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.

A slew of Nashville's songwriting elite also made the trip, mingling with aspiring writers and fans and showcasing the voices and stories behind contemporary hits. Troubadours including Bobby Pinson (Sugarland's "Want To," his own "Don't Ask Me How I Know"), Jon Randall (Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss's "Whiskey Lullabye"), Stephony Smith (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill's "It's Your Love," Kenny Chesney's "Big Star," Reba McEntyre's "How Was I To Know"), Billy Montana (Sara Evans' "Suds In the Bucket," Jo Dee Messina's "Bring On the Rain," Garth Brooks' "More Than A Memory"), Tim Nichols (Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying," Terri Clark's "Girls Lie Too" and Jo Dee Messina's "Heads Carolina, Tails California"), John Wiggins (Joe Nichols' "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off"), and Chuck Jones (Diamond Rio's "Love A Little Stronger," Deana Carter's "Count Me In," John Berry's "Your Love Amazes Me"), Woody Mullis and Mike Geiger (co-writers of George Strait's "Adalida," Sawyer Brown's "This Missin' You Heart of Mine," and Neil McCoy's "City Put The Country Back In Me"), along with singer/songwriters Connie Harrington, Jessi Alexander and Shelly Fairchild, and CMT Can You Duet show standouts The Coppolas (Kate and Kasey) performed in intimate venues throughout the festival. BMI executives also took advantage of the scenic locale and stout concentration of hit-makers, presenting BMI Million-Air certificates to the writers whose songs have generated more than one million performances.

Photos by Alan Mayor

Hit troubadours including Bobby Pinson (Sugarland’s “Want To,” his own “Don’t Ask Me How I Know”), Jon Randall (Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss’s “Whiskey Lullabye”), Stephony Smith (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill’s “It’s Your Love,” Kenny Chesney’s “Big Star,” Reba McEntire’s “How Was I To Know”), Billy Montana (Sara Evans’ “Suds In the Bucket,” Jo Dee Messina’s “Bring On the Rain,” Garth Brooks’ “More Than A Memory”), John Wiggins (Joe Nichols’ “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off”), and Chuck Jones (Diamond Rio’s “Love A Little Stronger,” Deana Carter’s “Count Me In,” John Berry’s “Your Love Amazes Me”), Woody Mullis and Mike Geiger (co-writers of George Strait’s “Adalida,” Sawyer Brown’s “This Missin’ You Heart of Mine,” and Neil McCoy’s “City Put The Country Back In Me”), along with smoldering singer/songwriters Jessi Alexander and Shelly Fairchild, and CMT Can You Duet show standouts The Coppolas (Kate and Kasey) will mingle with music industry executives and ambitious up-and-comers.

In addition to BMI, sponsors include the Florida House Inn, WQIK-FM, Folio Weekly, WRJY the WAVE and Amelia Island Tourism Development Council. For lodging, schedule, venues and ticket information, please visit www.songwriterfestival.org.

“DIFFERENT GROOVE” marks Hood’s first effort for Little Dog Records and his first full studio album. A true collaborative effort, the album was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer/guitarist Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam, Roy Orbison, k.d.lang, Sara Evans, Buck Owens, Michelle Shocked, The Meat Puppets). Since it’s release, “DIFFERENT GROOVE” has garnered tremendous reviews. Mario Tarradell of the “Dallas Morning News” wrote, “If you merged early Bob Dylan with dashes of the Band and Al Green, you'd get the flavor of Adam Hood's front porch meets juke joint music.” Ken Barnes of “USA Today” said that Adam was “One of the most interesting Americana/country acts I've heard in a while.” Mr. Barnes also included Adam in his year-end “Best Of” list.

Adam is red-hot these days. He scored a hit single on the Texas Music Chart with “22 Days Too Long” and the corresponding video continues to enjoy national airplay on GAC-TV. He was also featured at the prestigious Austin City Limits Festival and was seen as part of a retail campaign by hip Red Dirt Music-inspired clothing line Southern Thread. Additionally, Adam appeared in an episode of “We’re An American Band” on the Documentary Channel. Adam is continually in the Top 50 on the MySpace independent Acoustic, Country and Folk Charts, with nearly 1,000 plays each day on his MySpace page.

Prior to "Different Groove," Adam, an Alabama native hailing from the small town of Opelika, had already begun to draw critical attention and build a strong following by touring nearly 300 days a year. In 2001, Adam recorded a demo of his songs, which circulated among Auburn University students and quickly created a demand for a full length CD. He released a live album, “21 To Enter,” a few years later, which further solidified his reputation as a talented artist.

