More awards shows wrapped up CMA Awards week Thursday night (Oct. 5) in Nashville. At the SESAC awards dinner, the performing rights organization named "Home to You" (

Sign up for our daily Music & Pop Culture News alert! E-Mail this story to a friend Add RSS Headlines Add VH1 News to My Yahoo

RealAudio excerpt), a hit for John Michael Montgomery, as its Country Song of the Year. "Home to You" was written by Arlos Smith and Sara Light. Also honored were country songs "Smoke Rings in the Dark," recorded by Gary Allen and written by Houston Robert and Rivers Rutherford, and "Real Live Woman," written by Bobbie Cryner and recorded by Trisha Yearwood. SESAC also honored the roots-Americana albums Fire, Honey & Angels, by Walt Wilkins, and Dancin' With Them That Brung Me, by Stacey Earle. ...

At Thursday night's ROPE (Reunion of Professional Entertainers) Awards dinner, 91-year-old Bill Carlisle was named Entertainer of the Year. Carlisle, who began performing in 1929 with the Carlisle Family, still sings every Friday and Saturday night at the Grand Ole Opry. He will be 92 in December. Carlisle's fellow Opry member Johnny Russell was named Songwriter of the Year, and pianist Hargus "Pig" Robbins, who also is the CMA Musician of the Year, was named ROPE Musician of the Year. Robbins played on Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde, among many other studio credits. ...

Chris LeDoux remains an outpatient at Nebraska Health System in Omaha, Neb., says a spokesperson for the singer. Specialists from the University of Nebraska Medical Center are evaluating him for a possible liver transplant. LeDoux has been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a liver disease without a known cause. ...

For the first time, the Nashville daily newspaper, the Tennessean, augmented its CMA Awards coverage by devoting an entire page to the fashion of the country artists. There was certainly plenty of style to cover as artists arrived for the "Red Carpet Walk," a new preshow feature televised live on CMT. Cledus T. Judd, who arrived in a stretch Humvee, was wearing new sequined denim overalls, which he said he had bought on the installment plan from country fashion stylist Manuel. Twelve-year-old Billy Gilman tooled up on a scooter. Shania Twain, clad in an Isabelle Kristensen dress, rode up on a golf cart. Kenny Rogers was taking pictures for his next photo book. *NSync's Lance Bass was there with the young country singer Meredith Edwards, whom he's producing for his new country imprint label at Mercury Nashville. Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Charley Pride brought his friend Ernie Banks, the great Chicago Cubs shortstop. (Sonicnet.com's parent company, Viacom, also owns CMT.) &

Not long after releasing Kelly Willis' new One More Time compilation, MCA Records is readying a best-of Joe Ely CD, scheduled for a Nov. 21 release, says a label spokesman. Tracks include early gems "She Spoke Spanish to Me" and the live "Fingernails," and '90s standards "All Just To Get to You" and "Roll Again" (RealAudio excerpt). & Pre-eminent Nashville AM country radio station WSM celebrated its 75th birthday Thursday (Oct. 5) by broadcasting live all day from the Ryman Auditorium. Many past station employees and broadcasters and a number of country artists, including Earl Scruggs and Jack Greene, stopped in for the live show, which was also open to the public. "Murder On Music Row" co-author Larry Cordle stopped in to sing an acoustic version of the song, which won the CMA Vocal Event of the Year award for George Strait and Alan Jackson. Cordle said that "Murder on Music Row," which he recorded with his group Lonesome Standard Time before the Strait-Jackson version, is up for Song of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, set for Oct. 19 in Louisville, Ky. Loretta Lynn and Randy Scruggs called in from New York City, where Lynn appeared on the "Late Show With David Letterman" on Wednesday (Oct. 4) and tapes a special for CBS on Friday (Oct. 6). (Sonicnet.com's parent company, Viacom, also owns CBS.) &

Camera-toting fans lined the street outside BMI's Nashville headquarters at Tuesday night's BMI Awards ceremony, hoping for a glimpse of Shania Twain, Dwight Yoakam, the Dixie Chicks' Martie Seidel, Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, Jim Lauderdale, Keith Urban, Lonestar, Lari White, Sherrie Austin, Toby Keith and the other artists attending the black-tie affair. As part of CMA Awards week in Nashville, the BMI affair honors country's most-performed and played songs of the year. Sharing the honor as Songwriter/Artists of the Year were Twain and Seidel. Twain was cited for writing the songs "Come On Over," "Man! I Feel Like a Woman," and "That Don't Impress Me Much" (RealAudio excerpt). Seidel was honored for songs "Cowboy Take Me Away" (RealAudio excerpt), "Ready To Run," and "You Were Mine." Sharing the Songwriters of the Year award were ex-NRBQ member Al Anderson and Nashville writer Skip Ewing. The Country Song of the Year award went to "Amazed" (RealAudio excerpt), recorded by Lonestar. ...

