Numerous 2023 country hit songwriters, Songwriters Hall of Famer Matraca Berg, many more celebrated by genre’s superstars at 2023 BMI Country Awards
There were many reasons why Nashville native songwriter Matraca Berg deserved to be featured as the highlight performer at BMI’s Country Awards ceremony, held Nov. 8 in the song publisher’s Music Row offices.
Her mother was born in Harlan County, Kentucky, a town notoriously memorialized in a country anthem, and by the time she was 18, she had written a hit single with the man responsible for Tammy Wynette’s classic “D-I-V-O-R-C-E.”
But Berg’s deeper contribution to the architecture of modern country music was best said by recent Country Music Hall of Famer Patty Loveless via a video shown at the ceremony.
“[Berg’s] timeless words and chords offered insight on human nature that achieved a life of their own in the universe,” Loveless said.