“DIFFERENT GROOVE” marks a major leap forward for Adam and his music and has firmly established him as a gifted singer/songwriter to watch in the future.

Country music sensation and last year’s Top New Female Vocalist Carrie Underwood carried her streak of success into 2007, bagging five nominations, including Top Female Vocalist, Album and Single of the Year.

2006’s top selling country artists Rascal Flatts are up for Entertainer, Top Vocal Group, Album and Single of the Year. Big & Rich scored a total of four nominations in recognition of their diverse work as songwriters, artists and collaborators.

Old friends and country mainstays Tony Brown and Vince Gill each secured three nominations. Gill’s now platinum These Days earned an Album of the Year nod, while Brown’s production work on the last albums by George Strait and Brooks & Dunn turned Academy heads in his direction.

Singer/songwriter Miranda Lambert autonomously bridges the gap between newbees and veterans, snagging nominations in both Top New Female Vocalist and Top Female Vocalist of the Year categories. Jason Aldean earned two nods as well for his hit “Amarillo Sky.” Little Big Town, The Wreckers and Rodney Atkins also landed two nominations each.

The Academy of Country Music Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at 8 p.m. ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

BMI's 2007 ACM Nominees

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Brooks & Dunn
Tim McGraw
Rascal Flatts

TOP MALE VOCALIST
Toby Keith
Keith Urban

TOP FEMALE VOCALIST
Sara Evans
Faith Hill
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Carrie Underwood

TOP VOCAL GROUP
Diamond Rio
Little Big Town
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts

TOP VOCAL DUO
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland
The Wreckers

TOP NEW MALE VOCALIST
Rodney Atkins
Craig Morgan

TOP NEW FEMALE VOCALIST
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift

TOP NEW DUO OR VOCAL GROUP
Heartland
Little Big Town
The Wreckers

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
Hillbilly Deluxe
Brooks & Dunn (Arista Nashville)
Produced by Tony Brown, Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks
#3 Produced by Mark Wright, Tony Brown, Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks
#6 Original demo produced by Kix Brooks, Tom Shapiro

It Just Comes Natural
Produced by Tony Brown

Me and My Gang
Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street Records)
Produced by Rascal Flatts

Some Hearts
Carrie Underwood (19 Recordings Limited/Arista Records)

These Days
Vince Gill (MCA Nashville)
Produced by Vince Gill, John Hobbs, Justin Niebank

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
"Before He Cheats"
Carrie Underwood

"Give It Away"
Produced by Tony Brown

"I Loved Her First"
Heartland

"What Hurts the Most"
Rascal Flatts
Produced by Rascal Flatts

SONG OF THE YEAR [Award to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
"Amarillo Sky"
Jason Aldean
Writers: Big Kenny, Rodney Clawson
Publishers: Big Love Music, Carol Vincent and Associates, Grinnin' Girl Music
"Before He Cheats"
Carrie Underwood

"Give It Away"
Writers: Bill Anderson, Jamey Johnson
Publishers: Sony/ATV Tree Publishing/Mr. Bubba Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing, EMI Blackwood Music Inc.

"If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)"
Rodney Atkins

"Would You Go With Me"
Writers: Shawn Camp, John Scott Sherrill
Publishers: Sony/ATV Songs LLC/All Mighty Dog Music/Travelin' Arkansawyer Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing; Sony/ATV Songs LLC/All Mighty Dog Music/City Wolf Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing

VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Award to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
"8th of November"
Big & Rich

"Amarillo Sky"
Jason Aldean

"Before He Cheats"
Carrie Underwood

"Hillbilly Deluxe"
Brooks & Dunn

"Seashores of Old Mexico"
Director: Trey Fanjoy

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR [Award to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company]
"Building Bridges"
Brooks & Dunn with Vince Gill & Sheryl Crow
Produced by Tony Brown, Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks
Arista Nashville

"I Don't Want To"
Ashley Monroe & Ronnie Dunn
Produced by Mark Wright
Columbia Nashville

"Me and God"
Featuring Dr. Ralph Stanley and Marty Roe, Dana Williams and Gene Johnson of Diamond Rio
MCA Nashville

"Politically Uncorrect"
Featuring Merle Haggard
Produced by Mark Wright
Columbia Nashville

"That's How They Do It In Dixie"
Hank Williams Jr. with Big & Rich
Produced by Doug Johnson for Curb Productions
Curb Records

Brooks & Dunn	Keith Urban	Carrie Underwood

Brooks & Dunn garnered a whopping six nominations for their work last year, plus a Song of the Year nod for member Ronnie Dunn's co-writing skills on the pair's moving hit, "Believe." The duo will also vie for awards in the Entertainer, Album, Single, Vocal Duo, Musical Event, and Video of the Year categories.

