BMI honors Songwriters of the Year Luke Laird and Dallas Davidson. (L-R): BMI's Jody Williams, Luke Laird, BMI's Del Bryant, Dallas Davidson and BMI's Clay Bradley.

Tuesday night’s (10/30) BMI Country Awards honored the Country Songwriter, Song and Publisher of the Year, as well as legendary songwriter Tom T. Hall and the writers and publishers of the past year’s 50 most-performed songs on radio and TV from BMI’s country repertoire. The exclusive event was held at the organization’s Music Row offices.

Songwriter of the Year: Dallas Davidson, “Country Girl (Shake It for Me)” and “I Don’t Want This Night to End” recorded by Luke Bryan; “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” by Justin Moore; and “Just a Kiss” and “We Owned the Night” recorded by Lady Antebellum.

Songwriter of the Year: Luke Laird, “A Little Bit Stronger” by Sara Evans; “Baggage Claim” by Miranda Lambert; “Drink in My Hand” by Eric Church; “You” by Chris Young; and “Take a Back Road,” recorded by Rodney Atkins.

Song of the Year: “Take a Back Road,” Luke Laird and Rhett Akins. Published by EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. and Universal Music Careers, the song earned more than one million performances in 2011, making it one of the most-performed songs of the year in any genre of music.

Publisher of the Year: Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville, with 24 songs on the year’s most-performed list, including “Take a Back Road”; Taylor Swift’s “Mean”; Kenny Chesney’s “Live a Little”; Eli Young Band’s “Crazy Girl”; Keith Urban’s “You Gonna Fly”; The Band Perry’s “All Your Life”; and Blake Shelton’s “Honey Bee.”

Proof of Country’s Power: 10 of the top 20 most-performed works in the U.S. in 2011 from BMI’s repertoire were country songs

Tom T. Hall was named BMI Icon and saluted with a musical tribute by The Avett Brothers (“That’s How I Got To Memphis”); Dailey & Vincent (“Can You Hear Me Now”); Justin Townes Earle (“Homecoming”); and Toby Keith with Scotty Emerick (“Faster Horses (The Cowboy And The Poet)”).

As a recording artist in the early to mid 1970s, Hall had seven self-penned No. 1 singles: “A Week in a Country Jail,” “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died,” “(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine,” “I Love,” “Country Is,” “I Care,” and “Faster Horses (the Cowboy and the Poet).” The Grammy winner and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee also wrote mega hits for others, including Jeannie C. Riley’s “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” Dave Dudley’s “The Pool Shark,” Alan Jackson’s “Little Bitty,” and Bobby Bare’s “(Margie’s at) the Lincoln Park Inn” and “That’s How I Got to Memphis.”

More coverage of the BMI Country Awards will be posted later today in MusicRow’s exclusive column “Bobby Karl Works The Room.”

(L-R): Clay Bradley, Dallas Davidson, Del Bryant, Tom T. Hall, Luke Laird, Rhett Akins and Jody Williams

SESAC's Tim Fink, Catt Gravitt, Jon Stone, SESAC's Pat Collins and Trevor Gale. Photo by Ed Rode

Chapter 411

SESAC is galloping toward the winner’s circle. Once small and intimate, the organization’s annual country-music awards banquet is now almost as big a schmooze-fest as its larger rivals. Staged on the 21st floor of The Pinnacle downtown, the Sunday night soiree (10/28) was also notable for live music, award surprises and fellowship.

Another measure of its new competitiveness was announced by SESAC president Pat Collins. “I am honored to tell you that in three short days, SESAC will become the first performance rights organization to distribute MONTHLY royalty payments to songwriters,” he stated. “We intend to increase our services to songwriters. Enjoy the dinner, enjoy the show and most of all enjoy each other.”

The night’s big winners included Publisher of the Year Sony-ATV/EMI-Foray, presented by Trevor Gale to Troy Tomlinson and Tom Luteran. The Song of the Year winner was “A Woman Like You,” accepted by Jon Stone. Country Songwriter of the Year went to a delighted Cat Gravitt, who has provided winning numbers to Jake Owen, Edens Edge and Jana Kramer during the past year.

Gravitt described herself as “shocked, grateful and so blessed.” She spoke of her profession as a great gift to her. “Every day I wake up and get to play in the sandbox with my songwriting friends.”

Also among the country-music songwriting award winners were Arlos Smith, Craig Campbell, Ashe Underwood, Phillip Coleman, Anthony Smith, Hillary Scott, Monty Powell, Brice Long, Lance Miller and Rob Hatch. The last-named is married to SESAC’s Shannon Hatch, who assisted John Mullens and host Tim Fink in the presentations despite being quite pregnant with their soon-to-be-son, Henry.

We also paused to remember the recently departed Tim Johnson, a SESAC songwriting stalwart who was a tremendous mentor to younger writers.

SESAC is the only performing rights organization that salutes songwriters in the Americana genre. Dennis Lord presided over this segment of the ceremony. You will recall that he was recently honored by the Americana Music Association for being its founding president.

Americana winners Bob Dylan, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Jim Lauderdale were not present. Nor was the long-deceased Robert Johnson, although his grandson Michael Johnson was there to accept on the blues legend’s behalf. Dustin Welch won for his contributions to the current CD by Justin Townes Earle.

