11 July 2012 - 1 Comment

The 2012 National Country Music Awards (NCMA) will see the cream of New Zealand country music strumming their way to Hamilton’s Founders Theatre on Saturday 11 August.

NCMAis the most prestigious event on NZ’s country music calendar and will feature performances from Kiwi country music legends Tom Sharplin, Jenny Blackadder, Joy Adams, Australian guest artist Andrew Redford plus new stars and 2012 Horizon Nominees Kylie Price, Matt McNeilly, Jody Direen.

The 2012 NZ Country Music Nominees are 

Female Artists of the Year – Kylie Austin, Aly Cook, Katie Thompson

Male Artists of the Year - Craig Adams, Eddie Low, Trevor Stevens

Music Group/Duo of the Year - Kylie Austin & Trevor Stevens, The Coalrangers, The Heartleys

NZ Horizon Award*- Kylie Price, Jody Direen, Matt McNeilly

*The NZ Horizon Award winner will have the added distinction of performing at the Global Artist Showcase (part of the CMA Music Festival in Nashville).

The Hamilton Awards double as an important industry showcase for promoters and international booking agents and the Horizon Award winner will, as part of their prize, showcase at the largest country music festival in the world – the CMA Music Festival in Nashville. 

Award Promoters, Kiwi Pro-Am Country Music Organisation have staged the event annually since 2006 and played a key role in establishing a trans-Tasman artist exchange programme that has seen past winners of the NZ Horizon Award perform at Australia’s Tamworth CMAs.

“This event is one of the most important events in country music in New Zealand.” Rob Potts -Country Music Association International Director

Get your tickets to the Oscars of country music and witness NZ music history in the making!

Saturday 11 August
Founders Theatre - HAMILTON
ON SALE NOW!
http://www.ticketek.co.nz/ / 0800-Ticketek

http://www.kiwiproamcountrymusic.co.nz/

Tom Sharplin was born in Auckland and raised in Tauranga and in 1967 he joined his first band, the Arms & Legs who supported the likes of the La De Dahs and the Underdogs.  He went on to tour with Mr Lee Grant and performed on TV music shows Happen Inn and C’mon.  In 1973 Tom recorded Love Is A River/I’ll Get Along and in 1974 Heart Beat/Give Me a Dream and the following year he formed Tom Sharplin and Graffiti, featuring Ritchie Pickett and Glenn White.  In 1982 Tom Sharplin and the Rockets was formed, then later, the Cadillac’s.  He and his band picked up many awards over the years including NZ Group of the Year Award, the Variety Artist Club’s Ultimate Award (1980) and the Benny (in 2002). Tom is currently President of the Variety Artists Club and is an active participant in Variety, the Children’s Charity - for children who are sick or have disabilities. He also has a new album featuring some of his many and varied showbiz friends, singing songs that are part of NZ country’s music history. 

http://www.tomsharplin.co.nz/  

Jenny Blackadder was born and raised in Christchurch and at the age of eight started playing the ukulele and guitar.  At 22 she switched to traditional old time banjo, formed a jazz band (playing Dixieland and trad jazz) before taking up country music and pedal steel guitar.  Her rise into the top list of NZ country entertainers began in 1979 at the South Island Country Music Awards where she took out four awards including The South Island Overall Country Music Artist and the Most Outstanding Country Music Artist of the Year Award.   At the NZ New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards in Gore she won Top Instrumentalist and in 1980 the Overall Gold Guitar Award.   These days Jenny is kept busy playing and using her skill to raise money for charity. 

http://www.banjoqueen.co.nz/

Joy Adams has won numerous singing and song-writing awards in Australasia includingNZCMA Songwriter of the Year (1990) andNational Female Artist of the Year(2008). She has toured extensively and featured on festivals, showcases and TV in Denmark, Norway, Germany and the USA where her music is widely accepted and played on radio.  In 2001 she topped the European Media Services Charts with a song called I Know You Don’t Love Me No More - at that time she was the first Australasian artist to do so.  Joy has recorded a total of 14 albums and presents her own Country Variety Concerts. 

http://www.joyadams.co.nz/

Andrew Redford (AUS) is a 19 year old multi-instrumental singer/songwriter with international recognition. In 2009 he took out the Teen QSong Award in Queensland and in 2010 was awarded the coveted Billy Thorpe Scholarship, a music scholarship providing funds for recording and meetings with Michael Chugg (Chugg Entertainment) and Seb Chase (MGM).  His debut City EP was followed by self-produced and recorded She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not and both recordings received national airplay.  With his music featured in surf films such as the NZ film Flux, Andrew mixes indie, folk, and pop/rock music and he is influenced by artists such as Dylan and Coldplay.

Jody Direen was raised in a Wanaka and has just released her first music video Comin to Town.  She was recently asked to perform as a guest artist on Lawrie Minson and Ross Wilson's (Daddy Cool) live DVD show in Australia and at Dunedin's Big Night ln concert, where, backed by a 19 piece band, she performed to over 25 000 people at the Forsyth Barr Stadium.  Jody's goal is to promote herself as a country artist and explore the more modern country/rock style music such as Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, the Dixie Chicks and Gretchen Wilson. 

http://www.jodydireen.com/ 

Kylie Price is 18 years old and studies at Otago University in Dunedin where she has lived all of her life.  She entered New Zealand Gold Guitars and won the Intermediate SectionOverall in 2010 with a song she wrote, before going on to represent NZ at the Tamworth Country Music Festival last year.  Over the past year Kylie has won several awards at the Gore Gold Guitar Awards including NZ Gold Guitar Overall Winner, NZ Composition, Traditional, Gospel and the Country Rock Section.  Her inspiration comes from artists like Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Kaylee Bell and Gretchen Wilson.

www.kylieannprice.co.nz/bio

Matthew McNeilly is the youngest ever Life Member of the Blenheim Country Music Club.   He has successfully competed at many Country Music Awards in Blenheim, Westport, Nelson, Motueka and Lower Hutt, teaches piano and guitar and recently started writing songs for his debut CD.  He has been granted a scholarship to attend the music school in Tamworth, Australia and his goal is to travel to Nashville, perform in the Grand Ole Opry and tour with Kiwi music legends like Eddie Low, Gray Bartlett, Suzanne Prentice and Dennis Marsh.

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