May 16, 2012
Carole King Named BMI Icon at 60th Annual BMI Pop Awards
Ester Dean, Benny Blanco and Pitbull share Songwriter of the Year crown; “Firework” named Song of the Year; Universal Music Publishing Group earns Publisher of the Year
Press Release
LOS ANGELES, May 15, 2012 — Global music rights leader Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) honored the songwriters and music publishers behind the year’s most-performed songs tonight at the organization’s 60th annual Pop Awards, held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Carole King received the BMI Icon Award recognizing the “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers” she has made through her incomparable catalog as a songwriter and recording artist.
Ester Dean, Benny Blanco and Pitbull all earned the coveted BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year title. Dean, Blanco and Pitbull each contributed five songs to the year’s most performed list. Dean composed “What’s My Name?,” “Rude Boy,” “S&M,” “Super Bass” and “Firework”; Blanco wrote “Blow,” “Please Don’t Go,” “Teenage Dream,” “We R Who We R” and “Dynamite”; and Pitbull penned “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love,” “Give Me Everything,” “Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor),” “I Like It” and “On the Floor.”
Dean enjoyed an especially big night, as “Firework” clinched BMI Pop Song of the Year honors for her and co-writer Sandy Vee, as well as publishers Dat Damn Dean Music and peermusic III, Ltd.
With 10 songs among the year’s most-performed, Universal Music Publishing Group claimed the prestigious BMI Pop Publisher of the Year crystal.
The all-star tribute to King featured promising young talent, an international star, and a golden-age pop idol, reflecting the broad appeal of King’s extraordinary work. 19 Recordings/Interscope Records recording artist and American Idol alumna Haley Reinhart delivered an inspiring performance of “Beautiful”; Universal Republic recording artist Colbie Caillat offered a soulful rendition of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”; and Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits capped off the tribute with “I’m into Something Good,” the debut smash for Herman’s Hermits in 1964.
As a BMI Icon, King joins an elite list that includes David Foster, John Fogerty, Kris Kristofferson, the Jacksons, the Bee Gees, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, James Brown, Carlos Santana, Dolly Parton, and others.
King was born in Brooklyn, and her songwriting career ignited nearby in Manhattan with Don Kirshner’s Aldon Music in the early 60s. With writing partner and then-husband Gerry Goffin, King topped charts with the Shirelles’ “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” then Bobby Vee’s “Take Good Care of My Baby.” A flood of hits followed: Little Eva’s “Loco-Motion,” the Chiffons’ “One Fine Day,” the Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” the Drifters’ “Up on the Roof,” Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” the Crystals’ “He Hit Me (And it Felt Like a Kiss)” and more. When she released her own album Tapestry in 1971, breathtaking songs such as “So Far Away,” “It’s Too Late,” “I Feel the Earth Move” and “You’ve Got a Friend” (also recorded by close friend James Taylor) propelled King to four Grammy wins and fueled the album’s six-year stay on the charts. King became a superstar, and Tapestry became the biggest-selling album of the era. To date, more than 400 of King’s timeless compositions have been recorded by more than 1000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles, many reaching No. 1. She has won 31 BMI songwriting awards spanning pop, r&b and country categories, and 18 of her compositions have earned more than one million performances. King is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The 60th annual BMI Pop Awards were hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant, along with Barbara Cane, BMI Vice President/General Manager, Los Angeles, and Phil Graham, BMI Senior Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations. For a complete list of 2012 winners, visit www.bmi.com.
High-resolution photos and video footage can be downloaded here:
http://www.epklink.com/2012bmipopawards/.
Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®), a global leader in rights management, is an American performing rights organization that represents more than 500,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music and more than 7.5 million musical works. BMI has represented the most popular and beloved music from around the world for more than 70 years. The company provides licenses for businesses that perform music, and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents. Find out more at www.bmi.com, follow @BMI on Twitter and stay connected through Facebook.
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CONTACT:
Marlene Meraz / BMI Los Angeles
310.289.6325 /
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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Musician Benji Madden arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Vice President and General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations Los Angeles Barbara Cane, BMI Pop Icon Award recipient Carole King, and BMI President and CEO Del Bryant attend the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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Songwriter and Song of the Year winner Ester Dean and BMI President and CEO Del Bryant pose backstage during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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BMI President and CEO Del Bryant and BMI Pop Icon Award recipient Carole King speak onstage during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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BMI Pop Songwriters of the Year Ester Dean and Benny Blanco pose backstage during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. Dean also earned Song of the Year honors for co-writing "Firework."
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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BMI Pop Icon Award recipient Carole King attends the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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Songwriter of the Year Benny Blanco poses in the audience at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer/songwriter Makeba Riddick arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Lisa Loeb (L) and Vice President and General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations Los Angeles Barbara Cane arrive at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer/songwriter Mark Foster arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California
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Legendary songwriters Gerry Goffin and BMI Pop Icon Award recipient Carole King pose during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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2011 BMI Icon honoree David Foster arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Sandra Lee arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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BC Jean arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California
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Sandy Vee, Ester Dean, and BMI President and CEO Del Bryant pose backstage during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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Vice President and General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations Los Angeles Barbara Cane, songwriter/producer Benny Blanco and BMI President and CEO Del Bryant arrive at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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Singer/songwriter Bonnie McKee arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Chord Overstreet (center) celebrates with brother Nash (right) and Nash's Hot Chelle Rae bandmate Ryan Keith Follese during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Music producer Lou Adler arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Havana Brown, AJ Junior, and Porcelain Black arrive at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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RedOne and David Foster arrive at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Chelsea Lauren/WireImage
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Singer/Songwriter BC Jean, Vice President and General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations Los Angeles Barbara Cane, BMI President and CEO Del Bryant and singer Chris Mann arrive at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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BMI Pop Songwriters of the Year Benny Blanco and Ester Dean celebrate with Mike O'Neill, SVP, Repertoire & Licensing for BMI, and Catherine Brewton, VP of Writer/Publisher Relations, Atlanta for BMI, during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Claude Kelly arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Chelsea Lauren/WireImage
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Pop music pioneers Cynthia Weil, Carole King, and Barry Mann pose during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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Musician Benji Madden (L) and Vice President and General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations Los Angeles Barbara Cane arrive at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Chelsea Lauren/WireImage
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Singer/songwriter Haley Reinhart arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Chelsea Lauren/WireImage
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Sandra Lee arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Chelsea Lauren/WireImage
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Singer Kesha (L) and Vice President and General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations Los Angeles Barbara Cane arrive at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Benny Blanco and Ke$ha show off their BMI Pop Awards for co-writing "We R Who We R" at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and singer/songwriter Ke$ha arrive at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Chelsea Lauren/WireImage
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Singer Kesha arrives at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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Vice President and General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations Los Angeles Barbara Cane (L) and songwriter Bonnie McKee arrive at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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Vice President and General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations, Los Angeles Barbara Cane, BMI Pop Award winner Ester Dean, Senior Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations Phil Graham and BMI President and CEO Del Bryant pose onstage during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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Legendary songwriters Cynthia Weil, Carole King, Jeff Barry and Barry Mann pose during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
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BMI Pop Icon Award recipient Carole King and towering song man Lou Adler pose during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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BMI Pop Songwriter and Song of the Year winner Ester Dean poses backstage during the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus, and Jon Street of production team Stereotypes arrive at the 60th annual BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on May 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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