An astoundingly prolific songwriter and a sensitive and evocative singer, Flores, who makes his home in Monterrey, N.L., Mexico, performed with his siblings in a mariachi group until a tragic accident took the lives of his two brothers, Victor and Alberto, while Gabriel spent three weeks in a coma and a subsequent year in recuperation. Prior to the accident, Flores had balanced his musical pursuits with two years of studying medicine, followed by a budding career in banking.

Finance’s loss has been music’s gain: Since devoting himself to songwriting, Flores has racked up an astonishing number of covers: regional artists like Bronco el Gigante de America, “Huella Digital,” the group’s CD title track; and the massive hit, Quédate Callada,” which garnered a Billboard Latin Music Award for Regional Mexican Airplay Track of the Year for vocalist Jorge Luis Cabrera. Additional songs have been recorded by Mexican star Yahir and a song for Puerto Rican star Ednita Nazario — penned with frequent collaborator and close friend Claudia Brant — became an improbable hit in Portugal.

Flores, who is affiliated with powerhouse Maximo Aguirre Music Publishing, will no doubt add to burgeoning list as a writer as he launches his career as an artist. Writing songs for others to interpret is a fine alchemy; creating melodies and lyrics that define a singer is a powerful art. Gabriel Flores is the rare songwriter who excels at both.

Writers who have appeared in the past include Norah Jones, Vanessa Carlton, Lisa Loeb, Avril Lavigne, John Oats, Gavin Degraw, and Charlotte Sometimes. Kate Voegele, winner of the Circle's 2006 contest, is currently starring in the hit tv show One Tree Hill and her new video is currently on MTV's TRL. Company of Thieves, winners of the 2007 contest, were recently named "one of the top bands to watch for in 2008" by the Chicago Daily Herald.

The Grand Prize includes $5,000 cash, a chance to perform at Madison Square Garden as part of The New York Songwriters Circle/New York Titans Concert series and professional recording studio sessions at Dubway Studios, up to a maximum of $1,000.

Second Prize is $3,000 and third place will receive $1,500. Additionally, a special International Award of $1000 will be awarded to a writer who originates from anywhere in the world outside the U.S.

All 12 finalists will receive:

• An opportunity to perform as part of the Circle's showcase series in New York City or Philadelphia.
• An opportunity to have their song included on NYSC’s compilation CD release.
• A feature on songwriters-circle.com

Deadline for dubmissions is September 30th, 2008. For more information about the contest, the list of judges, sponsors, prizes, and to submit your music, visit songwriters-circle.com.

His own story is much more complex. Born Isidro Chávez Espinoza in La Angostura, a town just north of Sinaloa, Mexico, by the time Paz entered his teens he had already penned over 20 songs. But it wasn’t until his father, who was working in the U.S., sent funds to purchase a guitar that Paz began his self-taught musical odyssey in earnest. Eventually, he retraced his father’s footsteps across the border to Sacramento, California. While continuing to work on his music, his days were spent in hard labor in the fields. Upon the death of his mother, Maria de la Paz Espinoza, he returned to Mexico. It was a traumatic time for Espinoza Paz, but he traveled north again, this time to Oregon, to work as a gardener until the music, and Mexico, called him back. Once again, he returned home, this time to devote himself solely to his craft.

Over eight long years, Paz performed tirelessly with regional bands, developing his songs. The regional connection paid off when Paz pitched his songs to “El Coyote,” lead singer of the popular Banda Sinaloense. It was the band’s recording of Paz’s “Besitos en el Cuello” and “Prohibido” that cemented his reputation as a hit songwriter of regional Mexican music.

In 2006, Paz met producer Martin Fabian at a wedding and Paz made his debut as an artist with Paz en tu Corazón (Peace in Your Heart), released in 2007. Also in 2007, regional Mexican giants Cuisillos launched their comeback with their 21st album, Mil Heridas, with a title track, and four additional songs, penned by Paz.

