John Oates Recongized as BMI Troubadour

Music City is in the midst of AmericanaFest—a weeklong celebration of the genre that includes industry awards, showcases, and more.

Artists ranging from The War and Treaty to Wyatt Flores and the Hanseroth Twins are popping up all over town to treat festivalgoers to their stirring musical stories.

The week began with BMI honoring Hall & Oates’ rocker John Oates with the Troubadour Award on Monday at the BMI offices on Music Row.

BMI’s President and CEO, Mike O’ Neill, and BMI Nashville’s VP of Creative, Clay Bradley, honored Oates during a private dinner reception.

“A Troubadour is someone who mixes knowledge with memories and puts that into songs to help us better understand the connections we all share,” Bradley said. “John Oates is the epitome of that.”

Past Troubadour Award recipients include Billy F Gibbons and Robert Earl Keen, John Hiatt, John Prine, and Lucinda Williams.

John Oates Is The Epitome of a Troubadour

Artists including Bekka Bramlett, Sam Bush, AJ Croce, Wendy Moten and Molly Tuttle performed for Oates. The all-star band was comprised of iconic musicians Tom Bukovac, Guthrie Trapp, Steve Mackey, Greg Morrow, Russ Pahl, and Jimmy Wallace.

Oates closed the evening by debuting his new song, “Mending,” with Devon Gilfillian.

“For the past 15 years, (Oates) has deepened the Americana community with his timeless albums like Arkansas and Reunion, and he continues to raise the bar with music that transcends time,” Bradley continued.

Former BMI President and Chief Executive Officer, Del Bryant, talked about Oates’ musical legacy. At the same time, longtime friends including James Burton, Roger Daltrey, Chris Epting and The War & Treaty shared Oates’ significance to the Americana community.

“Still rocking and reeling from an incredible night at the BMI Troubadour Awards in Nashville, hosted by an amazing team,” Oates said on social media. “It was an honor to perform and appreciate the musicianship of some of my best friends in the city.”

Oates has been affiliated with BMI since 1972 and was named a BMI Icon for his undeniable influence on generations of music artists. He has 10 BMI Pop Awards and 30 BMI Million-Air awards. Hall & Oates, members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, have 10 No. 1 songs and more than 20 Top 40 hits. The duo is most recognized for songs including “Maneater,” “I Can’t Go For That,” “Out Of Touch,” “Sara Smile,” “She’s Gone,” and more.

Photo courtesy of BMI