BMI’s Mark Mason (right) hands over Big Kenny’s brand new BMI signature Takamine.

Kenny took advantage of the packed audience and announced his decision to donate $100,000 of revenue generated by “Last Dollar” to three charities: My Sister’s Keeper, Covenant House and Magdalene House. Each of the organizations was present to accept the gifts and educate the crowd.

Big Kenny (left) and Tim McGraw (right) joke onstage.

The largest sum went to My Sister’s Keeper, reflecting Big Kenny’s dedication to exposing and ending the genocide in Darfur. In the fall of 2003, organization My Sister’s Keeper established a school for girls in the village of Akon, located in southern Sudan. The education offered is free and open to all young women of the region. Soon after its inception, the school’s population numbered 600 students, many of whom are the children of former slaves. Four years later, increased peace and stability in southern Sudan has prompted the return of numerous refugees. As of April 2007, 1000 girls attend the school. The teachers go unpaid, and the school lacks even the most rudimentary books, supplies and shelter.

Big Kenny made his own special presentation to good friend Tim McGraw.

About My Sister’s Keeper

My Sister’s Keeper (MSK) is a faith-inspired, multi-racial collective of women who work together to lend sisterly assistance to communities of women in various locations throughout the World. At present, they are focused on supporting the aspirations of women in the African country of Sudan. MSK exists to be a friend to these women and their children: We listen to their stories, we learn about their needs, and we support their aspirations for economic, educational and physical vitality. mskeeper.org

Tim McGraw (left) takes over the mic for a few minutes to thank and rib Big Kenny (right).

About Covenant House

Covenant House is the largest privately-funded nonprofit agency in North and Central America providing shelter and other services to homeless, runaway and throwaway youth. It was incorporated in New York City in 1972 and has since expanded in the United States to Anchorage, Atlanta, Atlantic City, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, New Orleans, Oakland, Orlando, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Washington, D. C., and, outside the United States, to Toronto, Vancouver, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua. covenanthouse.org

Big Kenny presented to local charity Magdalene’s House.

About Magdalene House

Magdalene House is a two-year residential community for women with a criminal history of addiction and prostitution. Magdalene was created to provide a sanctuary in Nashville for women in need of a safe, disciplined and compassionate community. Since its inception, 87% of the women who entered the program and stayed beyond three months remain in recovery. thistlefarms.org

Muzik Mafia member and neo-soul up-and-comer Damien Horne accepted the check on behalf of Covenant House. Damien credits Covenant House for helping him get on his feet.

My Sister’s Keeper’s Karissa Culbreath was on hand to educate the audience and accept the generous donation from Big Kenny and Christiev Alphin.

Pictured prior to the presentations are (l to r): BMI’s Jody Williams, Big Kenny and Tim McGraw.

Photos by Eric England

The RCA Records newcomer originally wanted to be a professional golfer. However, an accident changed those plans. “I was home for the summer and a few weeks before I was supposed to go back to school, I was waterskiing and had a bad accident,” Owen recalls. “I had reconstructive shoulder surgery and spent the next year and a half doing rehabilitation. I really couldn’t play golf. My neighbor had a guitar and I started teaching myself how to play.”

That led to performing around his Florida hometown and an eventual move to Nashville. “I think things happen for a reason,” he says. “You just roll with it, keep your head up and keep believing. It happens the way it’s supposed to and my life has definitely worked out that way. I’m so thankful that I’m able to call this a job.”

After moving to Music City, he opened a bank account and while chatting with the teller, told her he was trying to break into country music. She asked him for a CD, and he just happened to have one in his pocket. The next day he got a call from Warner/Chappell Music. That didn’t result in a deal, but soon after, Owen met producer Jimmy Ritchey. The two began writing together and Ritchey helped Owen land his deal with RCA.

Owen co-wrote every song on his debut, Startin’ With Me, which includes a duet with one of his musical heroes, Alabama’s Randy Owen. The newcomer caught the attention of country radio with his up-tempo debut single “Yee Haw,” and then followed up with the poignant title track.

Owen spent the better part of 2006 opening for Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley. “It’s a very surreal kind of feeling because a lot of people work really hard to get to where they really want to be,” he says. “Now that I’ve gotten to this point, it’s an amazing feeling, but actually I’m still not there yet. I’m the opening act and I want to be where Kenny is. I want to be the guy with the name on the ticket. That’s my goal.”