The title of Paz’s second CD, El Canta Autor del Pueblo, translates as “The songwriter of the people.” Whether performed by top-selling regional Mexican artists or by their creator, Paz’s songs, rich with everyday details and humor, are deceptively simple. Like the singer/songwriter himself, they strike a resonant chord that connects singer to song, audience to artist, and hearts to the soul of regional Mexican music.

Admission: $12.00

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This six-week BMI vocal workshop will help songwriters and singers develop the skills needed to showcase their own songs. The workshop will be headed by accomplished vocal couch, performer and songwriter Beth Burrows.

Classes will meet every Wednesday for six weeks, starting June 18th (with the exception of the week of 4th of July) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at BMI, 320 W. 57th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY.

Class size is limited and acceptance into the BMI vocal workshop is at the sole discretion of the instructor and BMI representatives. All Submissions must be received before May 30th for consideration.

For more information email:

Samantha Cox: scox@bmi.com
Glenda Miller: gmiller@bmi.com
Ben Tischker: btischker@bmi.com

BMI will host a Latin Christian music showcase at this year's Expolit conference in Miami on Monday, May 19 from 4 to 6 p.m. The conference will be held at the Sheraton Hotel Miami Mart, 711 NW 72nd Ave, Miami. Expolit is an international Christian music conference serving the Hispanic community. The showcase will be open to convention registrants and invited guests.

Performing at the showcase will be Christian pop/gospel artist Paulina Aguirre, acoustic singer/songwriter Promissa, pop singer/songwriter Omar Salas, alternative rock act Dexios, contemporary Christian artist Xavier Alexander, Christian pop act Blest and Christian pop artist Jon Montalban.

Expolit is a three-day international conference whose purpose is to promote the growth and development of the Christian industry worldwide. The conference is a ministry serving the Latin community and will feature a diverse array of panels, exhibits, training seminars, workshops and concerts.

For more information on the Expolit Music Conference, visit http://2008.expolit.com/.

Dèxios - Dèxios, which means "the right hand of God" in Greek, blends a vigorous mix of rock en Español and Latin alternative genres in their elevating music. Hailing from Puerto Rico, the duo will be releasing their first independent album this year.

Javier Alexander - Javier Alexander is a Venezuelan singer/songwriter whose music introduces a personal and fresh proposal of praise and contemporary worship. He just released his first A&H Records album, Te Doy Gracias, produced by Moisés Carrazana of the group Blest. Te Doy Gracias skillfully celebrates Javier's commitment to Christian music.

Promissa - Three voices, two cultures, one passion. Born in the United States and raised in the Dominican Republic, sisters Cynthia, Priscilla y Milca Matos got their musical start in a successful children's group in the Dominican Republic and developed their love for songwriting and singing as they evolved. Their first album, Poquito a Poco fuses acoustic melodies and Caribbean flavor, while showcasing their lush harmonies and voices.

Jon Montalban - A native of New York City but of Dominican descent, Jon Montalban has enjoyed success at Spanish radio since his first single, "Tu Mirada Me Mata." He has since released two successful Spanish Christian albums which play regularly on Spanish Christian radio stations worldwide. He tours throughout the U.S., Caribbean, Central and South America. Montalban also has a top ten Christian single with "Al Borde de tu Manto" and has released an English album.

Paulina Aguirre- A 2007 Latin Grammy nominee for Best Christian Album, this Ecuadorian singer/songwriter has evolved into an in-demand vocalist and one of Christian music's most promising artists. A former student at the Berklee College of Music, she has performed with INXS, Juan Luis Guerra and Miguel Bose, as well as contributed voiceovers for television series including Desperate Housewives and Cheetah Girls. Her first album, Mujer de Fe, earned her the 2007 Latin Grammy nomination. The acclaimed album features 10 songs written by Aguirre. Produced by Pablo Aguirre, one of the album's tracks, "Canto de Paz," won second place in the Ecuadorian Miss Universe Pageant's composers' competition celebration. Presently, Paulina Aguirre is preparing her second record production, where a duet with the legendary Armando Manzanero will be included.  Additionally, she will create 8 children records (of which 5 are already available) for Univision's "Los Solecitos" project. 

