Dana School of Music alumnus speaks at fall commencement

Robert J. “Bob” DiPiero, a Dana School of Music alumnus, spoke at YSU’s fall 2023 undergraduate commencement ceremony Sunday, December 17 in YSU’s Beeghly Center.

DiPiero graduated from the Dana School of Music in 1976 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. After releasing his first single in 1983, he quickly became one of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters. Since then, he has had over one thousand songs recorded by other artists, countless hit singles, and fifteen #1 hits.

DiPiero’s songs have been featured in numerous television shows, commercials, and movies. In 1990, he won his first Nashville Songwriters Association International Award for superior creativity, which he would go on to win an additional two times. He has also been recognized and awarded by The Songwriters Guild of America, the Country Music Radio Awards, and the Nashville Music Awards.

DiPiero’s other awards include fifty BMI Million-Air honors, multiple Songwriter of the Year awards, and two consecutive Triple Play awards for three #1 songs within a year’s time. In 2017, BMI named him a BMI Icon at the 65th annual BMI Country Awards.

In 2007, DiPiero was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Nashville’s Walk of Fame. In 2014, the Country Music Hall of Fame invited him to perform at their prestigious Poets and Prophets Series named “Salute to Bob DiPiero.” The Country Music Association also presented him with the CMA Chairman’s Award.