfield, among many, many others.

Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame are $750 each and are available through Buckley Hall Events at (212) 573-6933. Net proceeds from the event will go towards the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s educational programs.

Gloria Estefan’s New ‘Hits’ Album is Twice as Nice

2001-04-30T18:00:00-05:00

This past February, Epic Records released Gloria Estefan's Greatest Hits, Volume 2. Though they can be lucrative affairs, such compilations are often viewed in secondary terms by artists who cherish the original albums that contained their most popular songs. But that isn't the case with Estefan.

"As an artist, you dream about accumulating enough successful music to someday do just one greatest hits album, but to reach the point where you're releasing your second collection of hits is beyond belief," she says. "I'm so proud and so grateful to have reached this point."

Estefan has plenty of reason to be thankful. The possibility of having two 'greatest hits' albums was the furthest thing from her mind in 1990 when the Latin-pop singer was involved in a near fatal bus accident while traveling with her band in New York. She suffered several broken vertebrae and her career was put on hold for nearly a year.

Prior to the accident, Estefan registered a dozen Top 40 hits in the mere five years since she had started releasing albums, first with the Miami Sound Machine and then as a solo artist. Her 1991 comeback album, Into the Light, continued that hit-making trend and featured the number one single "Coming Out of the Dark."

Her first compilation album, Greatest Hits, followed in 1992. The material on Greatest Hits, Volume 2 collects her most popular English-language songs of the past eight years.

Since 1992, Estefan has released three Spanish-language albums, including last year's Alma Caribeña, which reached number one on the Billboard Latin album chart and picked up a Grammy for Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album this year.

She also recorded an album of covers in 1994 called Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me, which produced several popular singles, including the disco fave "Turn the Beat Around."

The lush, acoustic quality of Alma Caribeña even elicited unwanted comparisons to the acclaimed Buena Vista Social Club album, which featured older musicians playing traditional music from their native Cuba.

"A lot of journalists have been asking me about that," the Cuban-born Estefan told a writer last year. "This has nothing to do with [the Buena Vista Social Club]. For one thing, we've been working on this album for four years. These aren't old songs. These are all new songs. . . . [With this album] we wanted to be more experimental, more free, more modern, with different types of arrangements that didn't depend on one period of time. We have some really interesting fusions."

There's also a fresh quality to Greatest Hits, Volume 2 thanks to its inclusion of three new songs, including the Jon Secada-penned "I Got No Love." "Conga," Miami Sound Machine's first hit single in 1985, has also been transformed into a house track by Estefan's son Nayib. The remixed song has been re-dubbed "Y-Tu-Conga."

"There weren't all the various current types of dance music back when we first did 'Conga,' so there weren't any different versions of the song," Estefan notes. "So, the song was ripe for remixing. Nayib has always thought it should be done, so he decided to go into the studio and give it a try. I think he's done an amazing job of bringing 'Conga' up to date, while retaining the original essence of the song."

La Octava Celebraci�n de Los Premios Latinos de BMI

2001-04-20T18:00:00-05:00

press photos

BMI, la organizaci�n de derechos de ejecuci�n, present� anoche la octava entrega anual de los Premios Latinos galardonando la canci�n "Morir De Amor", escrita por Ram�n Gonz�lez Mora, a los compositores Robert Dee Blades, Jos� de Jes�s Navarro y Kike Santander y a la editora Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc. La ceremonia formal presentada por la Presidenta, Frances W. Preston y la Asistente de Vice-Presidencia de m�sica Latina, Diane J. Almodovar honr� a compositores y editoras de las canciones latinas m�s ejecutadas en radio y televisi�n en una cena de gala que cont� con la presencia de m�s de 450 personas en el Beverly Wilshire Hotel en Los Angeles.

Robert Dee Blades

Jos� de Jes�s Navarro

"Morir De Amor," escrita por Ram�n Gonzalez Mora y editada por Seg-Son Music, Inc. fue seleccionada como La Canci�n del A�o en el cat�logo de m�sica Latina de BMI. La canci�n "Necesito Decirte" interpretada por "Conjunto Primavera," nominada para un Grammy Latino y escrita por Ram�n Gonz�lez Mora, recibi� una segunda premiaci�n Latina de BMI.