Blest - With a 2007 Latin Grammy nomination for Best Christian Album, seven successful albums, four international awards and 21 Christian music nominations, Blest has become one of the finest Contemporary vocal groups in the praise and worship genre. Composed of brothers Ivette & Moises Carrazana and Joel Hernandez, Blest released Psalms, Hymns and Songs in 2003. The album included no. 1 single "Tu Eres Mi Respirar," a Spanish version of "Breathe." They performed at 2004's "The Encounter" in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, and in 2006, were performers in the Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. with President George W. Bush.

Omar Salas - A native of the Dominican Republic, Omar Salas was musically inclined from an early age and became a professional recording guitarist at age 15. His credits include recording, performing and arranging for Christian artists including Julissa, El Trio de Hoy, Israel y Moises, Poll and many others. He produced many songs on the legendary Christian album Trio, interpreted by Rene Gonzalez, Marcos Vidal and Roberto Orellana. He released his first solo album, Dependo de Ti in 2006. Testifying what the higher power wants in his life, Dependo de Ti has been called "inspirational," and motivates the listener to become closer to God.

For more information and to get the discounted (£99) passes for BMI affiliates, click here.

For more information, click here.

For more information, click here.

This year's selections include such renowned BMI songwriters and composers as Herbie Hancock (Head Hunters), Michael Jackson (Thriller), Roy Orbison ( “Oh Pretty Woman”), Kitty Wells (“ It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels”) and Art Tatum (“Sweet Lorraine”). Almost 70% of the PRO-affiliated works on this year’s list are part of the BMI repertoire. View images and and listen to brief clips of these selections.

The National Recording Preservation Board, comprising experts from the music industry and preservation field, culled its list from nominations made by the public for recordings considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." Recordings must be 10 years old to be considered for preservation and final selections are made by the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington.

The National Recording Registry was created by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, legislation that promotes and supports audio preservation. The registry celebrates the richness and variety of the nation's audio legacy and underscores the responsibility to assure the long-term preservation of that legacy for future generations.

This year’s selections include (*indicates BMI entry):

1. The first Trans-Atlantic Broadcast, March14, 1925
2. “Allons a Lafayette,” Joseph Falcon*
3. “Casta Diva,” from Bellini’s Norma
4. “If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again,” Thomas A. Dorsey*
5. “Sweet Lorraine,” Art Tatum*
6. Fibber McGee and Molly
7. Wings Over Jordan
8. Fiorello LaGuardia reading the comics
9. “Call it Stormy Monday but Tuesday is Just as Bad,” T-Bone Walker*
10. Harry S. Truman Speech at the 1948 Democratic Convention
11. The Jazz Scene, Various Artists*
12. “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” Kitty Wells*
13. My Fair Lady, Original Cast Recording
14. Navajo Shootingway Ceremony Field Recordings
15. ‘Freight Train’ and Other North Carolina Folk Songs, Elizabeth Cotton*
16. “Oh Pretty Woman,” Roy Orbison*
17. “Marine Band Concert Album to Help Benefit the National Cultural Center (1963)
18. “Tracks of My Tears,” Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
19. “You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song,” Ella Jenkins
20. “Music From the Morning of the World,” David Lewiston
21. “For the Roses,” Joni Mitchell
22. Head Hunters, Herbie Hancock*
23. Ronald Reagan Broadcasts
24. “The Sounds of the Earth,” Voyager Spacecraft
25. “Thriller,” Michael Jackson*

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

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

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

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

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

Registration is conducted the same day of each workshop, with no prior registration necessary. 50 participants will be admitted each session, with registration beginning promptly at 9 a.m. in BMI's main lobby. Numbers will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, until all 50 seats are filled. Please email NashvilleWorkshops@bmi.com with any questions regarding the workshop.

