Sponsored by Big Tractor Music, the Country Music Association, Curb Music Publishing and Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc., the festival introduced music fans to songwriters behind the hits during two summer nights of sultry tunes, performed live in Nashville's signature in-the-round showcase style.

Sponsored by Big Tractor Music, the Country Music Association, Curb Music Publishing and Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc., the festival introduces music fans to songwriters behind the hits during two summer nights of sultry tunes, performed live in Nashville's signature in-the-round showcase style.

For more information on accommodations, show times and more, please call 850.837.5991 or click here.

Luckily, it didn’t come to that. Miller instead became a top-rank songwriter whose hits include chart-toppers for stars like Terri Clark (“I Just Wanna Be Mad”) and Trace Adkins (“You’re Gonna Miss This”).

But when the classically trained multi-instrumentalist headed south from his native Nicholasville, Kentucky, he didn’t think of himself as a songwriter. He discovered his true calling with the encouragement of associates like BMI’s Thomas Cain. “He said, ‘You’re not reinventing the wheel as a musician or singer, but you might be able to write songs’,” Miller remembers.

Ken Mellons recorded two of his songs, and soon Miller was getting cuts regularly. BlackHawk took his “Days of America” to the Top 40 in 2002, and a few months later Joe Nichols’s rendition of “The Impossible” went all the way to the top. “That changed everything,” Miller recalls. “It was suddenly easier to get people to listen — and honestly, I think it gave me more confidence.”

That breakthrough began a hot streak that continues today. Miller has branched out into production work with artists including Steve Holy and Amy Dalley, but songwriting remains his top priority.

“I’m living a fantasy,” he declares. “I’m a father of four with a wife I’ve been married to for 16 years, and I make stuff up for a living. I’m the happiest person in the world.”

Indeed, the 28-year old North Carolinian seems to be making some waves in the often calm and predictable Nashville music waters with his refreshing album of full-tilt, country rockers and wrenchingly honest ballads. Harkening back to the Outlaw days of Haggard and Jennings, there are no gray areas or lukewarm sentiments to be found on this newcomer’s collection, just solid, gripping tunes that deal with life’s raw and often gritty side. His recent single “Two Pink Lines,” is a good example. How many country singers other than Loretta Lynn and in recent years Tim McGraw have had the nerve to tackle the edgy issues of birth control and pregnancy scares in a song? For Church, it’s simply a part of who he is. “Honesty is my number one responsibility,” explains Church. “If you listen to my album, you’ll find out who I am.”

Church began singing at age four, and by 13 was writing songs. Influenced by his parents’ preferences for bluegrass and Motown, he began teaching himself guitar, and soon formed a band with his brother. In college they played five nights a week around Asheville, with Church selling CDs out of his truck. A marketing major, he struck a deal with his dad to finish his degree for six months paid time in Nashville after graduation. A year later, Church signed with Sony ATV Publishing and began writing furiously, demoing 60 songs a year. Soon after he landed his first cut, Terri Clark’s “The World Needs a Drink.”

Church and producer Jay Joyce began cutting demos that would eventually become his CD, Sinners Like Me. The first single, “How ‘Bout You,” quickly became an anthem for the boot-wearing, truck-driving set and secured Church a place on the country scene. His strong material and rousing live shows have already created a stir, causing everyone from Rolling Stone to The New York Times to take notice. Even veteran rockers like Bob Seger have taken notice of the spit and vinegar and spirit of this modern-day honky-tonker on a mission: Seger tapped him to tour with him last year. With momentum from the success of his noteworthy debut, Church will continue to spread the gospel according to him in venues all across the country this spring and summer as well.

Bob DiPiero	Jeffrey Steele	Aimee Mayo

Each night features a lineup of successful songwriters from Nashville performing "in-the-round," the style of the Bluebird Café - Nashville's famous songwriters' mecca. The tunesmiths will line up on stage with guitars in-hand and take turns telling the stories behind their hits and then perform their songs. BMI songwriter Bob DiPiero will act as the host each night.

