MAC DAVIS RECOGNIZED AS BMI ICON AT THE 2015 BMI COUNTRY AWARDS
Mac McAnally, Rascal Flatts, Luke Bryan, and Little Big Town
Pay Tribute to the Songwriting Legend
Brett Eldredge, Rodney Clawson, Sony/ATV
Among Honorees at the Annual Event in Nashville
Broadcast Music, Inc.®, (BMI®), the global leader in music rights management, presented its 2015 BMI Country Awards this evening, honoring the prolific songwriting career of BMI Icon Mac Davis, as well as the Country Songwriter, Song and Publisher of the Year. The 63rd annual event, which is the genre’s oldest awards ceremony, also celebrated the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed country songs of the past year. BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill hosted the ceremony at the company’s headquarters in Nashville, along with Jody Williams, BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville.
Davis, who was named this year’s BMI Icon, joined an elite list of songwriters who have had "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers" and was honored with a tribute from fellow musicians, Mac McAnally, Rascal Flatts, Luke Bryan, and Little Big Town. McAnally treated the audience to a moving rendition of “Texas in my Rearview Mirror.” Rascal Flatts gave an electrifying performance of Davis’s hit “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me.” The tunes Davis wrote for Elvis got the crowd moving as Luke Bryan sang the worldwide hit “A Little Less Conversation” and Little Big Town sang the soulful classic “In the Ghetto.” In his acceptance speech, the newly crowned Icon sang one of his newest songs "That's Where Songs Come From."
Rodney Clawson was named Songwriter of the Year, with writing credits on seven of the most-performed songs of the past year, including Kenny Chesney’s “American Kids” and “Til It’s Gone,” Lady Antebellum’s “Bartender,” Jason Aldean’s “Burnin’ It Down,” Florida Georgia Line’s “Dirt,” Frankie Ballard’s “Helluva Life,” and Justin Moore’s “Lettin’ The Night Roll.”
“Beat of the Music,” written by performer Brett Eldredge with Ross Copperman and Heather Morgan, won the coveted Song of the Year award. Published by Sony/ATV, the track was one of the most-performed country songs of the year.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville continued their winning streak of more than a decade, again taking home the Publisher of the Year accolade. Responsible for 26 of the 50 most-performed songs of the year, Sony/ATV published megahits such as Miranda Lambert’s “Automatic,” Eric Church’s “Give Me Back My Hometown,” Luke Bryan’s “I See You,” and many more. During the ceremony, BMI also saluted the songwriters and publishers of the 50 most-performed country songs of the previous year. In addition, BMI songwriter and NSAI President Lee Thomas Miller was given the inaugural BMI Champion Award for his advocacy on behalf of music creators.
For a complete list of 2015 BMI Country Awards winners, please visit
www.bmi.com/country.
Photo and video footage can be accessed
via the official EPK link early Wednesday morning:
http://www.epklink.com/bmicountryawards2015
Media can also access high-resolution photos and event information at http://www.bmi.com/press/entry/572650 – (username: bmimedia; password: songwriter).
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About BMI
Celebrating 75 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in more than 10.5 million musical works created and owned by more than 700,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI's repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit http://www.bmi.com, follow us on Twitter @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.'s Facebook page.
Lauren Branson, lbranson@bmi.com
Katherine Harding, kharding@bmi.com
