ASCAP Celebrates 42nd Annual Country Music Awards

Emmylou Harris Presented with Founders Award

ASCAP celebrated "90 Years of America's Best Music" with a gala event on November 8th at Nashville's Opryland Hotel & Resort. More than 800 of Nashville's most celebrated artists and songwriters, as well as music industry professionals from around the world, were on hand for the presentation of the 42nd Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards, proving once again that ASCAP songs are at the heart of country music's success.

Co-hosted by ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman, ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento and Senior Vice President Connie Bradley, the black-tie gala evening of awards and musical presentations celebrated nine decades (1914-2004) of advocacy for the rights of the most distinguished and beloved songwriters, publishers and artists in the world. The event's elegant creative theme tied together ASCAP's glorious past, exciting present and promising future with archival video, scenic and musical elements.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of ASCAP's prestigious Founders Award to Emmylou Harris, which included the musical high point of the evening with an extraordinary reunion of the original members of her legendary Hot Band. Immediately following a video presentation of footage from the BBC documentary "From A Deeper Well" that reflected upon the transcendent artistry and incomparable career of Emmylou Harris, the original members of Harris' Hot Band, including James Burton (electric guitar), Rodney Crowell (acoustic guitar), Hank DeVito (steel guitar), Emory Gordy, Jr. (bass), Glen D. Hardin (piano), and John Ware (drums), were reunited with her on stage in the Tennessee Ballroom.

The evening's other top honors were awarded as follows: ASCAP Songwriter of the Year, Chris DuBois, for hit singles, "19 Somethin'," "I Love You This Much," and "Little Moments" and ASCAP Songwriter of the Year, Neil Thrasher for hit singles "I Melt," "There Goes My Life," and "Wrinkles." DuBois and Thrasher shared Songwriter of the Year Award honors. The ASCAP Songwriter/Artist of the Year Award went to Brad Paisley for "Celebrity" and "Little Moments."

The ASCAP Country Song of the Year Award was awarded to Jim "Moose" Brown for "It's Five O'clock Somewhere," published by EMI Music Publishing and Sea Gayle Music. Multi-platinum selling artist Alan Jackson recorded the song with a guest vocal by the legendary Jimmy Buffett.

ASCAP Publisher of the Year, EMI Music Publishing, was the music publisher with the most award-winning songs: "19 Somethin'," "Celebrity," "Have You Forgotten," "I Can't Be Your Friend," "I Just Wanna Be Mad," "I Love You This Much," "It's Five O'clock Somewhere," "Little Moments," "Remember When," "She Only Smokes When She Drinks," "Sweet Southern Comfort," "This Is God," "Tough Little Boys," and "You'll Think Of Me." EMI Music Publishing has won ASCAP Country Music Publisher for the fourth consecutive year.

Throughout the evening hit songwriters performed live renditions of the past year's Top 5 most performed ASCAP songs. Co-writers Dierks Bentley and Deric Ruttan asked themselves "What Was I Thinkin'?" while Jim "Moose" Brown declared "It's Five O'clock Somewhere" and Rivers Rutherford closed the first half of the show with a romping version of his Tim McGraw hit "Real Good Man." Later in the evening, Don Pfrimmer delivered a hilarious dramatic reading of "My Front Porch Looking In" accompanied by local radio personality Gerry House, and hit-maker Mark Wills took the audience back in time with "19 Somethin'" written by Songwriter of the Year, Chris DuBois.


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