After garnering her first hit single as a teenager (T.G. Sheppard and Karen Brooks' "Faking Love"), gilt-edged songwriter Matraca Berg proceeded to pen some of contemporary country music's most poignant hits. Deanna Carter's "Strawberry Wine"; Patty Loveless' "I'm That Kind of Girl" and "You Can Feel Bad"; Reba McEntire's "The Last One to Know"; the Dixie Chicks' "If I Fall You're Going Down With Me"; Gretchen Wilson's "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today"; and Trisha Yearwood's "Wrong Side of Memphis" and current single "They Call It Falling for a Reason" skim the surface of her catalog lined with more than a dozen BMI Country Awards and Million-Air winners. Also an esteemed vocal stylist and performer, Berg released albums on RCA and Rising Tide labels in the 90s.

Four-time BMI Country Songwriter of the Year Tom Shapiro has composed more than twenty no. 1 songs throughout an exceedingly prodigious career. Hits penned by Shapiro include "Ain't Nothin' 'Bout You" (Brooks & Dunn); "Wink" (Neal McCoy); "Thinkin' 'Bout You" (Trisha Yearwood); "That Ain't My Truck" (Rhett Akins); "Watch Me" (Lorrie Morgan); "Perfect" (Sara Evans); "My Give A Damn's Busted" (Jo Dee Messina); "You'll Always Be My Baby" (Sara Evans) and "I Miss My Friend" (Darryl Worley). Along with receiving BMI's Country Songwriter of the Year three times in a five year period ('93,'96,'97), he was named Music Row magazine's top country songwriter in 1995, NSAI Songwriter of the Decade for the 1990s, and won the CMA Triple Play award in 1995 and 1997. The owner of more than 30 BMI Pop and Country Awards, Shapiro earned his fourth BMI Songwriter of the Year crown in 2002.

John Hiatt's long career grounded in uncanny creative dexterity and sheer productivity has influenced generations of songwriter/artists treading steadily in his wake. The purveyor of more than 20 albums, Hiatt has also penned compositions recorded by a who's who of the rock canon: Three Dog Night ("Sure As I'm Sittin' Here"); Joe Cocker ("Have a Little Faith in Me"); Rosanne Cash ("The Way We Make a Broken Heart"); The Jeff Healy Band ("Angel Eyes"); Suzy Bogguss ("Drive South"); Earl Thomas Conley ("Bring Back Your Love to Me"); B.B. King & Eric Clapton ("Ridin' With the King"); The Neville Brothers ("Washable Ink"); Bonnie Raitt ("Thing Called Love"); and Elvis Costello ("She Loves the Jerk") make up the list of famous Hiatt fans. Named 1987's Rock Male Vocalist of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine, he has also amassed multiple BMI Pop, Country and Million-Air honors. Currently touring in support of his critically acclaimed new album Same Old Man, Hiatt will receive the Americana Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting at the organization's award ceremony this month.

Pictured in the Nashville office are BMI's Thomas Cain and Suzy Bogguss. photo by Doug Crider

Bogguss's recent work includes her contribution of "Bouncin' Off the Bottom" to the Kid Pan Alley project, a national program that brings songwriters into schools around the country. She was also part of the American Roots release Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster, which won a 2005 Grammy Award as Best Traditional Folk Album; Suzy's track was "Ah, May the Red Rose Live Always."

With over 10 studio albums to her name, Bogguss has collaborated with some of Nashville's top songwriters, including Chet Atkins, Steve Dorff, Matraca Berg, Pat Bunch and her husband, writer/producer Doug Crider. Among her biggest hits are "Letting Go," "Hey Cinderella," "Outbound Plane," "Just Like the Weather" and "Aces."]]> 2005-03-03T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234334 Allen, Deborah, Beathard, Casey, Big & Rich, Bogguss, Suzy, Cannon, Chuck, Daniels, Charlie, Dillon, Dean, DiPiero, Bob, Emerick, Scotty, Johnson, Doug, Keen, Robert Earl, Myers, Frank, Otto, James, Overstreet, Paul, Preston, Frances, Satcher, Leslie, Steele, Jeffrey, Country Country in the Rockies XI Supports Martell Foundation Efforts 'To Change and Save Lives'