Matraca Berg	Tim Nichols

"Nashville has a uniquely tight-knit and collaborative music community where the song starts the creative cycle, with it all building from there," says BMI President and CEO Del Bryant. "We're looking forward to putting the spotlight on some of Nashville's best song architects." Bryant is originally from Nashville and is a son of one of the most successful songwriting teams in American music. His parents Boudleaux and Felice Bryant penned classics such as "Love Hurts," "All I Have to Do Is Dream," "Rocky Top," "Wake Up Little Susie," "Bye, Bye Love," to name just a few.

Saturday, November 12 - 6:30-8:30pm

Matraca Berg: "Wrong Side of Memphis" (Trisha Yearwood), "Strawberry Wine" and "We Danced Anyway" (Deana Carter), "Wild Angels" (Martina McBride)

Chris Lindsey: "Smile" and "Amazed" (Lonestar), "Let's Make Love" (Faith Hill with Tim McGraw), "Your Everything" (Keith Urban)

Aimee Mayo: "Amazed" (Lonestar), "Let's Make Love" (Faith Hill with Tim McGraw), "This One's For The Girls" (Martina McBride), "My Best Friend" (Tim McGraw)

Jessi Alexander: "Honeysuckle Sweet" (Jessi Alexander), "I Want to Believe" (Patty Loveless), "What's On My Mind" (Blake Shelton), "Make Me Stay or Make Me Go" (Jessi Alexander)

Brett James: "When the Sun Goes Down" (Kenny Chesney), "Who I Am" (Sara Evans), "Blessed" (Martina McBride), "With Me" (Lonestar)


Sunday, November 13 - 6:30-8:30pm

Bob DiPiero: "Blue Clear Sky" (George Strait), "Take Me As I Am" (Faith Hill), "Cleopatra Queen of Denial" and "Cryin' Over Spilled Perfume" (Pam Tillis)

Jeffrey Steele: "These Days" (Rascal Flatts), "Big Deal" (Leann Rimes), "Cowboy In Me" (Tim McGraw), "Speed" (Montgomery Gentry)

Tim Nichols: "Live Like You Were Dying" (Tim McGraw), "Girls Lie Too" (Terri Clark), "That'd Be All Right" (Alan Jackson), "Heads Carolina Tails California" (Jo Dee Messina)

Craig Wiseman: "Live Like You Were Dying" (Tim McGraw), "The Good Stuff" (Kenny Chesney), "Hell Yeah" (Montgomery Gentry), "Another Day In Paradise" (Phil Vassar)

For information about Joe's Pub, visit JoesPub.com or call (212) 539-8778. Getting there: 425 Lafayette Street between East 4th and Astor Place in New York's East Village.

The 39th Annual CMA Awards take place Tuesday, November 15 (8:00-11:00 PM /ET) live from Madison Square Garden in New York City on the CBS Television Network. The CMA Awards are hosted by Brooks & Dunn.

Pictured are Curb's Drew Alexander, Lee Thomas Miller, Amy Dalley and BMI's Mark Mason.

photo by Brian Tipton]]> 2005-01-25T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234144 Artists, Clark, Terri, Dalley, Amy, Miller, Lee Thomas, Musical Styles, Country Lee Thomas Miller recently added two more songwriting honors to his catalog during a lunch hosted by BMI Nashville. He and publisher Mosaic Music saw their #1 hits "The Impossible" (Joe Nichols) and "I Just Wanna Be Mad" (Terri Clark) each certified as a BMI Million-Air, signifying one million broadcast performances. Based on an average length of three minutes, two million spins is the equivalent of 100,000 hours or 11.4 years of continuous airplay.

Miller's latest single is "Men Don't Change," which he co-wrote with Curb artist Amy Dalley and also produced.

Pictured are Mosaic Music's Lionel Conway, BMI's David Preston, Lee Thomas Miller, and Mosaic Music's Tim Hunze and Lisa Ramsey.

Photo by Caroline Davis