A highlight of the gala was that there was plenty of music, music, music. Indeed, the Americana segment was capped by Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers, who performed a haunting “The Ballad of Love and Hate” and accepted a SESAC Summit Award. Thompson Square (“If I Didn’t Have You”), Monty Powell with Anna Wilson and Mike Vaughn (“For You”) and Lee Brice (“A Woman Like You”) were also terrific.

The 30^th anniversary of The Bluebird Café was celebrated with a mini in-the-round featuring Gary Burr (“I Try to Think About Elvis,” “That’s My Job”), Victoria Shaw (“The River,” “I Love the Way You Love Me”), Kim Williams (“Three Wooden Crosses,” “Papa Loved Mama”) and Don Henry (“Where’ve You Been,” “All Kinds of Kinds”). “Close your eyes and imagine yourselves at that little club that has changed so many lives,” said Fink. “Shhhhhh!” Bluebird founder Amy Kurland and manager Erika Wollam Nichols took the stage to a standing ovation.

Celebrity presenters popped up throughout the ceremony. For instance, Nashville TV show cast members Charles Esten, Sam Palladio and Jonathan Jackson took part in the Bluebird salute. Jerrod Niemann, Jana Kramer and the aforementioned Lee Brice and Hillary Scott also greeted the banquet attendees. “This is always such a fun party,” said Lady Antebellum’s Scott.

Speaking of the banquet, you will not find a better repast all week than at the SESAC event. Our first course was baby greens dressed with port-soaked cranberries, clementine orange slices, toasted almonds, blue cheese wedges and cinnamon raspberry vinaigrette. The main course was crab-stuffed filet mignon, herbed gnocchi, tomato gratin and roast corn fennel sauce over spinach and seared shrimp. I don’t usually eat dessert, but who could resist the chocolate-and-butterscotch pot de crème with pumpkin seed brittle and whipped cream?

Miss Mary and I estimated the crowd at 500, and it looked bigger than ever. Merrily mingling were The Roys, Ron Stuve, Rod Essig, Roger Nichols, Steve Moore, Steve Fishell & Tracy Gershon, Charlie Stefl, Charlie Monk, Pat Higdon, Pat McMaken, Tim McFadden, Jon Vezner, John Beiter, John Briggs, Jim Zumwalt, Jim Femino (who has a new alias, “Uncle Sexy”), James Otto, Jamie Johnson of The Grascals & Susanne Mumpower a.k.a. Iodine, Doug Johnson, Ed Morris and Jason Morris.

Also: Georgia Middleman, Kerry O’Neill, Craig Hayes, Nancy Shapiro, Bill Mayne, Paul Worley, Alan Kates, Becky Harris, Neil Spielberg, Sherod Robertson, Lang Scott & Linda Davis, Karen Clark, Tinti Moffatt, Jerry Salley (check out his new Showing My Age country CD), Butch Baker, Fletcher Foster, Caroline Davis, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Bob Doyle, Pete Fisher, Debbie Carroll, David Corlew, Bart Herbison, Woody Bomar, Hank Adam Locklin, Lisa Harless, Drew Alexander, Jewel Coburn and the seen-everywhere trio of Holly Bell, Diane Pearson and Lori Badgett.

This year, the décor was elegantly simple. The dimly lit cocktail area was draped in black. The dining tables were dressed in an autumn motif. Both rooms overlooked clear, crisp views of downtown Nashville or the East Bank and its stadium, where our football team had lost again that very afternoon.

Warner/Chappell Music announced today (Oct. 25) that Ben Vaughn has been appointed to run the Nashville office as Executive Vice President, Warner/Chappell Nashville, a newly created position. In the role Vaughn, previously Executive VP/GM for EMI Music Publishing Nashville, will report to Jon Platt, President, Creative – North America, Warner/Chappell. Continuing at the Nashville operations are General Manager Phil May and VP Steve Markland.

“Ben’s incredible track record of songwriter development speaks for itself,” said Platt. “His A&R vision, leadership skills and business instincts have made him one of Nashville’s most dynamic and influential executives. I have worked closely with Ben for years and I’ve no doubt he is the perfect fit for Warner/Chappell and its mission to be the first-choice home for the world’s most extraordinary songwriters.”

In 2010 Vaughn was tapped to lead EMI Publishing’s Country division, making him the youngest executive to head a major publisher in Nashville, a post which he held until the company was acquired by Sony/ATV in 2012. In total, Vaughn spent 10 years with EMI, signing writers including Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins, and Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott, among others. The move reunites Vaughn with Platt, who previously served as President of North America Creative for EMI Music Publishing until Summer 2012, and marks a talent coup for Warner/Chappell Chairman/CEO Cameron Strang.

“Ben will bring an additional level of creativity and innovative thinking to our senior team and our thriving Nashville operations,” said Strang. “With Ben working with our General Manager, Phil May, we will continue to build our ability to provide great services to our songwriters and publishing partners, taking their success to new heights.”

Warner/Chappell Nashville’s track record over the past year has included nine No. 1 hits and a 15.1 percent share of Country radio airplay. The company has newly signed songwriters including Dean Alexander, Josh Abbott, TJ and John Osborne, and Laura Veltz.