“I was so impressed with that,” says the multi-BMI Award winner, lead singer and chief songwriter of country supergroup Lonestar. “So when I started playing guitar, I always remembered that and I wrote my first song in, I guess, 8 th grade. When I moved to Nashville, I moved there to be an artist, but also to be a songwriter.”

That beginning as a tunesmith laid the foundation for McDonald’s excellent song sense and skill, and he wrote or co-wrote 10 of the 13 songs on Lonestar’s new BNA album, Let’s Be Us Again, including the top-five title track. In “Somebody’s Someone,” solo-penned by McDonald, the singer empathizes with the loved ones of a fallen soldier. “From There to Here,” a duet with Alabama’s Randy Owen, is an epic tale of three segments of humanity: the Wright Brothers and air travel, a 50-year marriage, and, fittingly for that duo, a band’s rise from obscurity to fame. Another highlight is the #1 single “Mr. Mom,” a real-life look at an out-of-work dad gaining new respect for a stay-at-home mom’s reality.

And it’s that sort of real-life storytelling that has connected Richie McDonald and Lonestar to their fans, both with this album and throughout their career. The 1999 smash “Amazed” spent two weeks atop Billboard ’s Hot 100 chart. The six-week #1 “I’m Already There,” co-written by McDonald, was BMI’s 2002 Country Song of the Year. The multi-week #1 “My Front Porch Looking In,” also co-written by McDonald, was a 2003 BMI Country Award winner. So Richie McDonald knows from a song, as they say.

Now, McDonald and Lonestar -- Dean Sams, Keech Rainwater and Michael Britt -- demonstrate by their lives and careers that longevity comes from within. “The four of us have always had the same goals,” he says. It’s an unerring commitment to the music, to their families, and to the fans. And that focus has led them to pinnacles they dared not dream of when they got together in 1995. The dozens of accolades include CMA Vocal Group of the Year, ACM Top Vocal Group, Song and Single of the Year, and six Grammy nominations. They’ve sold 10 million records, and placed more singles in Billboard’s Top Ten Country Singles Chart than any other artist this decade.

McDonald is quick to give credit where credit is due, first to his bandmates, then to the songwriters with whom he writes the hits. And though the standard writing time in Music City is 10 to 2, he and some of his co-writers like to mix it up and write at dawn -- hence the name of his publishing company, Early Bird Gets the Word. While McDonald prefers his own little writing haven called the Birdhouse -- which is at his home, the inspiration for “My Front Porch Looking In” -- anywhere is fine, as long as he’s with a couple of those great writers. “I love it,” he nearly gushes. “Very seldom do I sit down and write a song from beginning to end by myself. My motto is. ‘Two or three heads are better than one’.”

BMI saluted the premier country music songwriters, artists and publishers at its 2004 Country Awards, staged last night (11/8) at the BMI offices on Music Row in Nashville.

Country Awards Song List

Country Awards Event Photos

Crystal Gayle; BMI President & CEO Del Bryant; Shania Twain; Kitty Wells, Casey Beathard; Toby Keith, Loretta Lynn; Universal Music Senior VP/GM Pat Higdon; BMI President Emeritus Frances Preston; and Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville President & CEO Donna Hilley.

Shania Twain's "Forever and For Always" was proclaimed Country Song of the Year. Casey Beathard earned the title of Country Songwriter of the Year, with superstar Toby Keith collecting Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year honors. Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville was named Country Publisher of the Year. A highlight of the gala was a tribute to Loretta Lynn, who was named a BMI ICON for "her enduring influence on generations of music makers."

The black-tie ceremony was hosted by Del Bryant, BMI President and CEO. Frances W. Preston, President Emeritus, and Paul Corbin, Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville, assisted with the presentations to the BMI-affiliated writers and publishers of the 50 most performed songs in the country music format.

Loretta Lynn	Shania Twain

"Forever and For Always," written and recorded by Shania Twain, won the 36th Robert J. Burton Award as Most Performed Country Song of the Year for tallying the most US broadcast performances during the eligibility period. Included on Twain's 10-times platinum Mercury Nashville album, UP!, "Forever and For Always" was published by her company Loon Echo, Inc., and by Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc., and was co-written with her husband, Robert John "Mutt" Lange (share not licensed through BMI).

Casey Beathard	Toby Keith

"Forever and For Always" is Twain's fourth BMI Song of the Year win. It was named Song of the Year at the 2004 BMI London Awards, and her smash "You're Still the One" received the honor at both the 1999 BMI Pop and Country Awards. She was also named BMI Songwriter of the Year at both the 1999 and 2000 Pop and Country Awards and now owns a total of 28 BMI Awards.