Kike Santander

Ram�n Gonz�lez Mora

Tres compositores empataron en la categor�a de Compositor del A�o con el distintivo logro de tener cada uno cuatro canciones en la lista de las canciones m�s ejecutadas, Robert Dee Blades ("D�melo," "�Donde Est� El Amor?," "Muy Dentro De Mi," "No Me Dejes De Querer"), y Jos� de Jes�s Navarro ("Amor Del Bueno," "�Con Qui�n Estar�s?," "Con Tu Indiferencia," "Te Supliqu� Muchas Veces"), y por tercer a�o consecutivo, Kike Santander ("Alguna Vez," "Da La Vuelta," "Mi Vida Sin Tu Amor," "Volver A Amar").

Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc. de Gloria y Emilio Estefan recibi� su segundo t�tulo como Editora del A�o con nueve canciones en la lista de canciones m�s tocadas en la radio. La compa��a tambi�n fue nominada como la Editora del A�o en 1999.

Gloria and Emilio Estefan

Un Certificado de Reconocimiento fue entregado a "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of�)" por el impacto internacional de la canci�n. Los Certificados fueron entregados a Lou Bega (GEMA), Christian Pletschacher (GEMA), P�rez Prado y peermusic.

Otros ganadores m�ltiples incluyeron a Luis Gerardo Padilla Riojas y Mario Quintero con tres canciones cada uno; Jes�s Armenta Minjarez, Randy Barlow, Angie Chirino, Elvis Crespo, Emilio Estefan, Jr., Juan Luis Guerra y Cory Rooney cada uno con dos canciones. Las editoras que se llevaron dos o m�s Certificados de Reconocimiento fueron SONY/ATV Latin Music Publishing LLC (7); Warner-Tamberlane Publishing Corp. (6); De Luna Publishing, Inc. (5); EMI Music Publishing y M�s Flamingo Music (3); CD Elvis Publishing, Cori Tiffani Publishing, peermusic, Redomi Music, Inc. y Seg-Son Music, Inc. (2).

BMI es una organizaci�n de derechos de ejecuci�n en los Estados Unidos que representa a m�s de 300,000 escritores, compositores y editoras de m�sica en todos los g�neros de m�sica. Fundada en 1940 como una organizaci�n que opera sin fines de lucro, BMI abri� sus puertas para la representaci�n de derechos de ejecuci�n de compositores y escritores de todo tipo de m�sica, incluyendo la m�sica en Espa�ol. A trav�s de su ejecuci�n musical y acuerdos rec�procos con organizaciones hermanas alrededor del mundo, BMI otorga acceso a negocios y medios de comunicaci�n a su repertorio de m�s de 4.5 millones de canciones y compositores.

Alguna Vez
Kike Santander
Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.
Christian Castro
BMG US Latin

Amor Del Bueno
José de Jesús Navarro
De Luna Publishing Co.
Banda Arkangel R-15
Luna Music

Ando Amanecido
Francisco Quintero Ortega
Tigres Del Norte Ediciones Musicales
Los Tigres del Norte
Fonovisa

Atado A Tu Amor
Estefano
Sony/ATV Latin Music Publishing LLC
World Deep Music Publishing Corporation
Chayanne
Sony Discos

Bella
Robi "Draco" Rosa
Jon Secada
A Phantom Vox Corp.
Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Ricky Martin
Sony Discos

�Con Quién Estarás?
José de Jesús Navarro
De Luna Publishing Co.
Banda Arkangel R-15
Luna Music

Con Tu Indiferencia
José de Jesús Navarro
De Luna Publishing Co.
Banda Arkangel R-15
Luna Music

Cuando Acaba El Placer
Ignacio Maño Guillén (SGAE)
Chico Roque (UBC)
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Tonny Tún Tún
Caiman Records

Da La Vuelta
Emilio Estefan, Jr.
Kike Santander
Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.
Marc Anthony
Sony Discos

De Tin Marín
Mario Quintero
Más Flamingo Music
Los Tucanes de Tijuana
EMI Latin

Déjame Vivir
Jesús Armenta Minjarez
Zomba Silver Sands Enterprises, Inc.
Los Rieleros del Norte
Fonovisa

Dímelo
Robert Dee Blades
Angie Chirino
Cory Rooney
Cori Tiffani Publishing
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Marc Anthony
Sony Discos

�Dónde Está El Amor?
Randy Barlow
Robert Dee Blades
Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.
Charlie Zaa
Sonolux USA

El Amigo Que Se Fue
Miguel Mendoza
SER-CA Publishing, Inc.
Intocable
EMI Latin

El Anillo Grabado
Rubén Méndez del Castillo (SACM)
peermusic
Tiranos del Norte
Sony Discos

