The multimedia presentation will include music from the Beatles, video appearances by Phil Collins, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and video of George Harrison. Cost to attend is $50 for members and $100 non-members. To purchase tickets, contact Marisela Huerta at 310-581-8731 or marisela.huerta@grammy.com.

In addition, the Grammy Foundation will honor Sir George Martin on Saturday, July 12 at the annual Starry Night Tribute Dinner and Concert, featuring America, Burt Bacharach, Jeff Beck, Natalie Cole, David Foster, Tom Jones, Michael McDonald and many more. To attend, contact Dana Tomarken at 310-392-3777.

The title track of The Who’s 1965 debut American album, The Who Sings My Generation, with such stuttered lyrics as “talkin’ ‘bout my g-generation,” introduced one of the most important and revered bands of the 1960s — and one of the very few to still remain active some four decades later.

It’s not exactly the same band, of course. Keith Moon, The Who’s original drummer and the embodiment of the outrageous rock & roll fantasy lifestyle at its most extreme, succumbed to the fast life in 1978. Original bassist John Entwistle followed suit, though he lasted until 2002. But surviving vocalist Roger Daltrey and guitarist/vocalist/ songwriter Pete Townshend trudged on, performing the classic hits without a new studio album from the band since It’s Hard.

But that album, which yielded the minor pop hits “Athena” and “Eminence Front,” came out in 1982 — over 24 years ago! So the fall 2006 release of Endless Wire was greatly anticipated and ecstatically received. Many critics felt that it was the best work by Townshend (who continued to issue solo albums since It’s Hard) in years, if not decades.

There are key differences, to be sure. On the critical musicianship side, Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr’s son and The Who’s more-than-able touring drummer since 1996 (he actually received his first drum kit from his idol Moon), is present; equally estimable bassist Pino Palladino, who assumed the band’s touring bass role after Entwistle’s passing, is another seamless fill-in.

In the vocal department, Daltrey’s bluster has aged well and is altogether fitting: Always the delivery vehicle for Townshend’s lyrics, Daltrey has been supplied with songs showing the observations and reflections of a complex man now in his sixties. So while the album’s opening track, “Fragments,” may hark back to “Baba O’Riley” (from 1971’s Who’s Next) with its dainty keyboard play, it is not at all the “teenage wasteland” of that song’s stirring verse. Nor is Endless Wire a mere throwback to earlier Who work in other aspects, though there are plenty more links with the past that are just as obvious, both musically and thematically.

Rather, Endless Wire is Pete Townshend at his most pensive and philosophical — and modern. In “Fragments,” the artist who with his band helped define England’s modernist (mod) youth subculture of the mid-1960s, experiments with composer Lawrence Ball in creating music by way of the “Method” — an interactive music composition tool — as envisioned in Townshend’s three interlocking rock-opera projects: Lifehouse, which The Who released in 1972; Psychoderelict, Townshend’s solo album from 1993; and The Boy Who Heard Music, his blog’s novella written over the past two years.

In that novella, “Fragments” is a big hit song by the three-piece band that is the center of the story. By itself, it’s an existential exploration of man’s place in the universe, though it returns in shorter instrumental form in the middle of “Wire & Glass,” a 10-song “mini-opera” tie-in with the novella that makes up the second half of Endless Wire (the album’s title track is itself a song from this part of the program).

“Man in a Purple Dress” is simply Daltrey backed by Townshend’s acoustic guitar, and in its mocking rejection of priestly hypocrisy, is one of three songs Townshend wrote after watching Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. The frenetic rocker “Sound Round” evokes youth at life’s crossroads, “We Got a Hit” is a cynical take on stardom, and “Black Widow’s Eyes,” with its “Pinball Wizard” power-chording, is an ironic love song situated in the horrific Beslan (Russia) school massacre.

Giving it a final context, then, Endless Wire, seems an extension of The Who’s skeptical 1970 hit “The Seeker,” in which Daltrey gives voice to Townshend’s dismissal of Dylan, The Beatles and Timothy Leary, none of whom can provide life’s big answers. Ever the spiritual wanderer, Townshend, who was heavily influenced by the Indian guru Meher Baba, perhaps tenders his own answer in “Mirror Door,” the mirror, incidentally, being a key symbol in Tommy.

