Pat Higdon is one of the most well-known music industry executives. His work spans four decades and covers a wide variety of jobs, including vice president of MCA Nashville, director of creative services at Warner Bros. Nashville and president of Universal Music Publishing Group.

In honor of his vast contributions to the country music scene, Higdon has been announced as the latest recipient of the Frances Williams Preston Mentor Award, to be given out during the upcoming Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony.

“Pat Higdon built his small independent publishing company into one of the most successful in Nashville by helping develop and nurture the talents of so many great young songwriters over the past 25 years,” Pat Alger, chair of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation, says. “With his natural down-to-earth style, Pat is one of a handful of executives in both the independent and the corporate publishing environments whose name has always been synonymous with the highest standards of professional integrity, and many of our great songwriters got their start under his guidance."

Currently, Higdon runs Patrick Joseph Music, a publishing company that partners with Songs Music Publishing, which boasts a roster of several hit writers, including Matraca Berg, George Teren and Kat Higgins, among others.

Songwriters John Anderson, Paul Craft, Tom Douglas and Gretchen Peters will also be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame during the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony.

The 44th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony will be held at the Music City Center on Sunday, Oct. 5. Tickets to the event are $250. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 615-460-6556.

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