NASHVILLE, TN. (Top40 Charts/ BMI Country Awards) - The 55th annual BMI Country Awards were held tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the performing right organization's
Music Row offices in Nashville. BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Jody Williams, Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville, hosted the black-tie ceremony toasting the writers and publishers of the past year's 50 most-performed country songs in the BMI repertoire.
Jeffrey Steele received his second Country Songwriter of the Year title, while his poignant composition 'What Hurts The Most' earned the coveted Song of the Year crown. Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville snagged Publisher of the Year for the sixth consecutive year, and a tribute to Willie Nelson recognized the newest BMI Icon's unifying music and humble dignity.
'What Hurts The Most,' co-written by Jeffrey Steele and published by Gottahaveable Music and Bug Music/Songs of Windswept, landed the 39th Robert J. Burton Award, presented to the most performed country song of the year. Recorded by crossover titans Rascal Flatts, the nostalgic ballad earned a slew of accolades including two Grammy nominations, and became the group's fifth no. 1 single.
2007 Country Songwriter of the Year Jeffrey Steele secured his first Country Songwriter of the Year win in 2003, and whose catalog includes five of this year's most performed songs: Rascal Flatts' 'My Wish,' 'Me and My Gang,' and 'What Hurts the Most,' Steve Holy's 'Brand New Girlfriend,' and Keith Anderson's 'Every Time I Hear Your Name.'
With 17 songs among this year's top 50, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville (through its companies Sony/ATV Acuff Rose, Sony/ATV Songs LLC, Sony/ATV Melody and Sony/ATV Tree) picked up its sixth consecutive Publisher of the Year win. The publishing powerhouse accumulated the highest percentage of copyright ownership from songs including 'Give It Away,' 'Would You Go With Me,' 'Every Mile A Memory,' 'Tim McGraw' and 'Kerosene.'
The capstone of the evening took the form of the Icon tribute to beloved legend Willie Nelson, featuring performances by Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Toby Keith, Josh Turner and Keith Urban. As a BMI Icon, Nelson will perhaps be recognized most for his songwriting. The Texas native's 'Crazy,' 'Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,' 'Funny How Time Slips Away,' 'On the Road Again' and 'Good Hearted Woman' are merely part of a catalog stacked with classics.
The 2007 BMI Country Awards also honored hit songwriters Brett Beavers, Rodney Clawson, Jamey Johnson, Tony Martin, Bill Anderson, Steve Bogard, Scotty Emerick, Toby Keith, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Bobby Pinson and the Warren Brothers, who each supplied two or more songs to the top 50 list.
Broadcast Music, Inc.(BMI) is an American performing right organization that represents more than 350,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music and more than 6.5 million works. BMI's recently announced financial results, $839 million (U.S.) in royalty collections for its 2007 fiscal year, are the highest for any copyright organization in the world. BMI has represented the most popular and beloved music from around the world for over 65 years. The non-profit-making U.S. corporation collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it then distributes as royalties to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents.
For a complete list of 2007 BMI Country Awards winners, please visit www.bmi.com/country.
