July 15, 2003

BMI Cheers ‘Beer For My Horses’ with Willie, Toby and Scotty

At Willie Nelson's 30th annual July 4th picnic in Spicewood, Texas, BMI's Mark Mason presented Nelson and songwriting partners Toby Keith and Scotty Emerick with engraved #1 cups for the amazing success of "Beer For My Horses" -- six weeks at the top of Billboard's Hot Country chart and still at the summit. The song, from Keith's multi-platinum DreamWorks album Unleashed, was co-written by Keith and Emerick and performed by Keith and Nelson.

Among Keith and Emerick's dozen-plus songwriting collaborations is the #1 smash "I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight." Emerick's debut album, The Coast Is Clear, will be released this fall on DreamWorks; its just-shipped lead-off single, "I Can't Take You Anywhere," is another Keith/Emerick tune, with Keith making a guest appearance on the record.

Backstage at the Two River Canyon concert site are BMI's Mark Mason, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson and Scotty Emerick. photo: Jill McGuckin

BMI represents more than 500,000 songwriters, composers, and publishers with more than 7.5 million works.