It would be hard to look at a list of current hit songs without noticing a trend: the growing use of featured artists. A featured artist is one who makes a guest appearance on another artist’s recording to create a collaboration. What’s the difference between a duet and a song… Read more...
Sometimes, playing it safe is the most dangerous thing we can do. This is especially applicable when our goal is to write songs that rise above the competition; songs that become artists’ signature songs; and songs that impact audiences and propel artists to a next level. We need to find… Read more...
Every country music fan knows that there are more than a few tales about country stars that sound almost too unbelievable to be true. These stories work extremely well with the film genre of animated documentary, which is exactly what it sounds like: an animated version of the truth. What… Read more...
BMI is saddened at the passing of Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member and multiple BMI award-winner Curly Putman, who died Sunday at the age of 85. Putman’s vast catalog of songs undeniably helped shape country music history and include, among others, “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” and “Green, Green Grass of Home.” He… Read more...
BMI sadly says goodbye to its 2010 BMI Icon Billy Sherrill, who died yesterday at the age of 78. Sherrill is responsible for writing and/or producing the more contemporary cross-over sound of country music in the 1960s and ‘70s, including such hits as Tammy Wynette’s country #1 “Stand by Your… Read more...
Longtime BMI songwriter Larry Henley will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame at the 42nd Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony, presented by AT&T, on Sunday, October 7, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. Henley built an incredible career that spanned country and pop… Read more...
The Library of Congress has named the 25 new additions to the ninth annual National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, which will ensure that these cultural, artistic and historical recordings are always available to the American public. Included among them are works that demonstrate the depth and breadth… Read more...
The Country Music Hall of Fame will welcome legendary BMI songwriter Bobby Braddock into its elite ranks as part of the small 2011 class of inductees, announced Tuesday in Nashville. Braddock’s induction points to the unparalleled depth of BMI’s repertoire, which houses the work of both genre architects and contemporary… Read more...
Charlie Louvin passed away early Wednesday morning at his home in Wartrace, Tennessee. He was 83 years old. With his brother Ira, he began his career as one half of the Louvin Brothers. The legendary duo’s harmonies were as complex as they were haunting, delivering many of hillbilly country’s most… Read more...
The word genius is bandied about far too often. Sometimes flippant but often rooted in the depths of fervent, if over-eager, admiration, the label has lost some of its luster. “She’s a genius” just doesn’t sparkle like it used to. But listen: Billy Sherrill is a genius. Listen to Tammy… Read more...
