News Archive
I taught my first songwriting class at Los Angeles’ Pierce College in 1991. Back then, if my car radio were tuned to a pop station, it was likely I would hear chart-topping artists such as Michael Jackson, Wilson Phillips, Janet Jackson, Michael Bolton, Poison, and Roxette. During that same era,…
Current Trends in Country Music: What’s Hot & What’s Not
“That ain’t country!” is a comment I often hear when I play current country hits in my songwriting workshops. It’s true that today’s country hits bear little resemblance to the songs that topped the charts by Elvis, Tammy, Waylon, Willie, and Patsy. Music evolves and the styles that rule the…
Second Annual Sandestin Music Festival Slated for August 12 and 13
Blue ribbon songwriters, tomorrow’s stars and a country songbird turned Broadway star compose the lineup of the 2nd annual Sandestin Music Festival, slated for the weekend of August 12-13 in the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Co-sponsored by BMI, the free, open-to-the-public event will feature BMI contemporary country…
Nashville Songwriters Feted During Annual NSAI Dinner
The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame joined forces to toast a year’s worth of hit-worthy craftsmanship and several lifetimes’ worth of genre-building during the 40th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony, presented by AT&T, on Sunday, October 17, at…
Steve Cropper, Paul Davis Among 2010 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame & NSAI Honorees
Musical bridge builders Steve Cropper and Paul Davis will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame next month. The two BMI legends will enter the hallowed Hall in separate categories: Cropper in the Songwriter field, Davis under the Songwriter/Artist category. Peers, business allies and family members will toast…
Fred Foster, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson Saluted with Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award
The Nashville music community came together to celebrate BMI pioneers Fred Foster, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson with the seventh annual Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award, presented during the organization’s gala dinner on Sunday, August 29 at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Music City. Vince Gill hosted the ceremony and…