Citing such musical luminaries as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Cash, Daltrey’s voice concludes, “Music makes me, makes me strong.” As always, though, they are the words of Townshend, whose musical strengths have never been more pronounced as the creative genius behind The Who.

Shown after the performance are BMI's Mike O'Neill, NAB President & CEO David Rehr, BMI songwriter Steve Cropper; BMI's Del Bryant, and NAB Vice President John David.

As a founding member of the legendary Booker T and the MG's, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Steve Cropper was involved in virtually every record issued by the seminal Stax recording label from 1961 until 1970. His songwriting credits include the classics "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," "Knock on Wood" and "In the Midnight Hour." As a member of the original incarnation of the Blues Brothers, he recorded three albums with them, including the No. 1 Briefcase Full of Blues. Over the past 20 years. Cropper has continued to be an in-demand musician and producer, and his talents are showcased on CDs by Elton John, Paul Simon, Ringo Starr, Buddy Guy, Steppenwolf and Johnny Lang.]]> 2006-10-05T05:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234586 Allen, Harley, Big & Rich, Bryant, Del, Cake, Daniels, Charlie, DiPiero, Bob, Gentry, Montgomery, Hill, Ed, James, Tommy Lee, Keith, Toby, Lonestar, McDonald, Richie, McGehee, Vicky, McGraw, Tim, Nichols, Tim, Nichols, Tim, Starr, Ringo, Tritt, Travis, Twain, Shania, Urban, Keith, Country, BMI Country Awards Charlie Daniels Saluted as BMI Icon

BMI saluted the top country music songwriters, artists and publishers at its 2005 Country Awards, staged October 18 at the performing rights organization's Music Row offices. The black-tie ceremony was hosted by Del Bryant, BMI President and CEO, and Paul Corbin, Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville, who presented Certificates of Achievement to the writers and publishers of the 50 most performed country songs in the BMI repertoire.

Tim McGraw's smash "Live Like You Were Dying," written by Tim Nichols, was named Song of the Year; three-time Grammy winner Harley Allen, Big & Rich's Big Kenny and Lonestar frontman Richie McDonald shared the Songwriter of the Year crown; and Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville was named Publisher of the Year. A highlight of the gala was a tribute to legendary artist Charlie Daniels, who was honored as a BMI Icon for his "enduring influence on generations of music makers."

Charlie Daniels	Tim Nichols

"Live Like You Were Dying" earned the 37th Robert J. Burton Award as Most Performed Country Song of the Year for writer Tim Nichols and publishers Nichols Worth Music and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. The title track from McGraw's triple-platinum CD, the inspirational hit spent a record-breaking 10 weeks at #1 and won every award for which it was nominated since its release in 2004, including multiple Grammy, CMA, ACM, Billboard, NSAI and CMT awards.

Harley Allen	Big Kenny	Richie McDonald

BMI writers Harley Allen, Big Kenny and Richie McDonald tied to claim the Country Songwriter of the Year trophy with three tunes each on the most performed list. Songs earning them the prestigious title were Allen's "Awful, Beautiful Life," "If Nobody Believed In You" and "My Last Name"; Big Kenny's "Holy Water," "Here for the Party" and "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)"; and McDonald's "Let Them Be Little," "Mr. Mom" and "Let's Be Us Again." McDonald also penned BMI's 2002 Country Song of the Year, "I'm Already There."

With 15 songs on this year's list, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville (through its companies Sony/ATV Acuff Rose and Sony/ATV Tree) picked up its fourth consecutive Publisher of the Year Crystal by once again accumulating the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs.

The evening culminated in the Icon tribute to Charlie Daniels, which featured a musical salute by country artists Travis Tritt and Montgomery Gentry. With a career that spans nearly four decades, Daniels has connected with millions of fans around the world with his mix of rock, country, bluegrass, blues and gospel.