The BMI Country Songwriter of the Year trophy went to Casey Beathard, who placed five titles on the most performed list: "Drinkin' Bone" (recorded by Tracy Byrd), "Hot Mama" (Trace Adkins), "The Love Song" (Jeff Bates), "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" (Kenny Chesney) and "Walk a Little Straighter" (Billy Currington).

Toby Keith was crowned BMI Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year on the strength of his #1 hits "American Soldier," "Beer For My Horses" and "I Love This Bar." Keith, who now has 15 BMI Awards, was also named Songwriter/Artist of the Year in 2001.

Eight songwriters were double winners, contributing two songs each to the most-performed list: Bob DiPiero, Scotty Emerick, Tony Martin, Wendell Mobley, Tim Nichols, Tom Shapiro, Jeffrey Steele, and Twain.

Other writer/artists earning awards were Keith Urban, Sara Evans, Lonestar's Richie McDonald, Clint Black, Kix Brooks & Ronnie Dunn, Buddy Jewell, Craig Morgan, Pat Green, Jeff Bates, and Sherri� Austin.

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville was named BMI Country Publisher of the Year by accumulating the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs. Donna Hilley, President & CEO, accepted on behalf of the publisher, which boasted 18 songs on the most-performed list (through its companies Sony/ATV Acuff Rose and Sony/ATV Tree).

Other publishers with multiple award-winning songs included Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (8); Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc. (6); EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. (4); Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc./Zomba Songs Inc., and Tokeco Tunes (3 each).

President Emeritus Frances Preston was recognized with the President's Award; BMI's Del Bryant led the tribute, joined by Kris Kristofferson, Vince Gill, and Alabama's Randy Owen. Preston, who joined BMI in 1958 and created the Country Awards in 1959, served as President & CEO from 1986 until August of this year. The award, given to those in the entertainment industry deserving of special recognition, has previously been bestowed on the group Alabama, Merv Griffin, Earle Hagen, Harlan Howard, Willie Nelson, Billy Sherrill, Pete Townshend and Brian Wilson.

The evening culminated in the ICON tribute to Loretta Lynn, which included an introduction by Preston, remarks from Kitty Wells, and performances by Crystal Gayle, Lynnís sister (singing Coal Minerís Daughter�) and Martina McBride (�You Ainít Woman Enough�). A BMI affiliate for 43 years, the Kentucky-born Lynn launched her career in 1960 with her self-composed "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl." Soon she was topping the charts with the feisty female classics she wrote, including "You Ain't Woman Enough" (1966), "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin'" (1966), "What Kind of Girl (Do You Think I Am)" (1967), "Fist City" (1968), "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1970), "You're Lookin' at Country" (1971), "Rated X" (1972) and "The Pill" (1975). The first woman ever to become the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year, she released her 71st album, the acclaimed Van Lear Rose, earlier this year.

Lynn joins a distinguished list of previous BMI ICONS, including country songwriter/artists Bill Anderson and Dolly Parton; pop songwriting master Brian Wilson; R&B legends James Brown, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Isaac Hayes and Al Green; Motown songwriting trio Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland; and blues/rock/soul artist Van Morrison.

Randy Owen

Jerry Reed

John Prine

Freddie Hart

BMI nominees in the Songwriter division are Jim Anglin ("Ashes Of Love" and "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide); Larry Henley ("Wind Beneath My Wings," "Lizzie and the Rain Man"); John Hiatt ("Angel Eyes," "She Don't Love Nobody"); Dennis Morgan ("I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool," "I Wouldn't Have Missed It For the World"); Roger Murrah ("Don't Rock the Jukebox," "It's a Little Too Late"); Paul Overstreet ("Forever and Ever Amen," "On the Other Hand"); Thom Schuyler ("16th Avenue," "Years After You"); and Even Stevens ("Drivin' My Life Away," "No Matter How High").

BMI contenders on the Songwriter/Artist list are Freddie Hart ("Bless Your Heart," "Easy Loving"); Alabama's Randy Owen ("Feels So Right," "Lady Down On Love"); John Prine ("Paradise," "I Just Want To Dance With You"); and Jerry Reed ("When You're Hot, You're Hot," "East Bound and Down").

Two songwriters will be inducted from the first group and one from the second. In addition, Nashville Songwriters Foundation board members have selected yet another songwriter for induction whose name is not among previously announced, bringing the total to four who will be honored during the ceremony at Loew's Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel.

