CMT News

Friends and colleagues gathered at the BMI building in Nashville Wednesday (Feb. 8) to honor BMI songwriter Dean Dillon for co-writing George Strait's latest No. 1 single, "She Let Herself Go." It is Dillon's 12th No. 1. Also on hand to toast him was his co-writer, Kerry Kurt Phillips, who is affiliated with ASCAP, another performance rights organization. "Dean and I tried to get George to cut this song for two albums," Strait's producer, Tony Brown, told the crowd. Finally, Strait acquiesced, saying, "So you guys think this is a hit for the Man?" Troy Tomlinson, head of Sony/ATV Music, Dillon's publisher, noted Strait has so far recorded 33 studio albums and that Dillon has had at least one song on every one of them. "I don't think there's anybody who sings my songs better than he does," the guest of honor observed. BMI also presented Dillon a certificate stating that "The Chair," another of his songs that Strait turned into a hit, has racked up more than 2 million performances. "When do we get the check?" Dillon inquired.