Songs like "Uneasy Rider," "In America," "Long Haired Country Boy," "The South's Gonna Do It Again," "Wichita Jail," and the Southern rock classic "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," are a part of the American musical landscape. His legendary Charlie Daniels Band, twice named the ACM's Touring Band of the Year, logged more than a million miles on the road, traveling in a convoy of buses and gleaming black tractor-trailer rigs that stopped traffic from coast to coast.

Among Daniels' numerous accolades are multiple BMI Pop and Country Awards, a Grammy, three CMA's, a Dove Award, the ACM Pioneer Award, and several Gold and Platinum albums totaling more than 18 million in sales. His signature song, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," simultaneously topped the country and pop charts and has amassed more than three million broadcast performances since its release in 1979. In addition to his own successful career, Daniels contributed to recording sessions for a diverse array of artists including Bob Dylan, Al Kooper, Flatt & Scruggs, Ringo Starr and Marty Robbins.

The 2005 BMI Country Awards also honored songwriters Bob DiPiero, Ed Hill, Tommy Lee James, Toby Keith, Vicky McGehee, Shania Twain, Keith Urban and Song of the Year writer Tim Nichols, who had two songs each on the list of 50.

Multiple publisher awards went to Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc./Zomba Songs Inc. (9); Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (6); Universal Music Publishing (Songs of Universal, Inc. and Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.) (5); Coburn Music, Inc. (4); Big Love Music, EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc., Harley Allen Music and Mike Curb Music (3); and Big Yellow Dog Music, Cake Taker Music, Dimensional Songs of the Knoll, Guitar Monkey Music, Loon Echo, Inc., Love Monkey Music, Music Hill Music/Sagrabeaux Songs, Nichols Worth Music, Still Working For The Man Music, Inc., Tokeco Tunes and Tommy Lee James Songs (2 each).

Daniels, whose hits include the Grammy Award-winning Southern rock classic "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," will be honored for his "enduring influence on generations of music makers." He joins a distinguished list of BMI Icons that includes country songwriter/artists Loretta Lynn, Bill Anderson and Dolly Parton; legendary musicians Brian Wilson, Carlos Santana and Paul Simon; r&b legends James Brown, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Isaac Hayes and Al Green; blues/rock/soul artist Van Morrison, Motown songwriting trio Holland-Dozier-Holland; and funk/r&b group Charlie Wilson and The Gap Band.

Skilled on guitar, fiddle and mandolin, the Wilmington, North Carolina-native moved to Nashville in 1969 to find work as a session guitarist. He contributed to recordings for artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Al Kooper, Flatt and Scruggs, Ringo Starr, Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins. Some of his many hits as a recording artist include "Uneasy Rider," "Long Haired Country Boy" and "The South's Gonna Do It Again," which won a BMI Country Award in 1976.

His signature song, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," which has more than three million broadcast performances, earned Daniels a BMI Pop Award in 1979 and a BMI Country Award in 1980. The platinum-selling single also topped both the country and pop charts, won a Best Country Vocal Performance Grammy, earned three Country Music Association Awards, propelled his Million Mile Reflections album to triple platinum status, and became the cornerstone of the soundtrack to the hit movie Urban Cowboy.

Other BMI Country Award winning songs in Daniels' catalog include "Wichita Jail" (1977), "Mississippi" (1980), "Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye" (1987) and "In America" (1981), which also earned a Pop Award in 1980.

Congratulating composer Robert Sherman (center) on his SHOF induction are Sherman's son Bob Sherman, Jr. and BMI President & CEO Del Bryant. photo by Dana Rodriguez

As half of the Academy Award-winning songwriting team the Sherman Brothers, Bob and his brother Richard (Dick) have written some of the best-loved and most recognized songs in history, including the music heard in such Disney films as Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Parent Trap, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Aristocats, and many others.

