Hank Williams, Jr. to Be Honored as Icon at 56th Annual BMI Country Awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn. �?Hank Williams, Jr. will be honored as a BMI Icon at the U.S. performing right organization's 56th annual Country Awards, the oldest awards ceremony saluting the genre's top music makers. The black-tie, invitation-only gala recognizing the past year's most-performed BMI country songs is set for November 11 at the company's Music Row offices in Nashville.

The artists and songwriters named BMI Icons have had "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." Hank Williams, Jr., who will be saluted with an all-star musical tribute that evening, joins an elite list of past honorees that includes country music legends Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Whisperin' Bill Anderson, Charlie Daniels and Loretta Lynn, along with multi-genre nobility the Bee Gees, Isaac Hayes, Ray Davies, James Brown, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steve Winwood and more.

Hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Nashville Writer/Publisher VP Jody Williams, the 56th Annual Country Awards will recognize the songwriters and publishers of the top BMI country songs played on American radio and television during the previous year. BMI will also bestow prestigious honors on the Country Songwriter of the Year, Country Publisher of the Year and Most Performed Country Song of the Year, also known as the Robert J. Burton Award.

For full release, go to www.bmi.com.