BMI Salutes Top Urban Music Makers at Star-Studded Gala in NYC

BMI saluted the premier r&b, rap and hip-hop songwriters, producers and publishers at its 6th Annual Urban Awards held Aug. 30 in New York City. Hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Atlanta Writer/Publisher VP Catherine Brewton, the red carpet was hopping at the star-studded ceremony, which took place at the famed Roseland Ballroom.






Mariah Carey took home two of the night's top honors, including Song of the Year for her smash "We Belong Together" and Songwriter of the Year, which she shared with Miami-based producers Bigg D and Jim Jonsin. A highlight of the gala event was a special presentation to prolific songwriting and production team Kenneth Babyface" Edmonds and Antonio "L.A." Reid, who were named BMI Icons for their "enduring influence on generations of music makers."

Other big winners included rapper Kanye West, who earned the Producer of the Year title for the second consecutive year; Warner/Chappell Music Group, named Urban Publisher of the Year; and Jazze Pha's "1, 2 Step," which nabbed the BMI Urban Ringtone Award. Executives from music trade magazine Billboard were also on hand to give out No. 1 Awards to the BMI songs that reached the top spot on its urban music charts.

Song of the Year "We Belong Together," which Carey co-wrote, ruled the top of multiple charts for months after its release in 2005, relaunching the five-octave singer's career back into superstardom. BMI writers Darnell Bristol, Sid "Uncle Jamz" Johnson, Patrick Moten, Sandra Sully, Bobby Womack and BMI Icon Babyface were also recognized with the Urban Awards' top song prize, as were the song's publishers - ABKCO, Ballads by Design, Hip Chic Music, Mister Johnson's Jams Music, Rye Songs, Songs of Universal, Sony/ATV and Warner-Tamerlane.

As the best-selling female performer of the 1990s, Carey stood apart by composing all her own material, and was twice before named Songwriter of the Year (1993 and 1999). She takes the top songwriter prize for the third time this year by placing three of her own hits on the most-performed list - "Don't Forget About Us," "Shake It Off" and "We Belong Together" - all from last year's comeback release, The Emancipation of Mimi. Carey, who also wrote 1992's Pop Song of the Year, "Love Takes Time," has a total of 23 BMI Awards and 15 "Million-Air" songs that have had one million or more broadcast performances.

Sharing the Urban Songwriter of the Year spotlight were producers Bigg D and Jim Jonsin, who also had three songs on the most-played list with the co-writes "Let's Go" by Trick Daddy (featuring Lil Jon & Twista), and Pretty Ricky's "Grind With Me" and "Your Body." Formerly known as the Unusual Suspects, this Dirty South production duo has been cranking out the hits, LPs, soundtracks and re-mixes for such heavy-hitters as Trick Daddy, Pretty Ricky, Trina, Jacki-O, Cee-Lo and Pitbull since 2000.

Multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producers Babyface and L.A. Reid then took the stage to accept their BMI Icon honors. As co-founders of LaFace, the record label they started in 1989, the longtime writing partners are responsible for launching the careers of such multi-platinum artists as Toni Braxton, TLC, Usher and Pink. With a vast catalog of hits recorded by such A-listers as Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Eric Clapton, Boyz II Men, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Outkast, Dido, Ciara, Jay-Z and Songwriter of the Year Mariah Carey, songs penned by Babyface and L.A. have accumulated more than 40 million airplays on American radio and television.

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Source bmi.com

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Robbie May Duet With Shakira

LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - Robbie Williams could be set to record a duet with Shakira, if his former songwriting partner gets his way. Gy Chambers masterminded several of Robbie's biggest hits, including 'Angles' and 'Rock DJ', but the pair parted ways after a clash over the singer's multi-million pound recording deal with EMI.

However, Guy insists he is now ready to call a truce on the pair's feud and pen another hit for Robbie if he agrees to collaborate with Shakira.

Guy is convinced a duet between the pair could be the thing that launches Robbie's career in the US, where the Latin beauty is a huge star.

He told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "He should have always done that. It would be the perfect match and I would like to write the tune for it. It would be a worldwide hit and would break Robbie in America."

Guy has also revealed that one of the main reasons the pair disbanded their hugely successful partnership was because Robbie wanted to move to Los Angeles.

He added: "One of the main reasons our partnership ended was because he moved to Los Angeles. "If I'd also moved out there we may have continued working together. But that idea wasn't really going to be possible."

Source lse.co.uk


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Elton Writes about life-time co-writer Bernie Taupin

Elton John does seem to be everywhere are the moment!

Calvin
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SIR ELTON JOHN decided to write a heartfelt song about his long-term relationship with songwriting partner BERNIE TAUPIN, after having endured 40 tumultuous years together as a team.

The rocket man star wrote The Bridge about his pal and is releasing it as the first single from his new album THE CAPTAIN AND THE KID on 19 September (06). He explains, "In the context that I sing it, it's about having crossed that bridge and survived and having the two of us still being together - Bernie Taupin and myself.

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Source contactmusic.com


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Big & Rich tear it up for Songwriting Success

Not everybody appreciates Big Kenny and John Rich's collaborative songwriting.

Under the name Big & Rich, the multiplatinum pop-country duo has changed the face of Nashville since "Horse of a Different Color" hit shelves in mid-2004.

But regardless of what you think about songs such as "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" or "8th of November," it's almost impossible not to admire the spirit in which they were created. Big & Rich were seasoned Nashville songwriters long before they met each other, but they're also just a couple of dudes tearing it up.

"Kenny and I are planning on taking a couple of trips. We actually met the bartender while taking a trip," Rich said recently, referencing the South Dakota bartender/Vietnam veteran who was the inspiration behind the battle-themed ballad "8th of November," the duo's current single. "Their stories are in our songs, and we discovered them by rocking around the country.

"He and I are going to Mexico in the winter to see what in the world we run into. We've been so busy we haven't been able to do it. But we're going to dig it up, tear it up, turn it upside down and see what we have left. We have an arsenal of new material, but we also want to find these stories that are out there."

Big & Rich have had a busy summer. They played 25 shows in August, and when they're not on the road, they're writing and producing for themselves and others.

Ask Big or Rich what they're doing at any given moment, and you'll always get a different answer. But no matter the reply, it will only reinforce these guys' overarching influence in mainstream country.

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Source jsonline.com / Ricardo Baca

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Hawley: "I Had To Snub Robbie"

Mercury Music Prize nominee RICHARD HAWLEY has no regrets over snubbing ROBBIE WILLIAMS' offer of songwriting work, insisting the move would have been a step backwards. The COLES CORNER rocker admits joining Williams' pop star world would be lucrative, but he insists his integrity comes first.

He says, "It's a different world all that. "It would have been like winning the lottery. But it would also have been like taking whatever scant wisdom I've developed in this short life and throwing it away."

Source contactmusic.com

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Elton Announces Dates for Australia Tour

ONE of the world's greatest performers, Sir Elton John, is heading back to Australia.
The legendary musician will join a list of superstar acts including Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue and Billy Joel touring the nation before Christmas.

It has been four years since the Grammy award winner toured Australia and he has promised his two-hour non-stop show will be greater than any of his past events.
It will be his 12th tour of Australia.

Sir Elton, who has sold 250 million albums over 35 years in the business, will release a new record, The Captain and the Kid, next month.

The album is a sequel to his 1975 classic Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy and was written with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin.

Tickets for the tour go on sale on September 14, with the program opening in Brisbane on November 26 and concluding in Perth on December 11.

Source news.com.au

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