With a career that spans almost 50 years, the Sherman Brothers' numerous accolades include two Academy Awards and nine nominations, two Grammy Awards, 23 gold and platinum albums and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for songs like "Chim Chim Cheree," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "It's A Small World (After All)," considered the most translated and performed song on earth. The siblings also earned the BMI Richard Kirk Award for Outstanding Career Achievement at the 1991 Film/TV Awards and made a major comeback in 2000 with the score to The Tigger Movie, their first major motion picture effort for Disney in over 28 years.

Other Sherman Brothers-penned songs include such pop hits as "You're Sixteen" (which rose to #1 twice, for Johnny Burnette in 1960 and Ringo Starr in 1974), "Let's Get Together" and their first single "Tall Paul," a Top 10 hit in 1958 for the Mickey Mouse Club's Annette Funicello.

Isaac Hayes	David Porter	Steve Cropper

As a founding member of the legendary Booker T and the MG's, as well as an A&R man, producer and songwriter, Steve Cropper was involved in virtually every record issued by the seminal Stax recording label from the fall of 1961 through year end 1970. Some of his songwriting credits include the classics "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," "Knock on Wood" and "In the Midnight Hour." Cropper produced and played on sessions by Poco, Jeff Beck, Jose Feliciano, Yvonne Elliman, John Prine, Dreams and Tower Of Power. As a member of the original incarnation of the Blues Brothers, he recorded three albums with them, including the number one Briefcase Full of Blues. Over the past 20 years. Cropper has continued to be an in-demand musician and producer. His string-bending talents are showcased on CDs by Elton John, Paul Simon, Ringo Starr, Buddy Guy, Steppenwolf and Johnny Lang.

The Sherman Brothers

Isaac Hayes and David Porter were one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 1960s. After playing on several sessions for Otis Redding, Hayes was tapped to play keyboards in the Stax house band, and eventually established a partnership with songwriter David Porter. Under the name the Soul Children, the Hayes-Porter duo composed some 200 songs, reeling off a string of hits for Stax luminaries like Sam & Dave (the brilliant "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby," "Soul Man," "I Thank You" and "Hold On, I'm Comin'"), Carla Thomas ("B-A-B-Y,") and Johnnie Taylor ("I Got to Love Somebody's Baby," "I Had a Dream"). Named a BMI Icon in 2003, Isaac Hayes was the first African-American composer to win an Oscar for Best Score for his soundtrack to the film Shaft, the theme song of which became a #1 hit. David Porter went on to engineer the relaunch of the Stax label and is a current member of the Board of Trustees of the Recording Academy.

One of Walt Disney's most successful songwriting teams was that of brothers Richard and Robert Sherman. These incredible children's film composers created the music heard in Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Parent Trap, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Aristocats, and many more Oscar-nominated scores. The Shermans have won several Oscars for their scores and songs, many of which are warmly and firmly ingrained in our memories like "Chim Chim Cheree", "I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)", "It's A Small World" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," which is about to open on Broadway with the Shermans' Academy Award-winning score. They also scored The Aristocats (1970) and 1971's Bedknobs and Broomsticks, which garnered them more Oscar nominations for Best Score and Best Song. The Sherman Brothers have also done freelance work on screenplays and scores including Snoopy, Come Home, Tom Sawyer, Charlotte's Web, Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella, and The Magic of Lassie.

The National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The NAPM/SHOF is also devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. BMI is a long-time supporter of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

He worked with Pete and Rose Drake of Window Music; Lawrence Welk Music; Porter Wagner; and Dolly Parton's Velvet Apple Music. He wrote top 40 hits for many top artists, including George Jones, Johnny Paycheck, Roy Clark, Porter Wagner, Reba McEntire, Vern Gosdin, Don Williams, Mark Chesnutt, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ringo Starr, and many others. Among his most memorable songs were the BMI Country Award winners "Thank God and Greyhound," "Biloxi," "Pittsburgh Stealers," "Lovin' Machine" and "It's Not Over If I'm Not Over You."

Mr. Kingston also performed on TV and radio, and recorded several single releases and three albums.

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn; sons and daughters-in-law Todd and Barbi Kingston and Clay and Lisa Kingston; and four grandchildren.

