BMI is proud to announce that our legendary songwriters, Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart and Dean Dillon, make up this year’s class of inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame, bringing the total number of honorees to 142. Dean Dillon, who was named a BMI Icon in 2013, earns… Read more...
To grab our listeners’ attention we need to separate our songs from the competition, and one way to accomplish this is by including an unexpected twist—an element of surprise. This article examines various ways to incorporate twists into lyrics and melodies. Story Songs With Surprise Endings “Ol’ Red” (written by… Read more...
BMI is saddened by the passing yesterday of bluegrass and Appalachian music legend Ralph Stanley. As part of a duo he formed with his brother, Carter, the Stanley Brothers’ music established them as key figures in the early growth of traditional bluegrass music. Their 1951 recording of “Man of Constant… Read more...
TV talent competitions are sometimes viewed as career shortcuts. Not so in the case of RCA recording artist Chris Young: By the time the Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native had been crowned the winner of Nashville Star at age 20, the classically trained singer had already self-released one country album, was a… Read more...
Another triumph came for BMI’s country genre at the Academy of Country Music awards ceremony in Las Vegas on April 7, 2013. Some of the night’s big BMI winners were: Luke Bryan, who took Entertainer of the Year; Jason Aldean, who won for Top Male Vocalist; Miranda Lambert, who was… Read more...
Iconic songwriter Hank Cochran died Thursday morning at his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The writer behind country standards including “Make the World Go Away,” “She’s Got You,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “The Chair,” “Ocean Front Property,” “Don’t You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me,” “Is It Raining at Your House,”… Read more...
The 14th Annual Key West Songwriters Festival will invade the venues of its paradisiacal namesake April 29 through May 3, 2009, offering eclectic show lineups that introduce crowds to the faces, voices and stories behind the songs. The festival features more than 100 top songwriters and revolves around five days… Read more...
BMI singer-songwriters Bobby Pinson, Paul Overstreet, Josh Turner and Jamey Johnson will perform at the WCRS Live! event during CRS-40. Slated for Thursday, March 5 between 4:10 and 5:30 p.m., the annual showcase is sponsored by BMI and Country Aircheck.“ This group is a perfect picture of BMI’s cream of… Read more...
Pulitzer Prize-winning classical composer William Bolcom and legendary bluegrass artist Ralph Stanley are among the recipients of the 2006 National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons through the U.S. government. Presented by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush in an Oval… Read more...
For Paul Overstreet, heading to the beach not only feeds his soul, it sometimes feeds his family. The well-respected singer/songwriter recently returned to the top of the country charts with "Some Beach," which was in residence for four weeks. The success of the song was sweetened… Read more...
