BMI was saddened to learn of the death of storied New Orleans songwriter/producer and rock n’ roll innovator, Huey “Piano” Smith, who passed away on February 13 at his home in Baton Rouge. He was 89. Best known for rollicking hits like “Don’t You Just Know It,” “High Blood Pressure,”… Read more...
The 60th GRAMMY Awards returned to New York City, last night, for the first time since 2003, for a special anniversary celebration on the hallowed stage of Madison Square Garden. BMI songwriters from across the genre spectrum were on hand to claim their well-earned accolades for some of the year’s… Read more...
BMI is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our longtime affiliates and a pivotal figure in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, the inimitable Fats Domino, who passed away today at age 89. Renowned for his dancehall-style piano playing, Domino wrote and recorded songs that melded elements of… Read more...
As a kid growing up in New Orleans, Mylen used to listen to an influential mix of artists like Stevie Wonder, Michael McDonald, Fats Domino and Louis Armstrong. By 2014, Mylen had moved to Los Angeles, where he launched a career as a performer, songwriter and producer known for soulful,… Read more...
BMI is proud to congratulate Nile Rodgers and Chip Taylor, who led this year’s class of inductions into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, as well as BMI affiliates Seymour Stein, who was presented with the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award, and Nick Jonas, who received the Hal David Starlight… Read more...
There is really only one accurate way to describe longtime Broadcast Music, Inc. singer-songwriter Cyril Neville’s sound and it consists of just one word: gumbo. On September 10, the 64-year-old Southern icon serves up his latest album, Magic Honey. Recorded in Bogalusa, Louisiana, produced by David Z (Prince, Etta James,… Read more...
Allen Toussaint—the producer, arranger, writer and regal living embodiment of New Orleans soul—sits alone at a piano onstage in the dark, empty theater. He plays leisurely, but he is focused and listening carefully. It is sound check and something isn’t quite right. The monitor is popping. To test it, Toussaint… Read more...
Legendary songwriter Bobby Charles has died. He was 71. The co-writer of classics including Fats Domino’s “Walking to New Orleans,” Frogman Henry’s “I Don’t Know Why I Love You (But I Do),” Bill Haley & the Comets’ “See You Later Alligator,” and many others, Charles veritably helped launch rock-and-roll. The… Read more...
Four years have not lessened the horror of what happened in New Orleans during the first week of September 2005. Spared a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina, the city was decimated when the levee and federal flood protection systems failed in more than 50 places. Eighty percent of the city… Read more...
The 20th Annual Big Easy Music Awards honored the musical lifeblood still pulsing through New Orleans Monday, April 21 at Harrah’s Theatre. Winners, performers and presenters featured a bevy of BMI legends: Entertainer of the Year Terence Blanchard and his band delivered a jaw-dropping performance; revered piano man Allen Toussaint… Read more...
