November 13, 2019
Dwight Yoakam Receives BMI President’s Award at the 2019 BMI Country Awards
Margo Price, Bob Weir, The Highwomen, Jason Isbell, and Jon Pardi Pay Tribute to the Musician and Songwriting Legend; “Rocky Top,” Nicolle Galyon, Ross Copperman, and Warner-Tamerlane Music Publishing Among Honorees at the Annual Event in Nashville
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) November 12, 2019 – Broadcast Music, Inc. presented its 2019 BMI Country Awards this evening, honoring the prolific musical career of BMI President’s Award recipient Dwight Yoakam, as well as the Country Songwriter, Song and Publisher of the Year. The 67th annual event, which is the genre’s oldest awards ceremony, also celebrated the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed country songs of the previous year. BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill hosted the ceremony at the Company’s office in Nashville, along with Jody Williams, BMI Vice President, Creative, Nashville.
Yoakam, who was named this year’s BMI President’s Award honoree, joins an elite list of songwriters including Kenny Chesney, P!nk, Harlan Howard, Brooks & Dunn, Pitbull, Adam Levine, Billy Sherrill, Toni Braxton, and others who have distinctly and profoundly influenced the music industry. During the evening, rising country star Jon Pardi, supergroup The Highwomen with guitar aficionado Jason Isbell, and country purist Margo Price with legendary Bob Weir paid musical tribute to Yoakam. Pardi brought his signature twang for an old-school rendition of “Guitars, Cadillacs,” while Margo Price and Bob Weir gave a rocking outlaw version of “Fast as You.” Finally, Nashville’s hottest supergroup, The Highwomen, serenaded the crowd with the perennial Yoakam favorite “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere,” with Isbell leading the band on guitar.
Early in the evening, Mike O’Neill and Jody Williams presented Del and Dane Bryant with the inaugural Evergreen Award for “Rocky Top,” written by BMI writers Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. The Evergreen Award recognizes those one-of-a-kind songs that have left an unforgettable imprint on our lives and an enduring legacy through the years. In addition to the presentation of the award, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder performed a rousing bluegrass version of the song. Senator Lamar Alexander, BMI Icon Dolly Parton, and two-time Superbowl winner and former UT quarterback Peyton Manning contributed videos paying homage to the song’s place in the history of country music, as well as within the state of Tennessee.
The coveted Songwriter of the Year award was presented to first-time winner Nicolle Galyon and third-time winner Ross Copperman, who are each responsible for four of this year’s award-winning songs. Galyon is the first female to be named BMI Country Songwriter of the Year since Taylor Swift took the title in 2010. Her writing credits include Lee Brice’s “Boy,” Keith Urban’s “Coming Home,” Lady Antebellum’s “Heartbreak” and Dan + Shay’s “Tequila,” which was named 2019 BMI Song of the Year later in the evening. Copperman, who also took the title this year, is responsible for Kenny Chesney’s “Get Along,” Blake Shelton’s “I Lived It,” Justin Moore’s “Kinda Don’t Care” and Dierks Bentley’s “Woman, Amen.”
Dan + Shay’s “Tequila” was named 2019 BMI Country Song of the Year. Published by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Group and written by BMI Songwriter of the Year recipient Nicolle Galyon and ASCAP’s Dan Smyers and Jordan Reynolds, the immensely successful crossover track was the most-performed country song of the year.
Taking home the Publisher of the Year accolade was Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Group, which is responsible for 24 of the 50 most-performed songs of the year, including megahits such as Luke Combs’ “Beautiful Crazy,” Keith Urban’s “Coming Home” featuring Julia Michaels, Dan + Shay’s “Tequila,” Jason Aldean’s “Drowns The Whiskey” featuring Miranda Lambert, and Morgan Wallen’s “Up Down,” featuring Florida Georgia Line. During the ceremony, BMI also saluted the songwriters and publishers of the 50 most-performed country songs of the previous year.
For a complete list of 2019 BMI Country Awards winners, please visit https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/2019-bmi-country-awards.
Photo and video footage can be accessed via the official EPK link early Wednesday morning at https://www.image.net/bmicountryawards2019.
Press Contacts:
Lauren Branson
lbranson@bmi.com
615-401-2737
Courtney Craun
ccraun@bmi.com
615-401-2735
(L-R) BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Liz Rose and BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill attend the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by John Shearer /Getty Images
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(L-R) BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Luke Bryan and BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill attend the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by John Shearer /Getty Images
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(L-R) BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay and BMI President &CEO Mike O'Neill attend the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by John Shearer /Getty Images
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(L-R) BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Carrie Underwood and BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill attend the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by John Shearer /Getty Images
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(L-R) BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Nicole Hocking, Luke Combs and BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill attend the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Dwight Yoakam accepts the BMI President's Award award from BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, and BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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(L-R) BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Hardy and BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill attend the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee
Photo by John Shearer /Getty Images
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(L-R) BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Katelyn Jae, Kane Brown and BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill attend the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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(L-R) BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Dwight Yoakam and Emily Joyce and BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill attend the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Jon Pardi performs at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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(L-R) BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd and BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill attend the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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(L-R) BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town, BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill and Phillip Sweet of Little Big Town attend the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Ricky Skaggs performs at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Carrie Underwood attends the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Nicolle Galyon speaks onstage at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Bob Weir and Margo Price perform at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Dwight Yoakam and Bob Weir attend the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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(Back row L-R) Jason Gantt, Chris Stevens, BMI's Mason Hunter, Rob Snyder, JP Williams, Channing Wilson, Riley Green, Hardy, Morgan Wallen, BMI's Leslie Roberts, Mark Holman, Blake Chaffin, Morgan Evans, Lindsay Rimes, Chase McGill, (front from L-R) Erik Dylan, Rob Williford, Will Weatherly, Brad Clawson, BMI's Jody Williams, Tofer Brown, Jeff Middleton on stage at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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(L-R) BMI's EVP of Creative & Licensing Mike Steinberg, Ross Copperman, BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill, and BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams attend at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by Erika Goldring /Getty Images
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BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill, Nicolle Galyon, BMI's EVP of Creative & Licensing Mike Steinberg and BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams attend at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by Erika Goldring /Getty Images
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(L-R) Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires of The Highwomen attend at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by Erika Goldring /Getty Images
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(L-R) BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neill, Ross Copperman, Nicolle Galyon, BMI's EVP of Creative & Licensing Mike Steinberg and BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams on stage at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by Erika Goldring /Getty Images
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BMI President & CEO Mike O'Neil, Shay Mooney and Dan Smyers of Dan + Shay, Nicolle Galyon, BMI's EVP of Creative & Licensing Mike Steinberg, Warner Chapel's Ben Vaughn, BMI's Mason Hunter and BMI Vice President, Creative, Jody Williams on stage at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by Erika Goldring /Getty Images
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(L-R) Amanda Shires, Maren Morris, Brandi Carlile and Natalie Hemby of The Highwomen perform onstage at 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by Erika Goldring /Getty Images
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Margo Price and Bob Weir perform onstage at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photo by Erika Goldring /Getty Images
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Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Group accepts an award onstage at the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Dwight Yoakam speaks during the 67th Annual Country Awards Dinner at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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