Photo Credit BMI

TOM T. HALL RECOGNIZED AS BMI ICON AT

60th ANNUAL BMI COUNTRY AWARDS

-- All-Star Lineup Pays Homage to One of the Original Master Craftsmen of Country Music --

-- Country Songs Make Up Half of Most-Performed Songs in 2011 from BMI Catalogue --

Photo Credit BMI

NASHVILLE, October 30, 2012 – Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the global leader in music rights management, honored its Country Songwriter, Song and Publisher of the Year at the 60th annual BMI Country Awards held at the company’s Nashville, TN building. Also saluted were the writers and publishers of the past year’s 50 most-performed songs on radio and TV from BMI’s country repertoire. In addition, the incredible songwriting career of Tom T. Hall was celebrated by naming him a BMI Icon.

The night’s powerful musical tribute to Tom T. Hall featured recent chart-toppers The Avett Brothers, who took the stage to deliver “That's How I Got To Memphis”; bluegrass power duo Dailey & Vincent, who performed “Can You Hear Me Now”; prodigal son Justin Townes Earle, who sang ‘Homecoming”; and superstar Toby Keith who sang “Faster Horses (The Cowboy And The Poet)” accompanied by Scotty Emerick.

Photo Credit BMI

“Tom T. Hall’s outstanding contributions of expertly crafted songs earned him the nickname “The Storyteller,” and as his songs have transitioned through traditional broadcasts and digital mediums, BMI has been proud to make that journey with him every step of the way, said BMI President & CEO Del Bryant. “Tom T. is the perfect example of why BMI’s determination and commitment to safeguard the value of music is so important.”

BMI represents the finest talent from Nashville and around the world, including Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, The Band Perry, Zac Brown Band, Lee Brice, Hunter Hayes, and Little Big Town, as well as countless other superstars. The 2011 Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association and CMT awards pointed to BMI’s unequaled clout in the country format, as BMI members took home 89%, 76% and 83% of the hardware presented in those ceremonies, respectively.

As steward of the world’s most diverse, in-demand musical repertoire, BMI is determined to continue fostering talent, educating and building awareness of the value of music in the entertainment industry and beyond.

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~ SEPTEMBER NEWS ~

Tom T. Hall is one of the original master craftsmen of country music, a distinct voice who elevated the art form by staying true to himself and fostering a sincere respect for his listeners.

Like the most expertly crafted short stories, Hall’s songs are detailed vignettes, vivid and familiar thanks to his unwavering devotion to the sharply drawn characters who populate them. The Kentucky native’s approach earned him the nickname “The Storyteller.” As a recording artist, Hall had seven No. 1 singles, all self-penned: “A Week in a Country Jail” (1969–70), “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died” (1971),“(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine” (1972–73),” “I Love” (1973–74), “Country Is” (1974), “I Care” (1974–75), and “Faster Horses (the Cowboy and the Poet)” (1976). The Grammy winner also famously wrote smashes for others, including “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” which Jeannie C. Riley took to No. 1 on country and pop charts in 1968, as well as “The Pool Shark,” a chart-topper for Dave Dudley; “(Margie’s at) the Lincoln Park Inn" and “That’s How I Got to Memphis,” recorded by Bobby Bare; and “Little Bitty,” a mega-hit for Alan Jackson in the late 90s. Hall has earned a total of 31 BMI Awards for songwriting spanning country and pop genres, and six of his songs have accumulated more than one million performances each. In 2008, he was welcomed into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2011, songwriters Eric Brace and Peter Cooper produced their own take on seminal 1974 children’s album Songs of Fox Hollow. The project, I Love: Tom T. Hall’s Songs of Fox Hollow, featuring top-tier roots artists delivering new versions of the classic songs, was nominated for a Grammy, reflecting the undiminished resonance of Hall’s music.

In addition to Americana, it should also be noted that since Hall's retirement from touring, he has enjoyed mega writing success in the worlds of both traditional and modern bluegrass music and old time country, as well as classic and progressive country. He has collaborated extensively with his wife Miss Dixie, and the Halls were named SPBGMA Songwriter of the Year for 10 consecutive years, garnering them the Master's Gold and Grand Master's Gold award. It is never surprising to see as many as five or six Hall compositions at a time in the bluegrass charts, several of them reaching No. 1, such as “Bill Monroe For Breakfast,” which Hall recorded himself; a new version of “That's How I Got To Memphis” by Charlie Sizemore; “Clinch Mountain Mystery” by The Larry Stephenson Band; “Train Songs” by Ralph Stanley II; “Train Without a Track” by Junior Sisk and Rambler's Choice; and “The Boys In Hats and Ties” by Big Country Bluegrass, just to name a few.

Hall’s personal story is also uniquely tied to BMI: He met Miss Dixie, his wife of 45 years, at the 1965 BMI Country Awards in Nashville.

For more on Tom T. Hall, read Peter Cooper’s feature in BMI MusicWorld.

During the BMI Country Awards, BMI will crown the Country Songwriter, Song and Publisher of the Year and salute the writers and publishers of the past year’s 50 most-performed songs from BMI’s country catalog. BMI President & CEO Del Bryant will host the ceremony with Jody Williams, BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville; and Clay Bradley, BMI Associate Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville.

Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®), a global leader in music 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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Tom T. Hall Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T.
is available at these locations:

Interview with Jack Wright on "All Things Considered" on NPR Radio

The Lonesome Pine Office on Youth announces the release of the two-CD set “Music of Coal: Mining Songs from the Appalachian Coalfields.” Two years in the making, this pair of audio CDs contains 48 songs addressing various aspects of coal mining history and culture, including black lung, union organizing, environmental impacts and the contribution of coal to the national economy. The CDs are accompanied by a richly detailed book of liner notes with striking historical photographs. “This has been a collaborative effort involving many people in the Wise County area as well as noted experts across the country,” said Paul Kuczko, director of the Lonesome Pine Office on Youth and executive producer of the CD project. “We’ve assembled more than two hours of music that truly gives the flavor of our coal mining heritage.” According to Jack Wright, who produced the CDs and wrote the liner notes, the musical collection is a “hybrid” of old and new songs - some previously recorded, others produced specifically for this project. “We chose some songs that came out previously on independent labels and may not have been well known, but are vital in telling original stories from the heart of the coalfields,” Wright said. “In addition, we have well established artists represented here, like Ralph Stanley, Dwight Yoakum, Natalie Merchant, Tom T. Hall, Blue Highway and the Carter Family.”

August 14th CD Review: Tom T. Sings Miss Dixie and Tom T.