Kenny Chesney felt 'gravity' of BMI President's Award

NASHVILLE, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Before scoring the Pinnacle Award at the Country Music Awards, Kenny Chesney was honored with the BMI Presdient's Award on Tuesday alongside tributes from Keith Urban, Eric Church and Dean Dillion.

The award which is presented to "songwriters who have distinctly and profoundly influenced the entertainment industry," was given to Chesney during the BMI Awards ceremony Tuesday inside the performing rights organization's BMI Music Row offices in Nashville.

Chesney now joins an elite group of music stars across all genres who have received the silver-plated award including Pink, Taylor Swift, Adam Levine, Willie Nelson, Brooks & Dunn and Gloria and Emilio Estefan.

Urban, for his onstage tribute performed Chesney's single "I Go Back" while Church brought out "Anything But Mine." Dillion performed the 48-year-olds first single, "The Tin Man."

"Hearing those guys sing my songs back to me was one of the highlights of my life," Chesney said of the performances to The Los Angeles Times.

"All those guys mean so much to me," he continued. "And in their own right they are amazing songwriters and yet they're up here tonight singing songs I wrote. It was very emotional. It was hard to wrap my head around it. I felt the gravity of the moment a lot."

The 64th annual BMI Awards also recognized the 50 most performed songs of the year and named Ross Copperman Songwriter of the Year and Thomas Rhett's "Die a Happy Man" as Song of the Year. U.S. Rep. Doug Collins was also honored with the BMI Champion Award.

One night later, on Wednesday, Chesney would also go on to win the Pinnacle Award at the CMAs.