Born in Boston and raised in Kentucky, Colorado and South Florida, school brought her back to Cambridge. She started to sing as a child and spent years studying classical voice and piano, and in high school sang in everything from alt rock garage bands and Motown funk bands to jazz and classical choirs and church. At the end of high school, she taught herself guitar when an uncle gave her his old acoustic. But the sum of these parts wasn’t clear to anyone until she left home for college, where the truth was revealed on the streets of Harvard Square.

Mieka’s ability to captivate audiences first made her a favorite of Boston’s best clubs including The Paradise Lounge, House of Blues, Club Passim and Kendall Café - and next at New York’s renowned Bitter End, Living Room, Makor, Knitting Factory and Village Underground. In Summer 2002 she graduated from Harvard with a degree in Biological Anthropology, won BMI’s Rock Boat Song Contest, and placed top three at the famed Telluride Troubadour Competition. In 2003 she was invited to perform at four of the top music festivals in the country: The Newport Folk Festival, On The Bricks in Atlanta, Dancin’ In The District in Nashville and a return trip to The Rock Boat. 2004 included the month-long Citizen Cope Northeast Tour, the first ever BMI/NACA “See It Hear First” showcase, sharing a bill with Eric Clapton at Boston’s Tweeter Center, and winning the prestigious Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Songwriter Showcase. In 2005 she was nominated for a Boston Music Award, won the first ever Starbucks Emerging Artist Award, and recorded a new EP with producer John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Jason Mraz, Rachel Yamagata, Josh Kelly, Lifehouse, Liz Phair, Trevor Hall and others), due to be released in early 2006.

Over these first 36 months of her young career, she’s become the embodiment of the musician road warrior: A girl, a guitar, and a car - crisscrossing the country and playing over 450 club and college shows from northern Maine to southern Florida, from the Pacific Northwest to southern California, from the Colorado Rockies to the Tennessee valleys to the Great Lakes States and all points between - and back around the bases of street corners, cafés and clubs of Boston - even sliding into home plate at Fenway Park for a National Anthem. She has shared the bill with such artists as Eric Clapton, Wyclef Jean, Jason Mraz, John Legend, the Black Eyed Peas, John Hiatt, Blues Traveler, Martin Sexton, Jesse Harris, Mindy Smith, Edwin McCain, Citizen Cope, Shawn Mullins, Marc Broussard, Talib Kweli, North Mississippi All-Stars, Ben Lee, Tift Merritt and Erin McKeown, among many others.

A recent Boston Globe feature on her perhaps said it best: “While the eyes may be the windows to the soul, Mieka Pauley lets you in through her voice (as unstoppable as a flood) and through her lyrics (as personal as diary entries). She’s making her voice heard, and not just on the streets of Harvard Square.”

Tim McGraw	Big & Rich	Toby Keith

CMT viewers began voting on February 16 for their favorite videos on CMT.com to determine the finalists, and later the winners. The first round of voting will end on March 10, when the votes will be tabulated and the field will be narrowed to four finalists in each category.

Alison Krauss	Martina McBride	Shania Twain

On Wednesday, March 16, CMT will announce the four finalists in each category except Video of the Year. Fans will be able to vote online at CMT.com through April 8 to determine the winners in all categories except Video of the Year. The winner of Video of the Year will be determined by viewers at CMT.com during the live telecast of the awards show.

Keith Urban	Los Lonely Boys

All category winners will be announced on Monday, April 11, on the live 2005 CMT Music Awards, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy.

BMI's nominees for 2005 CMT MUSIC AWARDS are:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich - "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)"
Alison Krauss - "Whiskey Lullaby"
Keith Urban - "Days Go By"
Rascal Flatts - "Feels Like Today"
Tim McGraw - "Live Like You Were Dying"
Toby Keith - "Stays In Mexico"

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Blake Shelton - "Some Beach"
Charlie Robison - "El Cerrito Place"
Keith Urban - "Days Go By"
Tim McGraw - "Live Like You Were Dying"
Toby Keith - "Stays In Mexico"

Loretta Lynn	Brooks & Dunn

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Loretta Lynn - "Miss Being Mrs."
Martina McBride - "How Far"
Shania Twain - "Don't"

GROUP/DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss & Union Station - "Restless"
Big & Rich - "Holy Water"
Brooks & Dunn - "That's What It's All About"
Lonestar - "Mr. Mom"
Los Lonely Boys - "Heaven"
Montgomery Gentry - "If You Ever Stop Loving Me"
Rascal Flatts - "Feels Like Today"

Jimmy Buffett	Lonestar

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss - "Whiskey Lullaby"
Jimmy Buffett and Martina McBride - "Trip Around The Sun"
Jimmy Buffett with Clint Black and Toby Keith - "Hey Good Lookin'"
Uncle Kracker - "When The Sun Goes Down"
Loretta Lynn and Jack White - "Portland, Oregon"
Tim McGraw - "Over And Over"
Shania Twain - "Party For Two"
Travis Tritt - "What Say You"

HOTTEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Keith Urban - "You're My Better Half"
Tim McGraw - "Over And Over"
Sara Evans - "Suds In The Bucket"
Shania Twain - "When You Kiss Me"
Toby Keith - "Whiskey Girl"

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich - "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)"
Julie Roberts - "Break Down Here"
Los Lonely Boys - "Heaven"
Mindy Smith - "Come To Jesus"
Sugarland - "Baby Girl"

MOST INSPIRING VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich - "Holy Water"
Brooks & Dunn - "That's What It's All About"
Martina McBride - "God's Will"
Tim McGraw - "Live Like You Were Dying"

Hefty praise, but Smith's stunning debut, One Moment More (Vanguard), seems to warrant it. The tender agonies and hard truths she deftly puts to song connected with a wide variety of music lovers, including critics from Rolling Stone ("Smith's voice is marvelous") to The New York Times ("excellent debut"). The Los Angeles Times even called Smith's hopeful ballad "Angel Doves" "as moving as any pop effort this side of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.'"

Smith recorded "Jolene" for last year's Parton tribute album, and the two dueted earlier this year on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. After the February 2004 debut of One Moment More, which Smith co-produced with veteran Steve Buckingham, every music journalist on the planet was clamoring for a few words, and Smith kept up a tour schedule that would wither a seasoned road warrior. But this adopted daughter of a Baptist minister father and choir director mom delivered the goods at every turn.

Reared on Long Island, NY, and transplanted to Knoxville, Tennessee in her teens, Smith is surprised at and grateful for the welcome. She is pragmatic, positive and downright funny in conversation, even if her songs suggest otherwise.

"Success is new. I've been a miserable failure the better part of my life," she says, letting loose a deep laugh, "and this is what a lot of those songs are about." But even with that gratitude for the positive reception, riding a fast train to fame is never easy. And her honesty in song also brings the particular burden of baring your soul over and over when you've done a deeply autobiographical album. "It can be draining," she admits without a shred of self-pity, "to go out there and do these songs every night and scrape up the pieces when I'm done. And then go out and do it again."

It's that unflagging candor in conversation and lyric, the latter of which is wrapped in a roots-rock carriage and propelled to the soul-ethers on a feather-bed soprano, that's endeared her to us. Whether it's a self-directed reminder of faith in hard times, as in "Come to Jesus," or chronicling a tough emotional childhood, as in "Raggedy Ann," or the raw yearning for her mother in the title track, Mindy Smith has given us both hope of surviving our hard times and the comfort of knowing there's someone who not only understands our angst, but has followed the rites of the people's poet, and set it all to beautiful music.

Mindy Smith performs	Loretta Lynn	Chris Hillman
mindy smith photo: Adam Menter for echomusic.com chris hillman photo: echomusic.com

The Americana Honors & Awards Show was held at the 5th annual Americana Music Association Conference in Nashville, where registrants enjoyed Americana artist showcases, panels and other events.

Billy Joe Shaver presents the New/Emerging Artist award to Mindy Smith. photo: Mark Montgomery for echomusic.com

Lorrie Bennett, Janette Carter, Rita Forrester and Carlene Carter accept the President's Award. photo: echomusic.com

Jack Clement and Americana Music Association Executive Director J.D. May. photo: echomusic.com

Will Kimbrough gives thanks after being named Instrumentalist of the Year. photo: Adam Menter for echomusic.com

Congratulations to BMI's Americana Honors & Awards winners:

Album of the Year
Loretta Lynn
Van Lear Rose

Artist of the Year
Loretta Lynn

Instrumentalist of the Year
Will Kimbrough

New/Emerging Artist of the Year
Mindy Smith

Lifetime Achievement Performer
Chris Hillman

Lifetime Achievement Songwriter
Cowboy Jack Clement

President's Award
The Carter Family]]> 2004-10-17T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234155 Artists, Adams, Ryan, Alabama, Blind Boys of Alabama, The, Broussard, Marc, Cake, Cash, Rosanne, Crow, Sheryl, Crowley, Kacy, Deadman, Green, Pat, Greencards, The, Honorary Title, The, Mali, Papa, Mason, Willy, Montgomery, Monte, Murphy, Trish, Phish, Raines, Davis, Smith, Mindy, Stollenwerck, Samantha, Van Zandt, J.T., White, Jason, Williams, Holly, Musical Styles, Country, Rock BMI will host a singer/songwriter stage at the 3rd Annual Austin City Limits Music Festival, to be held September 17-19 in Austin's Zilker Park (2100 Barton Springs Road). Writers featured on this year's expanded stage will include J.T. Van Zandt, Samantha Stollenwerck, Marc Broussard, Jason White, Kacy Crowley, the Honorary Title, Davis Raines, Bobby Bare, Jr., Monte Montgomery, Willie Mason, Trish Murphy, Papa Mali, Deadman, Holly Williams, and the Greencards.

Other BMI artists performing throughout the three-day music fest include Sheryl Crow, the Pixies, American Analog Set, Phish's Trey Anastasio, Endochine, Pat Green, Reckless Kelly, Solomon Burke, Cake, Ryan Adams, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Mindy Smith, Rosanne Cash and My Morning Jacket.

The ACL Festival focuses on alternative country and roots music and will present more than 130 bands on eight stages over three days. The Festival takes its name from the award-winning PBS series that has been showcasing live music for almost 30 years. Produced by Capital Sports & Entertainment, this year's stage sponsors also include SBC, HEB, Heineken, Cingular Wireless, Austin Ventures LP, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Bank of America.

BMI Singer/Songwriter Stage Schedule:

Friday, September 17
11:30-12:00 Kacy Crowley
1:10-1:50 Willy Mason
3:10-3:50 Marc Broussard
5:10-5:50 The Honorary Title
7:10-7:50 J.T. Van Zandt

J.T. Van Zandt	Willy Mason	Marc Broussard

Kacy Crowley	The Honorary Title

Saturday, September 18
11:30-12:00 The Greencards
1:10-1:50 Deadman
3:10-3:50 Trish Murphy
5:10-5:50 Holly Williams
7:10-7:50 Monte Montgomery

Jason White	Deadman

Monte Montgomery	Trish Murphy	Holly Williams

Sunday, September 19
11:20-11:50 Davis Raines
12:55-1:35 Samantha Stollenwerck
2:40-3:20 Papa Mali
4:40-5:20 Bobby Bare, Jr.
6:40-7:20 Jason White

Davis Raines	Samantha Stollenwerck	Papa Mali

Bobby Bare, Jr.	The Greencards

Pictured at the nomination announcement at BMI Nashville are BMI's Mark Mason, Allison Moorer, Buddy Miller and the Americana Music Association's J.D. May.

With three mentions each, BMI writer/artists Loretta Lynn and Mindy Smith are the leading finalists. Lynn was nominated as Artist of the Year and was cited in the album category for Van Lear Rose and the song category for "Portland, Oregon."

Loretta Lynn	Mindy Smith	Slaid Cleaves

Smith joined Lynn on the album list with One Moment More and on the song list with "Come To Jesus." She is also nominated in the newly-created New/Emerging Artist category.

BMI affiliate Slaid Cleaves earned two mentions: for the album Wishbones and the title song.

Allison Moorer	Adrienne Young	Jerry Douglas

Other BMI nominees announced at the reception were Allison Moorer, Adrienne Young, the Greencards, Old Crow Medicine Show, and instrumentalists Jerry Douglas, Kenny Vaughan, Sam Bush and Will Kimbrough.

Old Crow Medicine Show	Greencards

BMI's 2004 Americana Honors and Awards Nominees

Album of the Year
One Moment More
Mindy Smith
Van Lear Rose
Loretta Lynn
Wishbones
Slaid Cleaves

Artist of the Year
Loretta Lynn
Allison Moorer

Kenny Vaughan	Sam Bush	Will Kimbrough

Song of the Year
"Come to Jesus"
Mindy Smith
"Portland, Oregon"
Loretta Lynn
"Wishbones"
Slaid Cleaves

Instrumentalist
Sam Bush
Jerry Douglas
Will Kimbrough
Kenny Vaughan

New/Emerging Artist
Greencards
Old Crow Medicine Show
Mindy Smith
Adrienne Young]]> 2004-07-27T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233979 Artists, Camp, Shawn, Rochelle, Karyn, Sherrill, John Scott, Smith, Mindy, Musical Styles, Country Shawn Camp ("Two Pina Coladas"), Karyn Rochelle ("One More Time"), John Scott Sherrill ("How Long Gone") and Vanguard recording artist Mindy Smith ("Come To Jesus").

Pictured at BMI Nashville are John Scott Sherrill, BMI's Thomas Cain, Karyn Rochelle, Mindy Smith, Big Yellow Dog Music's Carla Wallace and Shawn Camp. photo by Brian Tipton

]]> 2004-02-29T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233870 Artists, Jones, Norah, Krauss, Alison, Lynne, Shelby, Parton, Dolly, Smith, Mindy, Twain, Shania, Musical Styles, Rock Mindy Smith marked the premiere of her video "Jolene" with a screening party at BMI Nashville. Directed by Trey Fanjoy, "Jolene" is Smith's contribution to the Dolly Parton tribute album Just Because I'm A Woman (Sugar Hill Records), which also features Alison Krauss, Norah Jones, Shania Twain, Joan Osborne, Shelby Lynne and Sinead O'Connor. A writer for Big Yellow Dog Music, Smith is finishing up her debut album, due in January.

BMI's Mark Mason, Welk Music Group's Steve Buckingham and Larry Welk, Mindy Smith, BMI's Deanna Bruton, Trey Fanjoy, Welk Music Group's Kevin Welk

Big Yellow Dog's Kerry O'Neil, Mindy Smith, Big Yellow Dog's Carla Wallace

Steve Fishell, Susan Haynes, MCA's Clay Bradley, Sony's Tracy Gershon, Welk Music Group's Larry Welk

Rob Capwell, Sugar Hill's Kim Fowler, Vanguard's Lellie Capwell, AMA's J D May

Brit Stokes, Teresa, Trey Fanjoy, Manuel, Anastasia Brown

Gary Burr, Renee White

photos by Beth Gwinn]]> 2003-10-14T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233854 Artists, Camp, Shawn, Keen, Robert Earl, Lambert, Miranda, Ritter, Josh, Smith, Mindy, Thorn, Paul, Van Zandt, J.T., Warden, Monte, Musical Styles, Country, Dance  

The 2nd Annual Austin City Limits Music Festival was bigger and better in every way: more music, more stages, greater attendance - even one more day. The event, produced by Capital Sports & Entertainment, was held September 19-21 across 15 acres in Zilker Park, and drew nearly 150,000 music fans total during the long weekend.

BMI sponsored a Singer/Songwriter stage which featured Pauline Reese, Shawn Camp, Robert Earl Keen, J.T. Van Zandt, Alexi Murdoch, Corn Mo, Jeff Klein, Justin King, Mason Jennings, Bruce Robison, Josh Ritter, Monte Warden, Paul Thorn, Kaki King, Tim Easton, Mindy Smith and Miranda Lambert.

The ACL Festival focuses on alternative country and roots music and presented more than 130 bands on eight stages over three days. The Festival takes its name from the award-winning PBS series that has been showcasing live music for almost 30 years. This year's title sponsor was communications giant SBC; stage sponsors in addition to BMI were HEB, Heineken, Cingular Wireless, Austin Ventures LP, Jackson Walker LLP, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Blackstone Winery.

Sunset at the festival

Robert Earl Keen

Miranda Lambert

Other BMI artists performing throughout the three-day music fest are Pat Green, REM, Lucinda Williams, The Gourds, Al Green, Bright Eyes, Patrice Pike, Spoon, Steve Winwood, Yo La Tengo, Tift Merritt, Rosanne Cash and Dwight Yoakam.

Mason Jennings

Corn Mo

Justin King

The ACL Festival focuses on alternative country and roots music and will present more than 130 bands on eight stages over three days. The Festival takes its name from the award-winning PBS series that has been showcasing live music for almost 30 years. Produced by Capital Sports & Entertainment, this year's title sponsor is communications giant SBC; other stage sponsors include HEB, Heineken, Cingular Wireless, Austin Ventures LP, Jackson Walker LLP, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Blackstone Winery.

Pauline Reese

Kaki King

Mindy Smith

BMI Singer/Songwriter Stage Schedule:

Friday, September 19
1:45 - 2:30 Pauline Reese
3:00 - 3:45 Shawn Camp
4:15 - 5:00 Robert Earl Keen
5:30 - 6:15 J.T. Van Zandt
6:45 - 7:30 Alexi Murdoch

Saturday, September 20
12:30 - 1:15 Corn Mo
1:45 - 2:30 Jeff Klein
3:00 - 3:45 Justin King
4:15 - 5:00 Mason Jennings
5:30 - 6:15 Bruce Robison
6:45 - 7:30 Josh Ritter

Sunday, September 21
12:30 - 1:15 Monte Warden
1:45 - 2:30 Paul Thorn
3:00 - 3:45 Kaki King
4:15 - 5:00 Tim Easton
5:30 - 6:15 Mindy Smith
6:45 - 7:30 Miranda Lambert]]> 2003-09-16T18:00:00-05:00