Rascal Flatts	Big Kenny	Faith Hill

Superstar Keith Urban received due acknowledgement of another outstanding year, securing four nominations, including yet another Male Vocalist of the Year nomination; Urban won the award consecutively in 2004 & 2005. His name also appears in Entertainer, Single and Song of the Year divisions.

Little Big Town	Miranda Lambert

Carrie Underwood continues on the road to superstardom, earning four nominations, including Female Vocalist of the Year and the Horizon Award, the title bestowed upon the most promising up-and-comer of the year. Rascal Flatts secured nominations in the prestigious Entertainer, Vocal Group and Album of the Year categories. The dynamic Big & Rich also received three nominations, including Vocal Duo of the Year.

Faith Hill earned a solo nod for Female Vocalist of the Year and a nomination for her collaboration with husband Tim McGraw in the Musical Event of the Year category for "Like We Never Loved At All," while Little Big Town also garnered two nominations, one for Vocal Group of the Year and the other for the Horizon Award. Joining Little Big Town in the Horizon Award race are Sugarland and Miranda Lambert, who also landed Vocal Group of the Year and Video of the Year nods, respectively.

Other nominations include perennial favorites Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas for Vocal Group of the Year, the Wreckers for Vocal Duo of the Year, and dobro master Jerry Douglas for Musician of the Year. Martina McBride earned another Female Vocalist of the Year nomination, along with Sara Evans. Lonestar and Montgomery Gentry earned nominations in the Vocal Group and Vocal Duo of the Year categories, respectively.

Brooks & Dunn will host the ceremony for the third year. The CMA Awards will be broadcast live (8:00-11:00 p.m./ET) from the Gaylord Entertainment Center on ABC. Tickets for the awards go on sale Sept. 15 at Ticketmaster outlets.

2006 BMI CMA AWARD NOMINEES
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Brooks & Dunn
Rascal Flatts
Keith Urban


SINGLE OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and producer)

"Believe"
Brooks & Dunn
Produced by Tony Brown/Kix Brooks/Ronnie Dunn
Arista Nashville

"Better Life"
Keith Urban
Produced by Keith Urban
Capitol Records Nashville

"Jesus Take The Wheel"
Carrie Underwood
Arista Nashville


ALBUM OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and producer)

Hillbilly Deluxe
Brooks & Dunn
Produced by Ronnie Dunn/Kix Brooks/Mark Wright/Tom Shapiro/Tony Brown/Bob DiPiero
Arista Nashville

Me And My Gang
Rascal Flatts
Produced Rascal Flatts
Lyric Street Records


SONG OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to songwriter and primary publisher)

"8th of November"
Big Kenny
Big Love Music

"Believe"
Ronnie Dunn
Sony/ATV Tree/Showbilly Music

"Tonight I Wanna Cry"
Keith Urban
Guitar Monkey Music/Coburn Music

"When I Get Where I'm Going"
George Teren
House of Full Circle Music


FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Sara Evans
Faith Hill
Martina McBride
Carrie Underwood


MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Keith Urban


VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Alison Krauss + Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas
Little Big Town
Lonestar
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland


VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
The Wreckers


MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR

Brooks & Dunn (Guest vocals by Sheryl Crow and Vince Gill)
“Building Bridges”
Arista Nashville

Faith Hill Featuring Tim McGraw
“Like We Never Loved At All”
Warner Bros. Records

Gretchen Wilson (Featuring Merle Haggard)
“Politically Uncorrect”
Epic Records

Brad Paisley (Featuring Dolly Parton)
“When I Get Where I’m Going”
Arista Nashville


MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

Jerry Douglas – Dobro
Brent Mason – Guitar/Electric Guitar
Randy Scruggs – Guitar


MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to artist and director)

"8th of November"
Big & Rich

"Believe"
Brooks & Dunn

"Jesus Take The Wheel"
Carrie Underwood

"Kerosene"
Miranda Lambert
Directed by Trey Fanjoy

"When I Get Where I'm Going"
Brad Paisley (Featuring Dolly Parton)


HORIZON AWARD

Miranda Lambert
Little Big Town
Sugarland
Carrie Underwood]]> 2006-08-31T05:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/334873 Artists, Beavers, Brett, Byrd, Tracy, Evans, Sara, Martin, Tony, Musical Styles, Country Tony Martin and Brett Beavers to a celebratory dinner at Fleming's with family members and colleagues in honor of writing Dierks Bentley's recent No. 1 hit, "Settle for a Slowdown."

