R. Kelly: American Songwriter Overall Winner

American Songwriter’s 11th annual awards issue showcases diversity of talent that marks the end of the 20th century with an exclamation point! Each year in our January/February issue of American Songwriter Magazine we recognize the top songwriters, publishers, producers, artists, and record labels that have brought you the year’s biggest hits.

American Songwriter’s 11th annual awards issue showcases diversity of talent that marks the end of the 20th century with an exclamation point! Each year in our January/February issue of American Songwriter Magazine we recognize the top songwriters, publishers, producers, artists, and record labels that have brought you the year’s biggest hits. From September 12, 1998 to September 4th, 1999, we tracked and tabulated those songs that achieved the number one ranking on the Pop, Country, and R&B charts in Billboard magazine. The Christian music data is drawn from the CCM Update charts.

The Overall winner for 1999 is R. Kelly, who took the same honor back in 1994. Kelly won the award on the strength of two number one songs. “Fortunate,” which spent 8 weeks at the top of the R&B charts, and “I’m Your Angel,” which topped the Pop charts for six consecutive weeks, earning it Pop Song of the Year honors. In addition to all of the songwriter honors, R. Kelly won the Overall Producer of the Year award, based on his production “Fortunate” and “I’m Your Angel.”

Once again, Arista Records dominates as the Record Label of the Year in the Pop and R&B categories, and for an unprecedented third straight year in the Overall category, with an incredible combined total of 48 weeks at the top of the charts. The Song of the Year in the Overall and R&B categories is “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here,” penned by the writing duo of Montell Jordan and Shep Crawford. The song spent 14 weeks at number one on the R&B charts, which allowed the artist, Deborah Cox, to take the R&B and Overall Artist of the Year awards, and Famous Music and Wixon Publishing to tie for the R&B Publisher of the Year. Producer of the Year in the R&B category is She’kspere, with Rodney Jerkins taking the Producer of the Year honors in the Pop category. The Overall and Pop Publisher of the Year is EMI April Music, chalking up several number ones on the Pop, R&B and Country charts. Monica won the Pop Artist of the Year award with a total of nine weeks at number one.

In the country division, top songwriting honors go to Susan Gibson, based entirely on her solo-written hit “Wide Open Spaces,” recorded by the Dixie Chicks, which stayed at the top of the charts for four consecutive weeks. This was Gibson’s first ever cut by a major artist. Country Song of the Year is “Amazed,” which spent an amazing eight consecutive weeks at number one. The Lonestar hit was written by Marv Green, Aimee Mayo and Chris Lindsey. And since Dann Huff is the lone producer on “Amazed,” that was all he needed to earn the Country Producer of the Year award. Repeating the Country Artist of the Year category is Tim McGraw, who spent a total of nine weeks at number one with the hit songs “Please Remember Me” and “Where the Green Grass Grows.” The Country Record Label of the Year goes to BNA Records, based on the success of “Amazed” and “How Forever Feels” by Kenny Chesney. Together they spent 14 weeks at the top of the charts. Hamstein Music Group takes Country Publisher of the Year Honors on the strength of songs such as “Stand Beside Me” and “You’re Easy on the Eyes,” which spent a total of six weeks at number one.

Sparrow made an impressive showing in the Christian category, beginning with Label of the Year. They spent 18 weeks at number one on the CCM charts with their artists Out of the Grey, Michelle Tumes, Margaret Becker, Steven Curtis Chapman and Avalon, the latter of whom won Christian Artist of the Year for the second straight year. Christian Producer of the Year goes to Brown Bannister, who produced a couple of the Sparrow acts, while Sparrow Music won the Publisher of the Year honors. For the third consecutive year the Christian Songwriter of the Year award winner is Steven Curtis Chapman, who was at the top of the charts for five weeks at number one. Four of those weeks were held down by “Speechless,” the Christian Song of the Year.