El Niágara En Bicicleta
Juan Luis Guerra
Redomi Music, Inc.
Juan Luis Guerra 440
Karen Records

Enamorado De Ti
Martha Cancel
Ray Contreras
Dustelli Music
Racy Music
Frankie Negrón
WEA Latina

Falsas Ilusiones
Mario Flores
Gar Mex Music
Los Huracanes del Norte
Fonovisa

Fuiste Mala
Cruz Martínez
A.B. Quintanilla III
Ricky Vela
CKJOINTZ Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Lone Iguana Music
Phat Kat Groove, Inc.
A.B. Quintanilla y Los Kumbia Kings
EMI Latin

Ingratos Ojos Míos
José Bruno Villarreal Martínez (SACM)
Mateo San Martin Agency, Inc.
Banda Machos
WEA Latina

La Moraleja
Javier Rivera
Fonohits Music Publishing, Inc.
Los Rieleros del Norte
Fonovisa

Las Heladas
Mario Quintero
Más Flamingo Music
Los Tucanes de Tijuana
EMI Latin

Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of . . .)
Lou Bega (GEMA)
Christian Pletschacher (GEMA)
Pérez Prado
peermusic
Lou Bega
BMG Records

Me Haces Mucha Falta
Mario Quintero
Más Flamingo Music
Los Tucanes de Tijuana
EMI Latin

Mi PC
Juan Luis Guerra
Redomi Music, Inc.
Juan Luis Guerra 440
Karen Records

Mi Vida Sin Tu Amor
Kike Santander
Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.
Christian Castro
BMG US Latin

Mil Gracias
Ernesto Solano
Ernesto's Musical
Banda Maguey
BMG US Latin

Morir De Amor
Ramón González Mora
Seg-Son Music, Inc.
Conjunto Primavera
Fonovisa

Muy Dentro De Mí
Robert Dee Blades
Alberto Gaitán
Cory Rooney
Cori Tiffani Publishing
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Marc Anthony
Sony Discos

Necesito Decirte
(2nd Award)
Ramón González Mora
Seg-Son Music, Inc.
Conjunto Primavera
Fonovisa

No Creo
Luis Fernando Ochoa
Shakira
Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.
Sonido Azulado
Sony/ATV Latin Music Publishing LLC
Shakira
Sony Latin

No Le Ruegues
Jesús Armenta Minjarez
Máximo Aguirre Music Publishing Co.
Conjunto Primavera
Fonovisa

No Me Dejes De Querer
Robert Dee Blades
Emilio Estefan, Jr.
Gloria Estefan
Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.
Gloria Estefan
Sony Discos

No Me Digas Que Ya Te Vas
Luis Gerardo Padilla Riojas (SACM)
SER-CA Publishing, Inc.
Pesado
WEA Latina

Para Que No Me Olvides
Rafael Gil Domínguez (SGAE)
EMI-Beechwood Music Corporation
Los Yonic's
Fonovisa

Pena Tras Pena
Eva Torres
De Luna Publishing Co.
Banda El Recodo
Fonovisa

Píntame
Elvis Crespo
CD Elvis Publishing
Sony/ATV Latin Music Publishing LLC
Elvis Crespo
Sony Latin

Quémame Los Ojos
José Roberto Martínez
Marfre Music
Ramón Ayala y Sus Bravos del Norte
Freddie Records

Quiéreme
Randy Barlow
Angie Chirino
Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.
Alejandro Fernández
Sony Discos

Si He Sabido Amor
Humberto Estrada Olivas (SACM)
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Alejandro Fernández
Sony Discos

Sol, Arena Y Mar
Francisco Loyo
Salo Loyo
Luis Miguel
Arturo Pérez Figueroa
LM Voice Songs
Sony/ATV Latin Music Publishing LLC
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Luis Miguel
WEA Latina

Sólo Una Patada
Ramón Ayala
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Ramón Ayala y Sus Bravos del Norte
Freddie Records

Soñador Eterno
Luis Gerardo Padilla Riojas (SACM)
SER-CA Publishing, Inc.
Intocable
EMI Latin

Te Quejas De Quererme
José Hernández
José Alfredo Jiménez Gálvez (SACM)
Cielito Publishing
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Banda El Recodo
Fonovisa

Te Quiero Mucho
José González Pérez (SACM)
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Los Rieleros del Norte
Fonovisa

