SESAC Celebrates Hits & Heritage

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Jon Nite wins Songwriter of the Year at the 2023 SESAC Nashville Music Awards. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for SESAC

The annual SESAC awards kicked off country-music week festivities last night (Nov. 5) with a glamorous reception that honored the performance rights organization’s biggest Nashville songs of 2023.

Kane Brown with SESAC songwriters Christian Stalnecker and Josh Hoge. Photo: Katie Kauss

Jon Nite was honored as SESAC’s Songwriter of the Year. “Amazing!” he exclaimed. “Thank you guys. I don’t deserve this.” Nite recalled moving to Music City in 1998 with $500 in his pocket. “And now I’m here!” Shannan Hatch, who presented his award, also gave him a commemorative, gleaming, black Gibson J-200 guitar.

Nite was honored for co-writing “You Didn’t,” sung by Brett Young, the Gabby Barrett tune “Pick Me Up” and Tyler Hubbard’s “Dancin’ in the Country.” Hubbard, Barrett, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley and more saluted the songwriter via video. Sony Music Publishing Nashville, which publishes Nite’s works, was named SESAC’s Publisher of the Year.

Singer Kane Brown was on hand to present SESAC’s Song of the Year award to Christian Stalnecker and Josh Hoge, who co-wrote “Thank God.” Brown recorded the chart-toppling romantic country ballad as a duet with his singing wife Katelyn.

SESAC SVP, Head of Nashville Creative Shannan Hatch; Blanco Brown; Senior Director, Creative Services, Lydia Schultz Cahill. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for SESAC

Amid the awards for contemporary songwriting, the program paused to present the SESAC Heritage Award to Albert E. Brumley Music, which has feen affiliated with SESAC for 80 years. Albert E. Brumley (1905-1977) wrote “Turn Your Radio On,” “Rank Strangers to Me,” “I’ll Meet You in the Morning,” “Did You Ever Go Sailing,” “If We Never Meet Again (This Side of Heaven),” “This World Is Not My Home” and “He Set Me Free.” Jamey Johnson dramatically sang Brumley’s most iconic song, “I’ll Fly Away.” Betsy Brumley accepted on behalf of her family.

The other country and Americana songwriters honored were Kelsey Waldon (“Tall and Mighty”), Pete Good & Josh Jenkins (“Y’all Life” sung by Walker Hayes), Casey Brown (Parmalee’s “Girl in Mine”), Justin Ebach (Jon Pardi’s “Your Heart Or Mine”), Henry Brill (“All I Really Wanna Do”), Jim Lauderdale (“That Kind of Life”), Chris LaCorte (Sam Hunt’s “Water Under the Bridge”) and Jared Keim (Dustin Lynch’s “Party Mode”).

Song of the Year co-writer Josh Hoge picked up a second SESAC Award for his work on Kane Brown’s hit “Bury Me in Georgia.” Dillon Carmichael performed a forceful version of “Son of A” before getting his award for it. The first performer of the evening was Megan Moroney, who sang a winsome “Tennessee Orange,” which earned her a SESAC award. The song is a contender for Song of the Year at the CMA Awards. Not present at the gala were Zac Brown & Ben Simonetti, who won for their hit “Out in the Middle.”

Megan Moroney attend the SESAC 2023 Nashville Music Awards. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for SESAC

During the ceremony, Hatch asked veteran tunesmith Rafe Van Hoy to stand in the audience. She then led the attendees in a toast in honor of his induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame last month.

Presiding over the gala were SESAC CEO John Josephson and Senior Directors ET Brown and Lydia Schultz Cahill, plus SVP Shannan Hatch. The organization’s event producer, Tim Fink, greeted guests as they arrived at the Country Music Hall of Fame. The museum’s quietly elegant sixth floor event space was the SESAC venue.

More than 400 music-business attendees complimented the room. Sequined gowns were much in evidence, some accented with feathers. Male attire ranged from sport shirts to tuxedos, with smatterings of cowboy couture. Cocktail tables were draped in black with succulents as centerpieces. The stage was embellished with neon darts that changed colors.

The cocktail supper featured beef tenderloin, pulled pork and fried green tomato sliders. Guests also sampled customized mac & cheese, hot chicken tenders, truffled deviled eggs, tuna sushi on cucumber discs, tomato & mozzarella skewers, impossible-burger meatballs, vegges, cheeses, olives and other bites.

Sunday’s SESAC event marked the beginning of four nights of star-studded events in Music City leading up to Wednesday’s CMA Awards show.

2023 SESAC Nashville Awards Honorees:

“THANK GOD”
Written by: Josh Hoge, Christian Stalnecker
Published by: Blunts and Bonfires Music, Feels Like Friday, Sony Music Publishing, Chorus 2 Music, RMM 416 Publishing
Recorded by: Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown

“DANCIN’ IN THE COUNTRY”
Written by: Jon Nite
Published by: Cuts Like A Nite Music, Sony Music Publishing
Recorded by: Tyler Hubbard

“TENNESEE ORANGE”
Written by: Megan Moroney
Published by: Georgiamo, Sony Music Publishing
Recorded by: Megan Moroney

“YOUR HEART OR MINE”
Written by: Justin Ebach
Published by: Phat Racoon, Universal Tunes
Recorded by: Jon Pardi

“YOU DIDN’T”
Written by: Jon Nite
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Recorded by: Brett Young

“PICK ME UP”
Written by: Jon Nite
Published by: Cuts Like A Nite Music, Sony Music Publishing
Recorded by: Gabby Barrett

“GIRL IN MINE”
Written by: Casey Brown
Published by: Track & Feels, Warner Chappell Music, Tape Room Tunes
Recorded by: Parmalee

“WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE”
Written by: Chris LaCorte
Published by: Card Tables Music, Hang Your Hat Hits, Concord Tunes
Recorded by: Sam Hunt

“BURY ME IN GEORGIA”
Written by: Josh Hoge
Published by: Blunts and Bonfires Music, Chorus 2 Music, Sony Music Nashville
Recorded by: Kane Brown

“OUT IN THE MIDDLE”
Written by: Ben Simonetti, Zac Brown
Published by: Simonetti Music Publishing, Day For The Dead Publishing
Recorded by: Zac Brown Band

“Y’ALL LIFE”
Written by: Josh Jenkins, Pete Good
Published by: Follow Me Where I Go, SMACKWORKS Music
Recorded by: Walker Hayes

“SON OF A”
Written by: Dillon Carmichael
Published by: Riser House Tunes, Sony Music Publishing
Recorded by: Dillon Carmichael

“PARTY MODE”
Written by: Jared Keim
Published by: Twelve6 Sequoia, Warner Chappell Music
Recorded by: Dustin Lynch

“CHANGE OF HEART”
Written by: Margo Price, Jeremy Ivey
Published by: Peach Pit, Fisheye, RMM 416 Publishing, Good Songs We Love
Recorded by: Margo Price

“THAT KIND OF LIFE (THAT KIND OF DAY)”
Written by: Jim Lauderdale
Published by: Wudang Mountain Songs, Critter City Music
Recorded by: Jim Lauderdale

“TALL AND MIGHTY”
Written by: Kelsey Waldon
Published by: MyKaintuck Publishing, Do Write Music
Recorded by: Kelsey Waldon

“DON’T LET THE DARKNESS”
Written by: Ed Jurdi
Published by: Three Pisces Music
Recorded by: The Band of Heathens

“ALL I REALLY WANNA DO”
Written by: Henry Brill
Published by: Kobalt Group Publishing
Recorded by: Devon Gilfillian

Robert K Oermann
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