(Front) Big & Rich's John Rich and Big Kenny, (back) Chevrolet's Phil Caruso, T. J. Martell Foundation Board member Greg Oswald, Gretchen Wilson, CITR founder Frances Preston and Nashville Martell Foundation Executive Director Roxanne Johnson

Former BMI President & CEO Frances Preston, who serves as president of the Foundation's board and as a Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center board member, hosted the event she founded 11 years ago. Proceeds support innovative research at the VICC's Frances Williams Preston Laboratories.

Preston Labs Director Dr. Hal Moses, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Director Dr. Ray DuBois, Kevin and Linda Martin, Frances Preston, and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Board chair Orrin Ingram

Musical highlights included concerts in the Club Med Theater by Charlie Daniels, Kenny Loggins, Kathy Mattea, 2004 BMI Country Songwriter of the Year Casey Beathard, Jamie O'Neal, and MuzikMafia members Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich, James Otto, Jon Nicholson, Cowboy Troy and Rachel Kice. Other writers and artists who performed were Deborah Allen, Aaron Barker, Suzy Bogguss, Chuck Cannon, Gary Chapman, Doug Crider, Dean Dillon, Bob DiPiero, Scotty Emerick, Doug Johnson, Robert Earl Keen, Crosby Loggins, Gary Morris, Frank Myers, Paul Overstreet, Leslie Satcher, Jeffrey Steele, Jon Vezner and Lari White.

CITR participants saw first-hand the impact that cancer has on families ñ and the importance of the research that their generosity supports ñ as they got to know Don and Margaret Darnell and Kevin and Linda Martin, guests of the event. The Darnells' daughter Katie, who died of brain cancer in 2003, gained fame for her song "Rescue Me," recorded by John Rich of Big & Rich and Wynonna Judd. Kevin Martin has advanced colon cancer as the result of an inherited condition called FAP; one of the Martins' five children is known to have inherited the condition.

The week was punctuated by emotional highlights surrounding the Darnell and Martin families. Chevrolet presented Katie Darnell's parents with a new Silverado. The Darnells also joined Big & Rich on stage as part of Performances by Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson Presented by Chevrolet. (To learn more about Katie's story, see the VUMC Reporter's Feb. 9, 2001; April 13, 2001; and June 20, 2003 online issues).

As for the Martins, they embraced all that Country in the Rockies has to offer -- skiing, riding snowmobiles, horseback riding, cocktail social hours, concerts and late-night guitar pulls -- with the same tenacity and enthusiasm with which they are attacking Kevin's cancer. (Click here to read the Martins' first-hand account of their trip).

Since 1993, the Martell Foundation has enabled physicians and scientists of the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center to conduct cutting-edge research and quickly transition promising new findings from laboratory benches to patient bedsides. To date, the Nashville Division has raised $13 million in support of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center's pilot projects. In turn, these contributions have been leveraged to obtain additional funding ñ totaling more than $100 million ñ from public and private sources to further advance ongoing efforts to alleviate suffering from cancer.

Big & Rich	Gretchen Wilson

Known as "The Ultimate Backstage Pass," Country in the Rockies offers guests opportunities to ski and socialize not only with these MuzikMafia standouts, but also with Charlie Daniels, Kenny Loggins and Jamie O'Neal, who will appear in concert at the Club Med Theater. Many of the industry's top artists and songwriters, including Jeffery Steele, Paul Overstreet, Aaron Barker, Chuck Cannon, Robert Earl Keen, Doug Johnson, Casey Beathard, Scotty Emerick, Leslie Satcher, Doug Crider, Harley Allen, Bob DiPiero, Gary Chapman, Deborah Allen, Suzy Bogguss, Lari White, Kathy Mattea and Jon Vezner, are also slated to perform.