A family and friends memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 26, at 11:00 am at the Hampton Inn, 620 22nd Avenue East, in Springfield. In lieu of flowers, financial donations may be directed to the Larry Kingston Memorial Fund at Farmer's Bank in Springfield.]]> 2005-02-24T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233237 Artists, Bush, Sam, Douglas, Jerry, Fleck, Béla, Harris, Emmylou, Meyer, Edgar, Parton, Dolly, Starr, Ringo, Musical Styles, Bluegrass, Folk, Jazz, Musicworld, Feature, Type, Important Twenty-seven years ago, the producers of the first Telluride Bluegrass Festival began looking for magic. They had a terrific location. They had vision - some called it nerve. But something else was desperately needed. It didn't take them long to find it. For their second year, they booked New Grass Revival, headed by master musician and bluegrass rebel Sam Bush.

Today, Bush, the only artist who has performed at 26 of the 27 legendary events, is considered more than simply the "magic" the festival producers were looking for. Sam Bush has, in fact, become the "cosmic glue" that has defined the festival's maverick spirit from the very start.

His latest release on Sugar Hill Records, Ice Caps: Peaks Of Telluride, is on one level a documentation of his important role at the festival. Culled from performances through the 1990s, Ice Caps makes it abundantly clear why he is regarded so highly at the festival (he's been dubbed "Mayor of Telluride" and "King Sammy"). But more important than the history is the celebration. Ice Caps captures Sam Bush's joyous way with music: a seamless blending of styles ranging from gospel to rock, pop to reggae, jazz to country, folk too, and of course, bluegrass.

Over the course of 16 tracks (two which feature hysterical commentary/introduction by Telluride staple Pastor Mustard), Bush glides through Bob Dylan's "Girl of the North Country," blazes through Bill Monroe's "Big Mon" and hammers the groove of John Matt's "Memphis in the Meantime." Other highlights are Jeff Black's "Same Old River," as well as self-penned instrumentals "Spooky Lane," "Stingray" and "The Ice Caps Are Melting." Few so-called "bluegrass" artists would (or could) tackle Kool & The Gang's "Celebrate" with the gusto Bush does. And in true Telluride spirit, Bush is joined on stage by some of the greatest players in the world, including former NGR bandmates Bela Fleck and John Cowan, dobroist Jerry Douglas, guitarists Darrell Scott and Jon Randall Stewart, bassist Byron House, drummer Larry Atamanuik and former Subdudes' member John Magnie.

Perhaps best known as the founder and driving force behind the legendary New Grass Revival, Bush's ability to make music that exceeds all expectations is evident by listening to his work over the past year. For example: two diverse projects, Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza (with David Grisman, Ronnie McCoury and Ricky Skaggs, among others) and Short Trip Home (with Edgar Meyer, Joshua Bell and Mike Marshall), were each nominated for a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album and for Best Classical Crossover Album, respectively. The Short Trip Home project lead to a performance on the national broadcast of the Grammy Awards.

Meanwhile, Bush stays incredibly busy recording and touring with pal/former NGR bandmate Bela Fleck (for the Grammy-nominated The Bluegrass Sessions), as well as Lyle Lovett, Left Over Salmon, Emmylou Harris, Linda Rondstadt and Dolly Parton, among others. He recently made a guest appearance with Ringo Starr, playing "With A Little Help From My Friends."

His previous solo project, Howlin' At The Moon (1998), was an acclaimed work as well, as were his other releases (Glamour & Grits in 1996 on Sugar Hill and Late As Usual in 1987 on Rounder).

Mardin, a six-time Grammy winner, will also receive a NARAS Trustees Award at this year's Grammys on February 21 in Los Angeles. An accomplished musician, arranger and songwriter, Mardin's talent has benefited such disparate artists as Anita Baker, the Bee Gees, Phil Collins, Culture Club, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Hall & Oates, Donny Hathaway, Jewel, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, Bette Midler, Modern Jazz Quartet, Willie Nelson, Laura Nyro, John Prine, Diana Ross, Dusty Springfield, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr and Barbra Streisand, among others.