BMI Country Awards Honor Best Of 2015

BMI's Mike O'Neill, BMI Icon Mac Davis and wife Lise Davis, and BMI's Jody Williams

BROADCAST MUSIC INC. (BMI) held its annual BMI COUNTRY AWARDS last NIGHT (11/3) at its MUSIC ROW office in NASHVILLE. The event honored BMI's most-performed Country songs of 2015 and named its Song Of The Year, Publisher Of The Year, and BMI Icon winner.

Songwriter MAC DAVIS was celebrated as the BMI Icon winner, joining previous honorees that include BILL ANDERSON, DOLLY PARTON, VINCE GILL, KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, and MERLE HAGGARD. The award is bestowed upon songwriters that BMI deems to have had a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers. DAVIS was honored with performances from MAC MCANALLY singing "TEXAS In My Rearview Mirror," RASCAL FLATTS tackling "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me," LUKE BRYAN singing "A Little Less Conversation," and LITTLE BIG TOWN covering "In The Ghetto."

Songwriter Of The Year honors went to RODNEY CLAWSON, who penned seven of BMI's most performed songs of 2015, 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."

Song Of The Year went to BRETT ELDREDGE's "Beat Of The Music," penned by ELDREDGE, ROSS COPPERMAN, and HEATHER MORGAN.

Additionally, songwriter and NSAI President LEE THOMAS MILLER was honored with the inaugural Champion Award for his work advocating on CAPITOL HILL and in NASHVILLE for the fair payment of songwriters.

Publisher Of The Year was again given to SONY/ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING NASHVILLE, keeping its decade-plus winning streak intact. SONY/ATV was responsible for 26 of the 50 most performed songs of 2015, including MIRANDA LAMBERT's "Automatic," ERIC CHURCH's "Give Me Back My Hometown," and LUKE BRYAN's "I See You."

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