Leading in nominations are Stew (Mark Stewart) and Heide Rodewald, co-creators of Passing Strange, a rock-oriented, atypical Broadway hit. The duo have been nominated for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations, while Stew received nods for Best Book of a Musical and Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Passing Strange also received a Best Musical nomination and was also recently awarded the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical.

Award-winning composer and pianist Alan Menken is up for Best Original Score for The Little Mermaid; lyricist Mark O’Donnell received a Best Book of a Musical nod for Cry-Baby, as did playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes for In The Heights.

Additional recognition goes to songwriter John Farrar for his contributions to Xanadu, which received a Best Musical nod.

Jorge Villamizar performs his single “Ninguna.”

BMI’s Anne Cecere, Casey Robison, Marissa Lopez and Tracie Verlinde; Jorge Villamizar; BMI’s Claudia Billen, Delia Orjuela, Angelica Mejia, Erica Ramon, Ray Yee, Barbara Cane and Maria Elena Perez.

Photos by Marlene Meraz

Born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., Lil Wayne is a native of New Orleans. Born in 1982, he was in a program for gifted kids, even entering the drama club by middle school. At 11, he met Bryan “Baby” Williams, owner of the then-budding Cash Money Records. After leaving raps on Baby’s answering machine, Wayne was brought into CMR’s fold and quit school at 14.

In 1997, Wayne became part of the then-burgeoning Southern rap movement as the youngest member of the group Hot Boys. He soon appeared on a song by Hot Boys member Juvenile, whereupon he uttered the now ubiquitous phrase “Drop it like it’s hot.” (Not long after, Wayne, along with members of his crew, took to calling jewelry as “bling-bling,” a term now fully ingrained in the American lexicon.) Wayne’s 1999 solo album, the platinum Tha Block Is Hot, was highly regarded, and it shot to #3 on the Billboard 200.

His 2000 follow-up album, Lights Out, went gold, followed by another gold album, 500 Degreez, but it was the release of Tha Carter in 2004 when Lil Wayne began to hit the artistic stride. Experimenting with rhythm, cadence, and a general use of his voice as melodic instrument, Wayne also began perfecting a vivid and often humorous, sometimes stream-of-consciousness narrative style. Soon after, he appeared on “Soldier” by Destiny’s Child, which topped charts. Wayne became a hot commodity, with artists including Fat Joe, Jay-Z, Bobby Valentino, and Kanye West featuring him on their songs.

By 2006, Wayne’s career was moving at warp speed. There was Tha Carter II, also gold, and a blitzkrieg of mixtapes. Somewhere in between, Wayne found time to enroll in college, studying political science at University of Houston in 2005. That interest perhaps influenced his scathing of President Bush on his acclaimed song about Hurricane Katrina, “Georgia…Bush.”

He is said to have made over 800 recordings in 2007, and almost as fast as the songs appeared, so came the praise. Rolling Stone called his “Drought” series among the best albums of 2007; GQ named him one of their men of the year; an MTV poll crowned him emcee of the year; and Blender named him Best Rock Star Alive.

All of this has fueled intense anticipation for his next album, Tha Carter III, due in June. That project’s lead single, “Lollipop,” is his biggest hit to date — landing at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and MTV’s TRL — proof that he has fully cracked the mainstream. Moreover, the song’s success suggests that in spite of everything he’s done already, he’s really just getting started.

The Symposium is designed as a forum to bring jazz composers of all ages and nationalities together for an informal exchange of ideas, information, and inspiration.

This year's Symposium will include noted master artists Stefon Harris, Bill Holman, Jim McNeely, the Turtle Island String Quartet, among others, in a series of lectures, master classes, panel discussions, new music reading sessions, research presentations, and concerts.

Pre-registration fee is $195 ($165 for students) when purchased by May 2, 2008. After May 2nd, the registration fee is $225 ($195 for students). Registration fee cover the cost of admission to the opening reception and all evening concerts.

To register, click here. Tentative conference schedule information, as well as local accommodations are also listed.