Charlie Daniels	Jamie O'Neal	Kenny Loggins

The event has alpine skiing/snowboarding and music at its core, but offers something for everyone. Outdoor activities include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and horseback riding. Indoors, participants enjoy all-star concerts, late-night fireside "guitar pulls," a celebrity-hosted happy hour in downtown Crested Butte and auctions that feature travel, artwork, jewelry and celebrity memorabilia.

The all-inclusive package provides guests with five days/nights at Club Med Crested Butte, lift tickets, meals and hospitality, as well as transportation on charter flights between Nashville and Gunnison, Colo. Guests also receive a gift bag with Fischer skis or a Nidecker snowboard, ski clothing, CD's and other items. Country in the Rockies is the signature fundraiser of the T.J. Martell Foundation's Nashville Division. Since 1993, the Martell Foundation has enabled physicians and scientists of the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center to conduct cutting-edge research and quickly transition promising new findings from laboratory benches to patient bedsides. To date, the Nashville Division has raised $13 million in support of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center's pilot projects. In turn, these contributions have been leveraged to obtain additional funding - totaling more than $100 million - from public and private sources to further advance ongoing efforts to alleviate suffering from cancer.

The Frances Williams Preston Labs of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center are named for event founder Preston, former President & CEO of performing rights organization BMI. She also serves as president of the board for the Martell Foundation and as a Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center board member. Country in the Rockies XI is sponsored by BMI, Chevrolet and Club Med.

[bottom] Tom Annastas, Frances Preston, Kenny Loggins, Lari White, Suzy Bogguss, [top] Chuck Cannon, Jeffrey Steele, Tom Gross

A record-setting crowd of nearly 400 people gathered for the 10th anniversary of the signature fund-raiser for the T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, Leukemia and AIDS Research. The event directly supports the Foundation's Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, a facility named for BMI President & CEO Frances Preston.

Tim Rushlow, Trick Pony's Ira Dean, CMT's Lance Smith, Trick Pony's Keith Burns and Heidi Newfield, Bill Johnson

Ski races, outdoor activities like snowshoeing and sleigh rides, all-star concerts, informal late-night guitar pulls, a Celebrity Happy Hour fund- raising competition and much more gave participants entertainment options virtually round-the-clock. However, the cause behind the event was never far from mind.

VICC's Dr. Hal Moses, BMI's Frances Preston, and Tom Gross toast CITR's 10th Anniversary

"One in two of us in this room will face cancer in our lifetimes, so this is really important," Gary Chapman said, coaxing members of the audience to fill a passing pitcher with cash during the Celebrity Happy Hour. During this popular event, teams of singers, songwriters and others work hard to raise the most money in a two-hour period in five watering holes downtown; this year, they brought in more than $200,000 in exchange for singing favorite songs, signing autographs and posing for photos.

Raymond Hicks, Mimi Wallace, BMI's Joyce Rice, Deborah Allen, Vanderbilt's Dr. Wright Pinson

Country in the Rockies (CITR) kicked off Tuesday, Jan. 27 with an opening guitar pull featuring Gary Morris, Chuck Cannon, Lari White, Suzy Bogguss, Mandy Barnett, Jessi Alexander and Jon Randall. The following night, Paul Overstreet, Kathy Mattea, Trick Pony, Mel Tillis and his band The Statesiders continued the music in the Club Med Theater. The all-star finale on Jan. 31 featured Lorrie Morgan, Kenny Loggins, Robert Earl Keen and BMI Country Songwriter of the Year Jeffrey Steele. Other participating artists were Sherrie Austin, Deborah Allen, BlackHawk's Henry Paul, Dave Robbins and Anthony Crawford, Doug Crider, Dean Dillon, Bob DiPiero, Will Rambeaux, Tim Rushlow and western painter Kelly Donovan. Champion freestyle skier Wayne Wong returned to offer expert tips for Saturday's ski race and Tom Gross marked his 10th year as emcee of the week's activities.