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.

keith urban, Phil Vassar, Martina McBride, Creative Artists Agency's John Huie, Faith Hill Creative Artists Agency's Rod Essig

The star-studded, black tie event was presented by the T.J. Martell Foundation and raised more than $145,000 for innovative research into the treatments and cures of leukemia, cancer and AIDS. The Foundation funds cancer research at the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, the only comprehensive cancer center in Tennessee recognized by the National Cancer Institute.

Marlyce & Paul Corbin of BMI with Marion Williams

Over 140 people attended, including country artists, sports celebrities and prominent music industry executives. Celebrity guests included Faith Hill, Charlie Daniels, Joe Diffie, Gary Chapman, Kix Brooks & Ronnie Dunn, Kathy Mattea, Martina McBride, Alabama's Randy Owen, Blake Shelton, keith urban, Lee Ann Womack, BlackHawk’s Henry Paul, Chely Wright, Tracy Lawrence, Louise Mandrell, Steve Cropper, and NFL defensive tackle Jason Fisk.

Martell Foundation's Tod Minnich, EMI Christian Music Group's Bill Hearn, Charlie Daniels, Martina & John McBride, Randy Owen and Chef Norman Van Aken

The dinner party paired a recording artist with a wine connoisseur to co-host each table. The exotic feast was prepared by guest Chef Norman Van Aken with the assistance of Loews Vanderbilt Hotel’s Executive Chef Elaine Taubin, students from the Tennessee Tech culinary school, Cathy Lewis of Nick of Thyme, Thayer Wine, The Tennessean’s food and wine columnist, and Chef Jason McConnell from F. Scotts.

Theresa & Joe Diffie with Martina & John McBride

Exclusive wines were provided by table hosts Brett and Donna Allen, Tom Black, Greg and Collie Daily, Billy Ray and Joanie Hearn, Irving and Barbara Lingo, Paul and Carla McCombs, Tony and Terry Moorby, David and Anne Morgan, Bill and Rosann Nunnely, Keith and Deborah Pitts, Michael and Janet Richardson, Tim and Mary Schoettle, Ron and Becky Sohr, and David and Phyllis Vandewater.

Pam and Tim DuBois of Universal South, keith urban, Phil Vassar and Julie Wood

Norman’s of Coral Gables is located in Miami, Florida, and was not to be overlooked at this party. The hotel ballroom was transformed to set the mood of a Miami room at sunset. Gary Musick Scenic adorned the room in coral colors and palm trees that were enhanced by a waterfall that served as a backdrop to one of the stages. Tropical floral arrangements from Garden Delights added to the ambiance. On the other stage, the Floridian flair was accentuated by salsa music from Al DeLory & Music Makers.

As one of the originators of fusion cuisine, Chef Norman Van Aken is self-taught and has influenced an entire generation of innovative chefs. His ingredients are the foodstuffs of Southern Florida and the Caribbean: conch, shrimp, grouper and red snapper; black beans, mangoes, coconuts, and keylimes. These ingredients, along with the folk-cooking methods intrinsic to the area, have been melded by Van Aken with classical cooking techniques and traditional elements such has pork loin, foie gras, truffles and lobster. He calls the result New World Cuisine.

As a chef, restaurateur, and author of three cookbooks, Van Aken is one of the most prolific and influential masters of cooking in America today. His restaurant has been recognized by virtually every culinary guide and authority, from the Mobile Travel Guide and Zagat’s to The James Beard Foundation, Gourmet, Conde’ Nast Traveler and Wine Spectator. Chef Van Aken has also been honored with the Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence and the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Highlights from the seven-course menu were the Yuca Stuffed Shrimp with Pickled Habanero Tarter Salsa; Spiced Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Golden Grits, Red Mole, Smoky Plantain Crema and a Spanish Sherry Reduction; Vietnamese Soft Spring Rolls with Tuna Petals, Paw-Paw Slaw and Crushed Peanut-Soy Salsa; Cornbread and Foie Gras Stuffed Roasted Quail with Ancho-Pomegranate Glaze; and New World Banana Split with Macadamia Nut Brittle Ice Cream, Venezuelan Chocolate Sauce and Rhum-Flamed Bananas.

To date the T.J. Martell Foundation has raised over $160 million and funds nine research facilities throughout the U.S. for cutting edge research into the cures and treatment of cancer, leukemia and AIDS. The Martell Foundation was founded in 1975 by music industry executive Tony Martell and his colleagues in memory of his son, T.J., a victim of leukemia, and is nationally recognized for support of research facilities at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.