It’s been a wild year of ups and downs for John Oates. He saw the dissolution of his longtime creative partnership with Daryl Hall, watched himself work through the emotions of that breakup in the press, and released the cathartic new album Reunion, his most introspective solo project yet.

Now, Oates, a fixture of the Nashville music scene since he took up residence in the city in 2010, follows in the footsteps of names like John Prine and Lucinda Williams when he receives the BMI Troubadour Award this year.

The...