BMI Honors John Oates With 2024 Troubadour Award

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Pictured (L-R): Clay Bradley, BMI’s Mason Hunter, Troubadour John Oates, BMI’s Mike Steinberg and BMI’s Mike O’ Neill. Photo: Erika Goldring/BMI

BMI awarded John Oates with its coveted Troubadour Award last night (Sept. 16) during a private dinner reception at BMI’s Nashville location. Designed to recognize songwriters on the mastery of the American musical landscape, Oates’ legacy was celebrated by a bevy of performers and speakers.

Guthrie Trapp, Sam Bush and Tom Bukavoc jam at the 2024 BMI Troubadour Awards. Photo: Erika Goldring for BMI

BMI’s President and CEO, Mike O’ Neill, alongside BMI Nashville’s VP of Creative, Clay Bradley, presided over the evening.

“A Troubadour is someone who mixes knowledge with memories and puts that into songs to help us better understand the connections we all share,” Bradley said. “John Oates is the epitome of that. For the past 15 years, he has deepened the Americana community with his timeless albums like Arkansas and Reunion and he continues to raise the bar with music that transcends time.”

Oates’ musical footprint was highlighted throughout the evening with performances by Bekka Bramlett (“Stand Strong”), Sam Bush (“Arkansas”), AJ Croce (“Reunion”), Wendy Moten with Rome Ramirez (“She’s Gone”) and Molly Tuttle (“Out of Touch”). The honoree himself closed out the night with a performance of his new song “Mending,” featuring Devon Gilfillian.

Molly Tuttle performs at the 2024 BMI Troubadour Awards. Photo: Erika Goldring for BMI

Former BMI President and Chief Executive Officer, Del Bryant, shared words about Oates, as did longtime friends and collaborators James Burton, Roger Daltrey, Chris Epting and The War & Treaty. The evening’s band was compromised of prolific instrumentalists Tom Bukovac, Guthrie Trapp, Steve Mackey, Greg Morrow, Russ Pahl and Jimmy Wallace.

Now a Troubadour Award recipient, Oates joins the ranks with Billy F Gibbons and Robert Earl Keen, who were in the audience last night, along with John Hiatt, John Prine and Lucinda Williams. Also in attendance were many BMI affiliates like Ronnie Bowman, BMI Icon Bob DiPiero, The Band Loula, She Returns From War, SistaStrings, Liz Rose and Daniel Tashian.

The Troubadour Award serves as a precursor to AmericanaFest, which takes over Nashville Sept. 17-21.

Devon Gilfillian and 2024 BMI Troubadour John Oates debut a new song. Photo: Erika Goldring for BMI

Wendy Moten and Rome Ramirez perform. Photo: Erika Goldring for BMI

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