Te Supliqué Muchas Veces
José de Jesús Navarro
De Luna Publishing Co.
Banda Arkangel R-15
Luna Music

Tiemblo
Elvis Crespo
CD Elvis Publishing
Sony/ATV Latin Music Publishing LLC
Elvis Crespo
Sony Latin

Total Ya Se Fue
Francisco Javier Ríos García
SER-CA Publishing, Inc.
Los Invasores de Nuevo León
EMI Latin

Tus Reproches
Blanca Alicia Corpus Charles
Oscar Luis López Carmona
Golden Huina Publishing Company, Inc.
Promosongs International
Los Sementales de Nuevo León
Luna Music

Volver A Amar
Kike Santander
Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.
Christian Castro
BMG US Latin

Ya Estoy Cansado
Luis Gerardo Padilla Riojas (SACM)
SER-CA Publishing, Inc.
Intocable
EMI Latin

Yo Sé Que Te Acordarás
Javier Manríquez Mendoza (SACM)
LGA Music Publishing
Banda El Recodo
Fonovisa

BMI Honors Top Latin Songwriters and Publishers at 8th Annual Awards Ceremony

2001-04-20T18:00:00-05:00

en Espa�ol
press photos

BMI presented its 8th Annual Latin Awards on Friday, April 20 with top honors going to “Morir De Amor,” songwriters Robert Dee Blades, Jos� de Jes�s Navarro and Kike Santander, and publisher Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc. The black-tie ceremony, hosted by BMI President and CEO Frances W. Preston and Assistant Vice President of Latin Music Diane J. Almodovar, honored top writers and publishers of the most performed Latin songs on US radio and television at a 400-person gala dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.

The top winners at the 8th Annual BMI Latin Awards gather on stage after the ceremony. Showing off their awards are (l-r): Emilio Estefan, whose Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc. earned Publisher of the Year honors; BMI's Frances Preston; Jos� de Jes�s Navarro, Songwriter of the Year; Ram�n Gonz�lez Mora, writer of the Song of the Year, "Morir De Amor"; Kike Santander, Songwriter of the Year; BMI's Diane J. Almodovar; Nicole Fortier, Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc.; and BMI's Del Bryant.

Robert Dee Blades

Jos� de Jes�s Navarro

“Morir De Amor,” written by Ram�n Gonz�lez Mora and published by Seg-Son Music, Inc., earned Song of the Year accolades as the most performed song in the BMI Latin catalog. The Latin Grammy-nominated song was a hit for Norte�o band Conjunto Primavera. Mora also received his second BMI Latin Award for another Conjunto Primavera song, “Necesito Decirte.”

Kike Santander

Ram�n Gonz�lez Mora

Three songwriters tied for the Songwriter of the Year award with the distinct achievement of each having four songs on the most-performed list. They include Kike Santander for the third consecutive year (“Alguna Vez,” “Da La Vuelta,” “Mi Vida Sin Tu Amor,” “Volver A Amar”), Robert Dee Blades (“D�melo,” “�D�nde Est� El Amor?”, “Muy Dentro De M�,” “No Me Dejes De Querer”), and Jos� de Jes�s Navarro (“Amor Del Bueno,” “�Con Qui�n Estar�s?”, “Con Tu Indiferencia,” “Te Supliqu� Muchas Veces”).

Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s Foreign Imported Productions and Publishing, Inc. received its second Publisher of the Year title with nine songs on the most-performed list. The company was also named Publisher of the Year in 1999.

Gloria and Emilio Estefan

A special Certificate of Achievement was given to “Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of�)” for the song’s international impact. Certificates were presented to songwriters Lou Bega (GEMA), Christian Pletschacher (GEMA) and P�rez Prado, and publisher peermusic.

Other multiple award-winning songwriters included Luis Gerardo Padilla Riojas and Mario Quintero with three songs each; Jes�s Armenta Minjarez, Randy Barlow, Angie Chirino, Elvis Crespo, Emilio Estefan, Jr., Juan Luis Guerra and Cory Rooney each had two songs. Publishers that took home two or more Citations of Achievement were Sony/ATV Latin Music Publishing LLC (7); Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (6); De Luna Publishing Co. and SER-CA Publishing, Inc. (5); EMI Music Publishing and M�s Flamingo Music (3); and CD Elvis Publishing, Cori Tiffani Publishing, peermusic, Redomi Music, Inc. and Seg-Son Music, Inc. (2).

Complete List of BMI Latin Award-Winning Songs: