Dolly Parton to be Honored as BMI ICON at Country Awards
| Dolly Parton will be honored as a BMI ICON for her "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers" during a special tribute at the 51st annual BMI Country Awards on November 4. BMI President & CEO Frances W. Preston will make the presentation during the black-tie gala, staged at the performing rights organization's Music Row home. |  |
With her first solo hit --"Dumb Blonde" -- in 1967, Parton launched a career that helped revolutionize the world of country music for women and, through her songwriting, performing, film & television projects and entrepreneurial ventures, has made her one of the most successful and recognizable artists in history. She has scored with more than 100 charting songs -- including 24 #1s -- and has collected 37 BMI Country and Pop Awards for such classics as "I Will Always Love You," "9 To 5," "Jolene," "Two Doors Down," "To Daddy," "Here You Come Again" and "Love Is Like A Butterfly."
A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame since 1999, Parton is nominated as Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2003 CMA Awards. Her songwriting is the subject of the recent tribute CD Just Because I'm a Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton and she will release her 73rd album, For God and Country, on November 11.
Parton joins previous BMI ICON honorees Bill Anderson, James Brown, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Little Richard, Isaac Hayes and the Motown songwriting trio Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland.
The annual BMI Country Awards salute the songwriters and publishers of the 50 most performed songs of the previous year, and will culminate in the announcements of Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year, and Most Performed Country Song of the Year (the Robert J. Burton Award). Preston and BMI Nashville Vice President Paul Corbin are hosts of the invitation-only event, the oldest awards program recognizing country music creators.
Check back here beginning at 10 pm CT/11 pm ET on November 4 for a complete list of 2003 BMI Country Award winners. High-resolution photos will also be available for downloading to registered users only at http://press.bmi.com.
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