National Academy of Songwriters Stevie Wonder, Los Lobos, Willie Dixon, Atlantic Starr, Stephen Stills, Michael Bolton, Melissa Manchester, Stephen Bishop, Brian Wilson, Kim Carnes, Michael McDonald, and many others. Also performing over the years at the "Salute To The American Songwriter" concerts were songwriting legends such as Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Barry Mann, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, Richard Sherman, John Bettis, Diane Warren, and many others. In 1988, the National 'Academy' of Songwriters teamed with VH-1 for the "Fourth Annual Salute To The American Songwriter" which was televised on VH-1 and Showtime in 1989. In 1996, the Los Angeles Songwriters Showcase (LASS)
Mike and the Mechanics band, joining their stable of songwriters and adding keyboards. The group's third album, "Word of Mouth", followed in 1991. It was less successful than its predecessors, particularly in the US, but scored another trio of charting singles in the UK, with the lead single becoming one of their most popular songs yet. Their fourth album, "Beggar on a Beach of Gold", did not appear until 1995. It yielded both a UK top 40 hit in the title track, and a number 12 hit in "Over My Shoulder". The latter, which was their first hit to be co-written by Carrack, became