VICC's Dr. Hal Moses, Orrin Ingram, Lee Ann Summers, VICC's Dr. Ray DuBois

Earning the nickname "King of Crested Butte," Aaron Barker was back for another year of hosting late-night guitar pulls. Barker also led a large group of artists in taking the music off the mountain and into the historic mining town of Crested Butte, where they performed concerts especially for the locals to thank them for their hospitality. "We look forward to this every year," 24-year Crested Butte resident Joe Snyder said. "The music is fabulous, and we are so grateful for the work that this event supports," he continued, noting that his wife, Brenda, is a two-year survivor of ovarian cancer.

Jessi Alexander, Stan Moress, Mandy Barnett, Jon Randall

In addition to a record-setting total number of participants, the event also drew a record 182 first-time guests. Suzy Bogguss, a veteran of six CITRs, said she was especially pleased to see so many new faces. "The cameraderie of this event and getting to know people from different worlds is what makes this event so special and so unique," she said.

Wayne Wong

Lorrie Morgan and Sammy Kershaw

Among other highlights of CITR X:

-- Barker's wife Theresa organized silent and live auctions of artwork, guitars and other instruments, jewelry, clothing, sports and celebrity memorabilia, and trips. Among the auction tidbits: a special CITR-edition Yamaha guitar was claimed for $4,000 by a Crested Butte resident on the eve of his wedding.

-- Mel Tillis shared funny stories with guests and fellow artists throughout the week, and even took up a new assignment as roving television reporter for Great American County, recording the festivities during Celebrity Happy Hour.

Mel Tillis, Chuck Cannon, BMI's Harry Warner

Carolyn Corlew, Charlie Daniels, Tom Gross

-- Charlie Daniels shared inspirational words about his experience as a cancer survivor and thanked everyone for their support of cancer research. Daniels, who headlined one of the concerts at CITR 7, was diagnosed with prostate cancer the following year and received his treatment at Vanderbilt-Ingram.

-- More than two dozen doctors, scientists and other staff from Vanderbilt were on hand to meet with supporters and share information about how money raised through Country in the Rockies is put to use in Nashville. The Vanderbilt team also presented a video highlighting accomplishments of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center - accomplishments made possible with the support of CITR, the Martell Foundation and others. The video was produced by Jackson/Kent, with Jon Kent as creative director and Vali Forrister as executive producer.

Sherrie Austin and Will Rambeaux

"We are so grateful for the support we receive from everyone who has participated in Country in the Rockies over the years," said Dr. Hal Moses, director of Vanderbilt-Ingram and the Preston Laboratories. "I'm looking forward to all the fun we're going to have and the progress we are going to make together over the next 10 years."

Dean Dillon, Aaron Barker, Gary Chapman

In addition to the ever-expanding list of guests and participating artists, the number of sponsors of the event grows each year as well. This year, sponsors included BMI, Club Med, CMT, Coca-Cola, Ortho-Biotech, the Smith-Free Group, AmSouth, Bank of America, Yamaha, Baldwin, Gibson, Gurley & Co, the Gary Group, American Airlines, Fischer, Leki, Cowboys & Indians, Dasani, Jack Daniel's, Hall Booth Smith & Slover, Travis Television, Icue Productions, Audio Visual Projection Services, and Country Music Across America.

Kelly Donovan with auction winners Paul & Julie Overstreet

Dates for 2005 have already been confirmed as February 1-6 at Club Med Crested Butte.

Photos by Alan Mayor

Co-sponsored by BMI, the ski-and-music event - the Ultimate Backstage Pass - is slated for Jan. 27 through Feb. 1, 2004. It is the signature fundraiser for the T.J. Martell Foundation's Nashville Division and supports groundbreaking work by cancer researchers at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center's Frances Williams Preston Laboratories, named after BMI President and CEO Frances Preston. She is also the president of the board for the Martell Foundation and serves on the board of VICC.

"Over the past 10 years, Country in the Rockies has become a family reunion of sorts, with the renewal of friendships and acquaintances among artists and songwriters, doctors and scientists, and friends and fans of both," said BMI VP and event co-chair Paul Corbin. "What really makes it magical is the wonderful blend of old friends with new folks who join the Country in the Rockies family each year."

