WCRS Songwriter Lineup For CRS-39 Announced By CRB, Inc.

Feb 23, 2008 WCRS Songwriter Lineup For CRS-39 Announced By CRB, Inc.

"If you thought last year was great, look at what we're bringing you in 2008 at WCRS Live!," said Jody Williams, BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Nashville. "We have four of country music's finest songwriters - two consistent hit makers and two fresh faces who have everybody listening. Dean Dillon is a Hall of Famer who has been cranking out the hits for three decades. Casey Beathard currently is as hot as any songwriter of any genre. Eric Church and Jennifer Hanson are generating a lot of excitement, and their biggest years are still ahead. Talent just doesn't get any better than this!" Lon Helton, President of Country AirCheck adds, "WCRS Live has become one of CRS' premiere events, and we're honored to once again be part of the amazing line-up that BMI and Jody have put together." A brief introduction to each of the featured performers is below. CASEY BEATHARD - A vein of lightheartedness and fun weaves throughout most of Casey Beathard's hits, and that, according to the songwriter himself, is the reason for much of his success. However, his most recent No. 1, Kenny Chesney's "Don't Blink," strikes a slightly serious, proverbial chord, further emphasizing Beathard's versatility. His pen is also responsible for smashes including Chesney's signature song "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems," Gary Allan's "Right Where I Need to Be," Trace Adkins' "Hot Mama," and Tracy Byrd's "Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo" & "Drinkin' Bone." Beathard also won BMI Country Awards in 2006 and 2007 for Tim McGraw's "Do You Want Fries with That" and rising star Jake Owen's "Yee Haw," respectively. ERIC CHURCH - In 2006, Capitol Records recording artist Eric Church introduced his rollicking country/rock hybrid to mainstream country audiences. His debut single "How 'Bout You" off his first album Sinners Like Me reached the Top 20 on the country charts, and his startlingly candid follow-up single "Two Pink Lines" helped generate an even louder healthy buzz in country radio and blue chip publications including the New York Times. Church has led a distinctly charmed Nashville life: He moved to Music City after college, earned a publishing deal with Sony/ATV a year later and quickly began getting cuts, including Terri Clark's "The World Needs a Drink." In 2007, Church received his first BMI Country Award for "How 'Bout You." DEAN DILLON - Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Dean Dillon's name stares back proudly from the songwriting credits of nearly every George Strait album. Dillon wrote eleven of Strait's more than 50 no. 1 hits, including "The Chair," "Nobody In His Right Mind Would've Left Her," "It Ain't Cool To Be Crazy About You," "Ocean Front Property," "If I Know Me," "The Best Day" and "She Let Herself Go." The co-writer of Toby Keith's "A Little Too Late," Dillon also penned songs on Keith's Honkytonk University and White Trash with Money albums. His innate ability to transform pristine simplicity into honky tonk poetry has attracted the attention of generations of country stars, from George Jones to Gary Stewart to Kenny Chesney. As a clear indicator of his place in the American songwriting canon, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted Dean Dillon in 2002, alongside Bob Dylan and Shel Silverstein. JENNIFER HANSON - Graceful singer/songwriter Jennifer Hanson's dexterity, persistence and raw talent have garnered due attention and critical acclaim. Like her idols Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, Hanson discovered Nashville at a young age, testing the inviting waters of the early '90s before establishing a home there in 1995. Her blend of pop/rock and glossy new country hit the airwaves in 2002 in the form of light-hearted farewell song "Beautiful Goodbye," and she released her self-titled debut in February of the next year. A few years later, similarly distinct duo The Wreckers recorded Hanson's infectious "Leave the Pieces;" the single claimed the no. 1 slot and earned the California native a BMI Country Award. The Universal South recording artist's tune "'73" is currently climbing the charts. CRS-39® takes place March 5th through March 7th, 2008 at the Nashville Convention Center. Complete seminar information may be obtained by contacting CRB, Inc.® at 615.327.4487 or by visiting www.crb.org. Country Radio Seminar is a registered trademark of Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.®