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This website brings you the latest Australian country music news. News releases can be sent to news@countrymusicbulletin.com.au |
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Broadcasters recognised by People's ChoiceA unique aspect of the Australian Country Music People’s Choice Awards is the recognition given to the broadcast sector. Most Popular Country Music DJ and Most Popular Country Music Radio Station or Program are two important categories in the annual awards, recognising the importance of this sector of the media to the industry.
It was decided to publicise all nominations in all categories by voters in the 2021 Awards to recognise the broad underlying popularity of Australian country music. “The sector doesn’t generally get the recognition or support it deserves,” said Awards spokesman Bob Kirchner. “Given that the vast majority of Aussie country is on par with the best in the world, it’s unfortunate that much of our own mainstream media continues to ignore local artists. “It is because of this that we introduced the broadcast categories into the People’s Choice Awards many years ago to highlight the contribution to our industry by those who do support local artists.” Thirty-seven individual broadcasters or broacasting teams were nominated for the 2021 Awards with a further 31 specialist programs or radio stations. The five highest ranking finalists in all categories will be announced on Friday January 8. Winners will be announced during a special livestream event on Thursday evening January 21. Voter nominations in all categories can be viewed on the Awards website www.peopleschoiceawards.com.au. TSA finalistsFinalists have been announced for the 2021 TSA (Tamworth Songwriters’ Association) Songwriter Salute Awards. For the Garry Koehler Commemorative Award for Novice Songwriting, finalists are… Floyd Black with Damned Sand And Bloody Mulga, Philip Doring with Praying For Rain, Felicity Dowd with Blue Skies, Callan Kennedy with Dodge Ute and Cassidy Rae Wilson with More.
For Gospel Spiritual… Colin Buchanan with Hannah Prays, Stan Lenz with That Little Church On The Hill, Peter McDonald with My Lord And My God, Patricia Thompson with Until I Reach My Goal and Kym Watling with Wondering About My Time. For Lyrics only… Lloyd Clarke with The Fridge, Dianne Coombes with Heading West Again, Christine Eccleston with A Soldier And A Silo, Kevin Pye with The Sepia Soldier and Justin Standley with I’m Here. For the Geoff Mack Commemorative Award for Comedy Novelty Songwriting… Robert Baxter with Where Are You, Ben?, Terry Bennetts with Welcome To Australia, Lloyd Black with G String, John Howie with Tittybong and Shelley Jones with Woman’s Wee Wait Woe. For Bluegrass… Benny Allen with Lady Luck And Me, Allan Caswell & Manfred Vijars with Spin, John Howie with I Just Want To Be A Minstrel Boy, Tony Smith with Dirt Kids and Kimberly Wheeler with Willow Tree. For Alt Country… Dave Diprose with Rolling Down The Highway, Cathy Dobson with Love Ain’t Bulletproof, Cass Hopetoun & Blake Dantier with Fortune Teller, Ben Ransom with Night After Night and Ronnie Tant with Take Me Down To Pray. For Country Blues… Aaron D’Arcy & Bruce Atherton with Take Me Again, Cathy Dobson with Learn To Swim, Russell Neal with Mr Hardway, Lucie Tiger O’Connor with Gasoline and Ben Ransom with One Of A Kind. For the John & Judy Martin Commemorative Award for Traditional Country Song of The Year… Box Of Wood by Michael Lehnen & Catherine Lehnen, Be A Little Kinder by Justin Landers, Camel Up, Earlston Said by Kylie Adams-Collier, Do It All Over Again by Wendy Wood and A Farmer’s Lullaby by Cathy Dobson. For the Bev Daniel Commemorative Award for Bush Ballad Song of the Year… A Fortunate Life by Terry Bennetts & Keith Lethbridge, For Those Who Understand and Sandy Johnson by Peter Simpson, That holden Saved My Life by Allan Caswell & Manfred Vijars, Two Old Bushmen by Peter Coad and A Wrinkled Old Has Been by Patricia Thompson. For Country Rock… How About This Weather? by Justin Landers, If You Were Mine by Aaron Jurd, Kevin Bennett, Maddi Collier & Ainslie Allen, Mamma Said by Ben Ransom, The Marriage Box by Clayton Saunders and The Tender Years by Clayton Saunders. For the Eric Watson Commemorative Award for Country Ballad… Back in 65 by Peter Coad, Life In A Small Country Town by Dave Diprose, Room Full Of Strangers by Cass Hopetoun & Blake Dantier, Swamped by Simon Condon, Think Again by Ian Burns, Mary VI Harrison & David Carter, Too Blue For This Right Now by Allan Caswell and Two Horse Junction by Robert Baxter. For the Local Heroes award… Ian Burns, Mary VI Harrison & David Carter with Think Again, Lloyd Clarke with Threading The Eye Of The Needle (Loch Ards Lament), Tee Ja with Wayne Crosson, Eric Read with The Generation and Steve Roberts with FIFO Man. For the TSA New Songwriter award… Billie Rose Copeland & Peta Cherae Peters with Superwoman, Bella Fenlon & Lavina Stewart with Dance In The Rain, Wendy Ford with Clean House, Cass Hopetoun & Blake Dantier with Typical Bride, Eric Read with Downsizing and Cassidy Rae Wilson with Ton Of Bricks. Award winners will be announced during a live streamed event from Tamworth on Tuesday January 19. Weblink – www.tsaonline.com.au. New program for Capital Country RadioCapital Country Radio has added a new element to its growing list of specialist programming.