First-time artists and writers at Country in the Rockies X will have plenty of event favorites to show them the ropes. Returning artists include Kathy Mattea, Lari White, Suzy Bogguss, Deborah Allen, Billy Dean, Gary Morris, Gary Chapman, Robert Earl Keen, Charlie Daniels and Jo Dee Messina. Also joining the fun will be BMI Award-winning songwriters Jon Vezner, Chuck Cannon, Doug Crider, Aaron Barker, Dean Dillon, Bob DiPiero, Jeffrey Steele and Leslie Satcher. In addition, Tom Gross will return to provide expert commentary during the celebrity ski races and emcee the event.

Additional artists will be added during the coming weeks.

Country in the Rockies X is being billed as a "10-10-10" celebration, marking 10 years of the Preston Laboratories and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, 10 years of Country in the Rockies, and Vanderbilt-Ingram's ranking among the top 10 places for cancer care in a national survey.

The event has skiing and music at its core, but offers something for everyone. Outdoor activities include snow-skiing, celebrity ski races, snowboarding, snowshoeing, dog-sledding and horseback riding. Indoors, participants can take in all-star concerts on the Club Med stage, informal fireside "guitar pulls" till the wee hours, and a celebrity Happy Hour in downtown Crested Butte. Silent and live auctions will feature entertainment, travel and dining packages, artwork, sports memorabilia, instruments and other items.

The all-inclusive package includes lodging at Club Med, lift tickets, meals and hospitality, as well as the flight into the nearby Gunnison, Colo., airport and ground transportation to the hotel. Guests also receive a "goodie bag" with skis or snowboard, ski clothing and CD's and cool mementoes.

The Martell Foundation and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have been partners in the fight against cancer since 1993, when the Preston Laboratories, supported by the Martell Foundation, and the Cancer Center were first established. Since that time, Martell has provided more than $13 million in important seed funding to "jumpstart" innovative science in the Preston Laboratories; in turn, that investment has been leveraged into more than $100 million in competitive funding from other sources, including the National Cancer Institute.

Proceeds from Country in the Rockies support the Martell Foundation and the Preston Laboratories. The Martell Foundation's support has contributed to VICC's growth and reputation, including its designation as one of only 38 National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Centers and its inclusion among the top 10 places for cancer care in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals" ranking.]]> 2004-01-04T17:00:01-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233004 Artists, Bogguss, Suzy, DiPiero, Bob, Shell, Larry, Stegall, Keith, Tillis, Mel, Tillis, Sonny, Tomberlin, Bobby, Musical Styles, Country It was a gathering of the clan when second-generation BMI writer Sonny Tillis was feted for his first #1 song: the Jamie O'Neal single "When I Think About Angels." Sonny, who co-wrote the tune with Mercury artist O'Neal and Roxie Dean, shared his day with his family (save Pam, who was out of town), and led the birthday congratulations to his father, Mel. Also mentioned for their contributions to the #1 achievement were Mercury Nashville's Luke Lewis, producer Keith Stegall and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.

Grouped at BMI Nashville for an extended-Tillis family portrait are mom Doris, Sonny, sister Hannah, BMI's Harry Warner, dad Mel, wife Madelyn, sister Cindy, former brother-in-law Bob DiPiero, and sister Carrie.

Sonny Tillis grew up around hit songs as the son of the CMA Award-winning entertainer and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member, and eventually performed at the Mel Tillis Theater in Branson, earning honors for Songwriter and Opening Act of the Year in 1990. Since then, he has written songs for Pam Tillis, Reba McEntire, Gene Watson, Trace Adkins, Ty Herndon and Suzy Bogguss. "When I Think About Angels" is the second hit for the Dean/O'Neal/Tillis team, which also collaborated on the Tammy Cochran single "So What."

BMI's Perry Howard, Warner-Tamerlane's Tim Wipperman, Roxie Dean, Sonny Tillis, Mercury's Luke Lewis, BMI's Harry Warner and Paul Corbin.