Proudly displaying their new award cups are (l to r): BMI's Jody Williams, Sony Tree's Mike Whelan, songwriter Brett Beavers, Capitol's Larry Willoughby, songwriter Tony Martin and BMI's Bradley Collins. Photo: R. Terrell

Martin's other songwriting credits include Jo Dee Messina's "My Give a Damn's Busted," Joe Diffie's smash "Third Rock From the Sun," Darryl Worley's "I Miss My Friend," Tracy Byrd's "Just Let Me Be In Love," "Living and Living Well" by George Strait, and "Perfect," "I Keep Looking" and "No Place That Far" by Sara Evans.

Beavers also penned two other Bentley No. 1s, including "What Was I Thinkin'" and "Come A Little Closer."]]> 2006-06-27T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/334825 Artists, Aldean, Jason, Brooks & Dunn, Dickens, Little Jimmy, DiPiero, Bob, Dunn, Ronnie, Evans, Sara, Gibbons, Billy, Gill, Vince, Kristofferson, Kris, Lambert, Miranda, Marcos, Andy, Monroe, Bill, Mullins, Tony, Niebank, Justin, Parton, Dolly, Rascal Flatts, Scruggs, Earl, Steele, Jeffrey, Sugarland, Urban, Keith, Yudkin, Jonathan, Awards, Industry Awards, ACM Awards, Musical Styles, Country Academy of Country Music Awards provided a welcome excuse for Music City to invade Sin City Tuesday night (5/23), and there were plenty of experiences that, luckily, won't stay in Vegas.

Top Male Vocalist Keith Urban (left) shares the stage with 21-time ACM winning duo Brooks & Dunn

BMI country stars boasted both repeat wins in top slots and initiations into the winner's circle. Superstar Keith Urban took home his second consecutive Top Male Vocalist trophy, while Sara Evans earned the Top Female Vocalist award-the first ACM award of her flourishing career.

Hot up-and-comer Miranda Lambert performs

The unwaveringly eminent Brooks and Dunn snagged two awards-Top Vocal Duo and Song of the Year for "Believe"-bringing the grand total of ACM trophies for the duo to an impressive 21, including six consecutive Top Vocal Duo wins. Fan favorites Rascal Flatts kept their all-encompassing triumphant streak alive and scored their fourth Top Vocal Group award in a row.

Four-time Top Vocal Group winners Rascal Flatts perform with “American Idol” star Kelly Clarkson

BMI newcomers won big as well, acquiring top honors in all three new artist categories. The angelically voiced Carrie Underwood seized trophies for Top New Female Vocalist and Single Record of the Year ("Jesus, Take the Wheel"), while rowdy hitmaker Jason Aldean scored this year's Top New Male Vocalist title. Top New Duo or Vocal Group honors were bestowed on the fresh and charismatic Sugarland.

Keith Urban and Ronnie Dunn

Vince Gill was recognized for his charitable endeavors as he received the fifth ever Academy of Country Music/Home Depot Humanitarian Award. Gill, overwhelmingly admired as both a musician and philanthropist, chose to give his award to a young girl named Caitlin he met through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

BMI’s Shelby Kennedy congratulates Carrie Underwood on her two ACM Awards at the Sony BMG after-party

Before the show, BMI legends Earl Scruggs, Kris Kristofferson, Little Jimmy Dickens and Bill Monroe were honored as ACM Pioneer recipients. The four honorees are all Country Music Hall of Famer inductees.

The night also featured a stirring tribute to the late country legend Buck Owens. A diverse assembly of musicians was introduced by Vince Vaughn and included Owens' protégé Dwight Yoakum, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, country star Brad Paisley, Buddy Alan Owens (son of Buck and Bonnie Owens), Buck Owens and the Buckaroos' original steel guitar player Tom Brumley, the Byrds' Chris Hillman and blink182/+44 rock drummer Travis Barker. The hodgepodge of musical genres participating reflected both the roots and impact of the "Bakersfield sound" Buck Owens cultivated and shared with millions.