The program is hosted by Capital Country Radio’s own Jim Guider under the on-air name “Currabubula Jim” – a follow on from the persona Jim used when he hosted a similar program on another radio station in the early 2000s. Chillout: Country Blues N Roots goes to air at midnight Saturday night with repeats at 6am Tuesdays and 1pm Thursdays. Jim says his former program featured artists like 8 Ball Aitken, Dallas Frasca, Claude Hay, Buddy Knox, Mason Rack, Andrew Winton and Eli Wolfe. The new program would embrace blues and roots artists that tend to cross over into country as well as highlighting many Australian country acts that crossover into blues and roots. As well as the music, the program will feature artist and industry news, new releases and festival and event updates as well as specific hard to find information like where to find organisations and associations connected with the genre, Jim said. Chillout: Country Blues N Roots joins a number of dedicated programs that have been running on the internet radio station for some time… The Australian Bush Ballad Show with Dianne Lindsay and Peter Simpson, My Kinda Country with Lorraine Pfitzner, Nu Music Nu Country Nu Releases, Showcase Australia with Connie Kis Andersen, TSA Showcase with Athol Latham and the Top Selling Australian Country Albums Countdown. Weblink www.capitalcountryradio.com. Felicity to leave SNCFelicity Urquhart – long-serving host of ABC Radio’s “Saturday Night Country” (SNC) – will leave the program at the end of this year. During her more than 10 years involvement with the program, Felicity hosted more than 500 shows and 2,000 hours of programming. She was involved as a guest host filling in for program originator John Nutting before being appointed permanent host in February 2010 after John left.
"The last 18 months have been the most unusual in my personal life,” she said, “and it seemed very clear, especially after what we've all been through this year, that family is so important. "I really want to spend quality time with my young girls, be present and pass on that creative spirit. "I need to look after my health — it probably has waned a little bit — and I've worked out that I'm not superwoman." Born and raised in Tamworth, Felicity grew up in a house filled with country music and listened to Radio 2TM’s “Hoedown” program before bedtime. She says at the time, she used to pretend to be a radio announcer and record shows in her bedroom. Country great John Williamson said he had appreciated every moment Felicity had been on the radio. "We've lost a real stalwart for our bush music, but we understand and give her all our love," he said. "Felicity knows the industry and her bubbly presence and enthusiasm has been very good for our industry." Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA) President Dobe Newton said: "It is great for Fliss and it will give her time to relax but she has made an amazing contribution in terms of promoting our artists and our music… "Felicity is such a positive person and that comes through on the airwaves and it makes everybody who interacts with her smile." Announcing her decision, Felicity thanked listeners for tuning in."It's been an absolute joy. It's all about the music, not the host," she said. Felciity’s final “Saturday Night Country” will air on December 26. A spokesman for the ABC said though it may be a farewell of sorts, with plans to record and tour Australia performing her own music, Felicity would not be fading into the shadows. "I'm not disappearing. I will still be very present in country music," Felicity said. Weblink – www.felicityurquhart.com. Amber and Shannon on the CarolsAmber Lawrence and Shannon Noll are among performers taking the stage for this year's Carols In The Domain in Sydney.
Instead of actually being held in The Domain on the Saturday before Christmas, the event will run over two nights, this Friday and Saturday December 18 and 19 in the Covid-safe Aware Super Theatre in Darling Harbour. From these performances, a television production will be made, airing on the 7 and Prime networks Wednesday December 23 from 7:30pm. Joining Amber and Shannon on the bill will be acts including Rachael Beck, Samantha Jade, Stephen Madsen, Todd McKenney, Penny McNamee, Ashleigh Rubenach, Hugh Sheridan, Mark Vincent and The Wiggles. Weblink – www.carolsinthedomain.com. Bush Ballad Awards finalistsFinalists have been announced for the 2021 Stan Coster Memorial Bush Ballad Awards.