Country music's ongoing pop vs. traditional debate was further fueled by the major award given at the ASCAP Country Music Awards show Monday night (Oct. 2). Los Angeles pop songwriter Diane Warren, who has described herself as a "valley girl," was named country songwriter of the year by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Warren, who wrote songs for LeAnn Rimes in the movie "Coyote Ugly," was honored for the 1999 hits "I Don't Want To Miss a Thing" (RealAudio excerpt), recorded by Mark Chesnutt (after becoming a pop hit for Aerosmith), and "I'll Still Love You More," cut by Trisha Yearwood. "Thank you for letting me into your world," Warren told the assemblage of writers, artists and executives. ASCAP's Country Song of the Year award went to two songs this year: "Write This Down" (RealAudio excerpt), recorded by George Strait, and "How Forever Feels," recorded by Kenny Chesney. Mary Chapin Carpenter made a special presentation of the ASCAP/Lilith Fair Songwriting Contest grand prize award to winners Carol Hashe and Diona Devincenzi. ...

Garth Brooks made an unexpected Nashville appearance Sunday night (Oct. 1) at the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame awards ceremony. Brooks, there to attend his producer Allen Reynolds' induction into the hall, surprised the black-tie crowd with an acoustic set of Reynolds' songs. Also inducted were singer/songwriters Mac Davis and Billy Edd Wheeler and writer Randy Goodrum. ...

The Dixie Chicks have made country music history, as their debut album, Wide Open Spaces, breaks the 10 million sales mark, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. That makes the Chicks only the fourth country act to earn the RIAA's diamond award, along with Kenny Rogers, Garth Brooks and Shania Twain. ...

Lee Ann Womack has been asked to take part in the Nobel Peace Prize Concert to honor the winners of the annual Nobel Peace Prizes, according to a Womack spokeswoman. The concert takes place Dec. 11 in Oslo, Norway, and also will feature Don Henley, Bryan Adams and Nigerian artist Femi Kuti. Womack will perform her hit "I Hope You Dance" (RealAudio excerpt) with the Norwegian Symphony Orchestra. ...

While specific dates are not yet available, Vince Gill will return to touring in early 2001, according to a spokesperson for the artist. Gill married Christian artist Amy Grant in March of this year and, despite releasing his 10th MCA Nashville set, Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye (RealAudio excerpt of title track), in April, chose to go on hiatus for most of the year. The host of the Country Music Association Awards for the ninth consecutive year, Gill will promote the Oct. 4 event on several talk shows this week, including sitting in with Paul Shaffer & the Late Show Band on "The Late Show With David Letterman." ...

Tickets are now on sale for Tim McGraw's Swampstock 2000, scheduled for Oct. 22 at the Tim McGraw Sports Complex in Rayville, La., a spokesperson for McGraw said. The annual event involves a celebrity softball challenge and concert. So far, this year's lineup includes McGraw and Faith Hill, Billy Gilman, Jessica Andrews, the Clark Family Experience and Jo-El Sonnier, as well as Texas Ranger baseball player Rafael Palmiero and ex-San Diego Chargers quarterback Stan Humphries. Event proceeds will benefit area youth causes. ...

The film "South of Heaven, West of Hell, " which marks Dwight Yoakam's directorial debut, will preview as part of Slamdance on the Road on Oct. 5 at the Laemmle Music Hall Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif., according to a spokesperson for Yoakam. The event will benefit the charity My Friend's Place. Tickets go on sale Sept. 29. ...

The Dixie Chicks' appearance on CBS' "60 Minutes II" has been rescheduled from Oct. 3 to Oct. 10. ...

— sonicnet.com staff report