The heroes behind the hit songs received wholly deserved attention the day before the awards. Monday night hosted behind the scenes entertainment as the first ever ACM Songwriters-in-the-Round event lent the spotlight to some of this year's hottest BMI songwriters: Jeffrey Steele, Bob DiPiero and Tony Mullins; Craig Wiseman was also featured. The four tunesmiths performed on the top floor of the MGM Grand Convention Center overlooking the Las Vegas strip.

The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 with a mission to support, promote and enhance the advancement of the country music industry worldwide. The Academy, which is comprised of more than 4,000 professional members and more than 35,000 associate members, is headquartered in Burbank, Calif.

BMI's 41st Annual ACM Winners:

Top Male Vocalist
Keith Urban

Top Female Vocalist
Sara Evans

Top Vocal Group
Rascal Flatts

Top Vocal Duo
Brooks & Dunn

Top New Male Vocalist
Jason Aldean

Top New Female Vocalist
Carrie Underwood

Top New Duo or Vocal Group
Sugarland

Song of the Year
"Believe"
Brooks & Dunn
Ronnie Dunn, writer
Sony/ATV Tree Publishing Co. and Showbilly Music

Vocal Event Of The Year
When I Get Where I’m Going
Dolly Parton

Video Of The Year
When I Get Where I’m Going
Dolly Parton

Audio Engineer of the Year
Justin Niebank

Fiddle Player of the Year
Jonathan Yudkin

“It’s one of those moments that I cherish and I’ll never forget,” says McDonald of winning Songwriter of the Year, and though Lonestar has won top vocal group honors from the Country Music Assn. and Academy of Country Music, McDonald says awards won for his songwriting are especially close to his heart. “They are all special, the CMA and ACM Awards, but there’s something about an award for songwriting. Songwriting is where you are pouring out your feelings. You open up your heart.”

It wasn’t McDonald’s first time in the spotlight at BMI’s annual Country Awards gala. He’s received numerous BMI citations and took home the Song of the Year accolade in 2002 for the Lonestar hit “I’m Already There.”

McDonald has come a long way from riding around Dallas in a Coca-Cola truck writing songs while working for the beverage company. “There’s a night and day difference,” he says of his writing then and now. “I came to Nashville 12 years ago thinking I was a songwriter and I found out real fast that I had a lot to learn. You find out that there’s a difference in where you are and where you want to be when you go out to writer’s night and hear great writers.”

He says he learned a great deal by co-writing with Ron Harbin, Tommy Lee James, Gary Baker and Bob DiPiero, among others. “I could go on and on and don’t want to leave somebody out, but these are the guys I’ve learned from,” he says. “They made me a better songwriter.”

McDonald says writing is a passion and, unlike some writer/artists, he has no problem writing on the road. In fact, he’ll frequently invite collaborators out on tours to co-write. “I’m always writing; it’s something I never turn off,” he says. “By the time we go back in the studio, I’ll have 60 songs that I’ve written, but there are a lot of other songs I have to compete with.”

On Lonestar’s latest BNA Records album, Coming Home, McDonald contributes six songs, but he says the group is always open to outside material. “I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve had the success that we’ve had,” says McDonald. “There are great songwriters in Nashville, and that’s all they do every single day. If we didn’t look at outside songs, we wouldn’t have gotten songs like ‘Amazed,’ ‘What About Now,’ and ‘No News,’ songs that have had a big impact on our career.”

On the other side of the coin, McDonald has had his songs recorded by other artists, including John Michael Montgomery, Billy Dean, Clay Walker and Sara Evans, who opens her new album, A Real Fine Place, with McDonald’s “Coal Mine.” “I just want to write a great song,” says McDonald. “If it’s cut by Lonestar, so be it. But if it sounds like somebody else, let’s pitch it.”

McDonald spent seven years as a Sony/ATV Tree songwriter, but now has his own publishing company called Loremoma Music, which combines letters of his wife Lorie’s name and that of their children Rhett, Mollie and Maisie. Though he hasn’t signed any other writers yet, he relishes the idea of mentoring novice songwriters. “I’m looking to [sign] some young writers and nurture them along,” he says. “There are some great ones out there and they just need a shot.”

When he tries to analyze what has made him successful as a songwriter, McDonald says it all comes down to writing about the people and things that are closest to him. “What’s worked best for me is to write from the heart,” he says. “That’s what I’ve had success with is songs like ‘I’m Already There,’ ‘My Front Porch Looking In,’ and ‘Let Them Be Little,’ songs that have really come from the heart.”