In the Male Vocal category (pictured)… Peter Coad with Lonely Outback Moon, Keith Jamieson with Bluey Francis and John Smith with Dew Drops On The Blue Grass. Female Vocal (pictured)… Tracy Coster with Barcoo Water, Sharon Heaslip with A Country School and Dianne Lindsay with Graveyard Hill. Duo or Group… Band Of Mates with Sons Of Australia, Coad Sisters with Flinders Ranges Yodel and Justin Standley & Virginia Coad with Camooweal. Album… A Fortunate Life by Terry Bennetts, For Those Who Understand by John Smith and Full Circle by Peter Coad. New Talent… Shane Butterworth with The Guitar Man, Kathy Carver with Country Girl and Ian Wilkinson with Women Of The Outback. Instrumental… Terry Bennetts with Calling Of The Heart, Lindsay Butler with Desert Dreaming and Lindsay Waddington with Roadworn. Songwriter… Wally Brummell with Barcoo Water (recorded by Tracy Coster), Peter Coad with Two Old Bushmen and Peter Simpson with Sandy Johnson. Comedy… Lloyd Back with G String, Patricia Thompson with I Wanna Go Home (recorded by Graham Rodger) and Justin Standley with Tinea Reminds Me Of You. Winners will be announced during a live-streamed event on Facebook on Saturday February 27 at 7.30 pm. Normally, the Awards would be held as part of the Bungendore Country Music Muster which was cancelled for 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Weblink – bcmm.com.au. Tamworth locals band together to "keep the music alive" in 2021Three of the leading year-round accommodation providers in Tamworth, Australia’s Country Music Capital, have joined forces to stage a number of high profile country music events in January 2021. The three – Austin Tourist Park, City Lights Caravan Park and Paradise Tourist Park – have brought together a number of major names in Australian country music for three concert events and a series of bush poet breakfasts.
Family owned and operated since 1982, the business has already noted a 60-70 percent decrease in revenue since the start of the year, stemming from drought, road closures due to the summer bushfires and travel restrictions implemented due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the prospect of no festival visitors looming, Alison rallied two rival accommodation operators and found a way to help keep country music alive and Tamworth’s economy bubbling along in January. The concert series organised by the three outlets are running under the banner “Tamworth in January is Always Country” from Monday January 18 to Saturday January 23. Darren Coggan, Missy Lancaster, Chad Morgan and Aleyce Simmonds will headline the concert events with Jasmine Atkins, The Cartwheels, Kathryn Jones, Jase Lansky and Lily & The Drum also appearing. Further information can be obtained from the Tamworth Always Country webpage. People’s Choice announce nomineesThe Australian Country Music People’s Choice Awards are departing from tradition by announcing nominees for the 2021 Awards. “We’re taking inspiration from a number of awards programs that announce more than only finalists each year,” said Bob Kirchner, a spokesman for the People’s Choice Awards.
Across the Awards 10 categories, hundreds of nominations are received. “We will still be announcing five finalists per category but not until early January,” Bob said. “In the meantime, on our website and facebook page, we will be letting the world know who has the favour of their fans by highlighting everyone who’s been voted for (or nominated) in the Awards.” People’s Choice organisers have been concerned for some time that only a few of the many who get support from fans are recognised by “the people’s awards”. “We get thousands of votes every year,” Bob said, “for so many people and musical works that deserve recognition. “So we’re delighted to announce this important change.” First to be acknowledged aree in the Best Female and Best Male categories and Best Group or Duo. Next will be Best Album, Song and Bush Ballad, followed by Best Video and Most Promising Future Star. And finally, Most Popular Country Music DJ and Most Popular Country Music Radio Station or Program. Nominees can be viewed at the Awards website www.peopleschoiceawards.com.au.
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Organisers have just concluded the announcement of voter nominations for the 2021 Awards with the release of nominations for the two broadcast categories.
For the John P Toomey Commemorative Award for Youth Songwriting… Sari Abbott & Tayla Moss with Do It Again, Felicity Dowd with Safe And Calm and When The Party Is Over and Bella Fenlon with Overthinking And When You Say You Miss Me.
A dedicated “country, blues and roots” program – titled Chillout: Country Blues N Roots – is now on air three times weekly.
Felicity announced her move on Saturday night.
There will be a twist to this year's event, however, because of coronavirus restrictions.
They are…
“The cancellation of the 2021 Tamworth Country Music Festival due to COVID-19 is a monumental blow to Tamworth locals and businesses, both financially and emotionally,” said Alison Edwards, operator of the Austin Tourist Park, one of many local Tamworth businesses impacted by the cancellation.
“By publicising everyone who has been nominated in our annual Awards, we will be spreading the recognition to a much wider group of artists, musicians and radio folk,” Bob said.
Tracy wins in Victoria
Legendary pop act The Angels will also appear.
Kasey Chambers has announced she will host a special tour to Australia's outback next year.
The news came to be known over the weekend and was confirmed by his duo partner William "Boyd" Robertson.
Keith Urban has announced a series of concert dates in Australia as part of his Speed Of Now World Tour 2021.
