BMI Country Awards To Honor Randy Owen

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Randy Owen. Photo: Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music

The legendary career of Alabama frontman Randy Owen will be celebrated during the 72nd annual BMI Country Awards. Owen will be presented as a BMI Icon, recognizing his prolific songwriting and significant contributions to country music during the invitation-only event.

The BMI Country Awards will be held at the company’s Nashville office on Nov. 19 and will be hosted by BMI’s President and CEO, Mike O’Neill alongside BMI’s Nashville VP of Creative, Clay Bradley. In addition to honoring Owen, awards will be given to the BMI Country Songwriter of the Year, Country Song of the Year and Country Publisher of the Year, while celebrating the top songwriters and music publishers behind this past year’s 50 most-performed songs in the genre.

“Randy Owen’s impact on country music is immeasurable and his songwriting has left an undeniable mark on the genre,” shares Bradley. “His talents have solidified Alabama as one of the most successful country bands of all time and his memorable melodies and relatable lyrics continue to influence countless artists that follow in his footsteps. We are honored to present him with this year’s BMI Icon Award.”

Since his 1974 affiliation with BMI, Owen has received more than 25 BMI Million-Air awards, earned the 2000 BMI President’s Award and received the BMI Country Song of the Year accolade in 1989 for “Fallin’ Again.” He and Alabama have been a cornerstone of country music for over five decades, notching 43 No. 1 singles and 80 million records sold.

A member of The Country Music Hall of Fame, Owen helped cement Alabama’s legendary status by co-writing at least half of the band’s signature chart-toppers like “Tennessee River,” “Mountain Music,” “Song of the South,” “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down,” “Feels So Right” and “Close Enough to Perfect.”

Members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Musician’s Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Alabama has collected 20 American Music Awards, 12 ACM Awards, two Grammy Awards and were named CMA’s Entertainer of the Year three years in a row.

In receiving the BMI Icon Award, Owen joins an impressive list of country legends including Matraca Berg, Toby Keith, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Dean Dillon, and Hank Williams, Jr., as well as multi-genre creative/songwriting royalty Stevie Nicks, Little Richard, Carole King, Patti LaBelle, Brian Wilson, James Brown, Janet Jackson, Bo Diddley, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Peter Gabriel, Al Green, Van Morrison, Sting, Bryan Ferry, Carlos Santana, Los Lobos and more.

LB Cantrell
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