News Archive
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…
Remembering Howard Richmond: 1918-2012
Preeminent BMI music publisher and Songwriters Hall of Fame co-founder Howard Richmond has passed away. He was 94 years old. As a music publisher, Richmond was a vital force in the careers of legends such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bart Howard, Shel Silverstein, Huddie Ledbetter and many others. Along…
10 Things You Should Know About the Key West Songwriters Festival
The 2012 Key West Songwriters Festival is just around the corner. Whether you’ve booked your trip and are counting down the days, or you’re deciding whether or not to head to the festival for the first time, here are 10 things you should know: The Key West Songwriters Festival…
Key West Songwriters Festival: 15 Years & Counting
One week every spring for the past 15 years, Key West has transformed itself into the nation’s best listening room. The Better Angels Music Key West Songwriters Festival brings top songwriters and thousands of fans from around the world to this southernmost tip of the continental United States, where once…
Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster Tapped as Dale Franklin Award Recipients
Leadership Music will present the Dale Franklin Award to BMI Icons Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, as well as BMI legend Fred Foster, during the organization’s annual benefit gala, slated for Sunday, August 29 at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Nashville. Named for the first executive director of Leadership Music,…
Kris Kristofferson, Taylor Swift, Bobby Pinson, and More Honored at 2009 BMI Country Awards
The 57th Annual BMI Country Awards celebrated the genre’s top hit-makers tonight in Nashville. In addition to toasting the writers and publishers of the past year’s 50 most-performed country songs from the BMI repertoire, the ceremony honored Kris Kristofferson as a BMI Icon; named Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” Song of…
Kris Kristofferson to be Honored as Icon at 57th Annual BMI Country Awards
Kris Kristofferson will be honored as a BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI Country Awards, the oldest awards saluting country’s top music makers. Slated for Tuesday, November 10 at BMI’s Music Row offices in Nashville, the black-tie, invitation-only gala will also celebrate the songwriters of the past year’s most-performed…
Nashville Welcomes Dillon and Silverstein to Songwriters Hall of Fame
BMI Award-winners Dean Dillon and the late Shel Silverstein are the newest additions to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Dillon and Silverstein, along with Bob Dylan, were inducted November 3 during annual ceremonies conducted by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation at Loews Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel…