59th Annual BMI Awards Take Place In Nashville

Clay Bradley, Troy Tomlinson, Del Bryant, Akins, Braddock, Davidson, Jody Williams

BROADCAST MUSIC, INC. (BMI) celebrated the songwriters and publishers behind Country music’s most-performed songs of the past year during the 59th annual BMI COUNTRY AWARDS in NASHVILLE last night (11/8). BMI staged the event in its NASHVILLE offices.

RHETT AKINS and DALLAS DAVIDSON share the “Songwriter of the Year” honors this year. GEORGIA natives and close friends, the two are frequent collaborators, and part of a songwriting trio known as the “Peach Pickers.” They both contributed five songs to the year’s most-performed, four of which they co-wrote together: "All About Tonight" "All Over Me,” "Gimmie That Girl" and "The Shape I’m In.” Individually, AKINS’ "Farmer’s Daughter" DAVIDSON’s "Rain Is a Good Thing" also made the list.

“All Over Me” also earned “Song of the Year” honors for DAVIDSON and AKINS, as well as publishers EMI-BLACKWOOD MUSIC, INC., RHETTNECK MUSIC and STRING STRETCHER MUSIC. The song was recorded by JOSH TURNER.

In a surprise announcement, the “BMI Country Song of the Year” award was rechristened the “FRANCES W. PRESTON Award” in honor of the former BMI President & CEO.

With 15 songs among the year’s most performed, SONY/ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING NASHVILLE scored its 10th consecutive “Publisher of the Year” win.

BOBBY BRADDOCK was saluted as a “BMI Songwriting Icon.” BRADDOCK is now for writing songs including “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” “People Are Crazy,” “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” “I Wanna Talk About Me,” “I Feel Like Loving You Again,” “Texas Tornado,” “Old Flames Have New Names,” “Golden Ring,” “Thinkin’ of a Rendezvous,” “Faking Love,” “Time Marches On” and more.

The PISTOL ANNIES paid musical homage to BRADDOCK, as did BLAKE SHELTON, JOHN ANDERSON, LEANN RIMES and VINCE GILL. The Icon designation is given to BMI songwriters who have had “a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.”

For more from BMI, visit www.bmi.com.

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