The following is a press release:
BMI will celebrate one of the ultimate architects of modern Country music, Jeffrey Steele, by naming him a BMI Icon during the 74th annual BMI Country Awards. The two-time BMI Country Songwriter of the Year will be recognized for his significant songwriting and contributions to Country music. The invitation-only event will be held at BMI’s Nashville office on Nov. 17th and will be hosted by BMI’s CEO, Mike O’Neill, Executive Vice President, Chief Revenue & Creative Officer, Mike Steinberg and BMI’s Nashville VP of Creative, Clay Bradley.
Throughout the evening, BMI will also reveal the 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 Country music.
“Jeffrey Steele is a titan of modern storytelling whose catalog has shaped the sound of Country music over the last three decades,” BMI’s Nashville VP of Creative, Clay Bradley said. “When you hear one of his anthems that has become the soundtrack to millions of lives, you can feel the emotion behind every lyric. As a two-time BMI Country Songwriter of the Year and an intentional mentor to the next generation of creators, Steele has earned a permanent place among the greats.”
Since Steele’s affiliation with BMI in 1981, the multi-Platinum songwriter, singer, and producer has shaped the modern Country music landscape with over 60 chart-topping hits. The prolific songwriter has received more than 34 BMI Country and Pop Awards for his extensive catalog that includes iconic songs like Tim McGraw’s “The Cowboy in Me” along with Rascal Flatts’ “What Hurts the Most,” “My Wish,” and “These Days” as well as Keith Urban’s “Raise ‘Em Up” featuring Eric Church, Zac Brown Band’s “Knee Deep,” Van Zant’s “Help Somebody,” Montgomery Gentry’s “Something to Be Proud Of” and “My Town.” The seven-time GRAMMY® nominee has earned critical recognition for his creative impact with an induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Steele has been honored by the Country Music Hall of Fame as a “Poet and Prophet.”
The BMI Icon Award is given to exceptional songwriters in recognition of their unique and indelible influence on music makers over many generations. In receiving this award, Steele joins an impressive list of Country legends including Bill Anderson, Matraca Berg, Clint Black, Toby Keith, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Dean Dillon, Vince Gill 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.