Shepherd’s childhood intuition has been proven correct. The Leroy, Alabama native’s debut album, Sounds So Good, was released in March to overwhelming critical acclaim, and her first single, “Takin’ Off This Pain,” was a radio hit. The success is sweeter because Shepherd wrote or co-wrote 10 of the 11 songs on the album — and the remaining track was penned by her brother-in-law and sole co-writer, Adam Cunningham. “How do you write with somebody you don’t know?” she ponders. “It’s hard for me to understand that.”

Shepherd’s family-first attitude is no accident — at 21, she’s the married mother of a young son. “I grew up thinking that was the thing to do, to be a stay-at-home mom,” she says. “And I was, until this record deal stuff exploded.”

The “record deal stuff” happened after her three-song demo found its way to BMI’s Nashville office, where Shelby Kennedy heard it and brought her to UMG Nashville in January 2007. Before she knew it, Shepherd was in the recording studio with producer Buddy Cannon recording Sounds So Good.

Now Shepherd is eagerly looking toward the future. “I’ve got so many songs, and I’m gonna keep writing,” she says. “I’m getting a taste of what it’s like for people to relate to my music, and it tickles me to death. It lights me up on the inside, because I knew that’s what I was supposed to do.”

In a festival first, the New Orleans-inspired street concert staged at the Hog’s Breath Saloon featured BMI songwriters Robert Earl Keen and the Jeffrey Steele Band, and attracted hundreds of revelers.

With three albums out on their own Trashy Moped Records — delete.delete.i.eat.meat, Paparazzi Lightning and Robotique Majestique — the act has landed itself on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and the long-running PBS concert show Austin City Limits (which yielded their first DVD, Live From Austin TX, on New West Records). Ghostland Observatory also boast three live albums taken from their sets at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2006 and 2007 and their appearance at last year’s Lollapalooza.

Their rapid rise piqued record company interest, but the act prefers to remain masters of their own music business fate. “We listened to what some major labels offered us, and there wasn't much of a difference between what they could offer and what we can offer ourselves,” says synthesizer player and drummer Thomas Ross Turner, who likes to take the stage wearing a flowing cape. “That old-school apparatus — sign to a label, get a manager, a publicist, get a video on MTV, this and that — those things aren't so necessary anymore.”

Ghostland Observatory — whose other member is singer and occasional guitarist Aaron Behrens — has won a wide swath of fans by melding the sometimes seemingly disparate elements of electro and rock. “In the 1990s, you either liked rock or you were into techno,” Turner explains. “The rock people didn't embrace electronic music at all. Then Radiohead and others started to combine the two, and people started to think, ‘Oh, yeah, that's kind of cool’.”

The twosome plan on continuing to make their own way musically and in how the market and promote their music, relying on the strength and spirit of what they create. “Who knows what the future will bring,” Turner concludes. “As long as we're honest and we try our hardest to put on the best show we can, I believe we'll always shine through.”

Tennessee native Richard Edward Arnold was born in a farming community 20 miles outside of Jackson in 1918. A child during the Great Depression, Mr. Arnold's interest in music grew as other employment opportunities dried up. His first hit, "Cattle Call," would become one of his most beloved, even as he achieved broad crossover success into the pop world with unforgettable jewels including "What Is Life without Love," "I'll Hold You in My Heart ('Til I Can Hold You in My Arms)," "What's He Doing in My World," "Make the World Go Away" and "You Don't Know Me." Television warmly embraced Mr. Arnold as well; his smooth addresses and seemingly effortless vocals translated well on the new medium, through his own TV shows and guest appearances.

He received numerous lifetime achievement honors, both for musical and humanitarian endeavors. A longtime BMI songwriter and key component in Nashville's ascension to country music recording capitol of the world, Mr. Arnold's profound legacy will forever be remembered and cherished.

Read Peter Cooper's comprehensive look at Mr. Arnold's life and view archival photos from throughout the Tennessee Plowboy's career.