Dean Dillon Named BMI Icon At 61st Annual Awards

Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Jody Williams; Sony Music Publishing’s Troy Tomlinson, Danny Strick, and Martin Bandier; BMI Icon Dean Dillon; Songwriter of the Year Rodney Clawson; Song of the Year Honorees Troy Verges and Hunter Hayes; and BMI’s Michael O’Neill. (Photo by John Russell)

Dean Dillon reached Icon status last night as BMI honored the longtime hitmaker with its prestigious Icon award during its 61^st annual awards ceremony in Nashville. Dillon is one of a handful of songwriters who have achieved this lofty status, and Luke Bryan, Lee Ann Womack, Kenny Chesney, and George Strait were all on hand to recognize Dillon’s talent and pay homage to the singer/songwriter during the evening.

Strait, who’s recorded a whopping 54 Dillon-penned tunes over the course of his own iconic career, performed three of those hits for the crowd: “The Chair,” “Marina Del Rey,” and “Here For A Good Time.” Bryan performed Strait’s Dillon-penned classic “Unwound,” Womack performed “An Empty Glass,” and Chesney offered up the classic “Holed Up In Some Honky Tonk” in tribute to the legendary writer.

Other honorees during the evening included Hunter Hayes and Troy Verges, whose song “Wanted” took home Song of the Year honors, Rodney Clawson, who was named Songwriter of the Year, and Sony ATV Publishing, who received the nod for Publisher of the Year.