28 January 2017

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 11 PM EDST, SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2017

WINNERS OF THE 2017 COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS OF AUSTRALIA -

THE TOYOTA GOLDEN GUITARS ANNOUNCED!

The 2017 Country Music Awards of Australia - Toyota Golden Guitars capped off an incredible year for Australian country music with the perfect combination of traditional, alternative, and contemporary country music and plenty of ‘golden’ moments at the Tamworth Region Entertainment and Conference Centre on Saturday 28 January 2017. The night saw the country music industry and fans celebrate the artists and the songs that have left their mark on them throughout the past 12 months and looked forward to some of the magnificent music set to hit the charts in 2017. It was Travis Collins’ night, picking up three awards from his six nominations with his album Hard Light. This is the first time Travis has won a Golden Guitar Award. Travis beat some tough competition for MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR, APRA AMCOS SONG OF THE YEAR (Call Me Crazy), and SINGLE OF THE YEAR (Just Another Girl). Coming of the back of her success at the 2016 ARIA Awards, Sara Storer collected two Golden Guitars from

her six nominations bringing her career Golden Guitar Award tally to 21. Sara picked up Awards for

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR and BUSH BALLAD OF THE YEAR (Amazing Night).

Bennett, Bowtell & Urquhart also took home two Awards with their self-titled album Bennett, Bowtell &

Urquhart including ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR and COUNTRY MUSIC CAPITAL NEWS

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR.

Catherine Britt with Kasey Chambers, Beccy Cole, Lyn Bowtell, Josh Pyke, Wes Carr and Wendy Matthews

took home the REGIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK VOCAL COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR with the song F U

Cancer.

QANTASLINK NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR went to Fanny Lumsden while Luke O’Shea with his song the Old

Mans Shed won TOYOTA HERITAGE SONG OF THE YEAR.

INSTRUMENTAL OF THE YEAR went to Stuie French (Song for Manaia), and Kristy Cox added to her Golden

Guitar Awards with another win for BLUEGRASS RECORDING OF THE YEAR (Another Weary Mile). CMC

VIDEO CLIP OF THE YEAR went to O’Shea for The Truth Walks Slowly (In the Countryside) and the coveted

ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD winner was none other than Tamworth Festival Ambassador, Troy Cassar-

Daley.

Cassar-Daley was also elevated to the Australasian Country Music Roll of Renown on the night. Country

music legend Joy McKean presented Troy with the honour saying he had captured the hearts of Australians

with his wonderful, engaging personality, his dedication to Australia and its people and his formidable skills

as a writer and performer.

For the second year running fans who couldn’t get to Tamworth could watch the action LIVE via the

www.tcmf.com.au/LIVE stream and for the first time ever LIVE on the ABC Landline Facebook.

The night kicked off with red carpet performances by 2017 Toyota Star Maker winner Rachel Fahim, 2010

and 2011 Toyota Star Maker winners Luke Austen (former two-times Golden Guitar winner) and Luke

Dickens (also former Australian Idol Runner Up) and 2009 Toyota Star Maker winner Liam Brew.

Inside the country music industry and fans were welcomed by Mickey Pye’s instrumental Buckle Up before

The McClymonts took the stage for their performance of their hit single House.

The night was all about celebrating the best of Australian country music in 2016 while taking a look at some

of the new music to hit the charts in 2017 including none other than recently named Festival Party

Ambassador Adam Brand’s new hit Get On Your Feet – which had fans doing just that.

Luke O’Shea captivated the crowd with his stunning performance of The Old Man’s Shed followed by Kristy

Cox with her Golden Guitar Award winning track Another Weary Mile.

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR Travis Collins (Just Another Girl) and FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR Sara Storer

(Amazing Night) both performed before Kasey Chambers and Bernard Fanning took the stage with their

song Sooner or Later.

The show also featured performances by QANTASLINK NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR contenders: The

Weeping Willows (River of Gold); Michael Waugh (Heyfield Girl), Fanny Lumsden (Land of Gold),

Caitlyn Shadbolt (Running in Circles) and Justin Standley (Till the Buzzer Goes Off).

Other performers on the night included ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR and COUNTRY MUSIC

CAPITAL NEWS GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR Award winners Bennett, Bowtell & Urquhart (I Hear Them

All); bush balladeers Anne Kirkpatrick and Jeff Brown who performed Orchid Street, The Wolfe Brothers

with Throw Em Back, Kasey Chambers with Ain’t No Little Girl, Doyle and Debbie (Whine, Whine, Twang,

Twang) and Troy Cassar-Daley (Things I Carry Around). Lee Kernaghan closed the show with The Outback

Club reunion.

“On behalf of the Country Music Association of Australia, I would like to congratulate all the winning artists

and nominees at the 45th Annual Country Music Awards Australia – Toyota Golden Guitars. It has also been

our honour to welcome Troy Cassar-Daley into the Australian Country Music Roll of Renown.

This year’s Golden Guitar Awards have been a great success and once again demonstrate the diversity of Australian country music through the performances of our incredibly talented artists. I would like to thank all those that were involved in staging the Awards, particularly our valued sponsorship and media partners for their outstanding support.” Dobe Newton, President Country Music Association of Australia. The Toyota Golden Guitar Awards is the pinnacle event of the Toyota Country Music Festival in Tamworth

each year.

Toyota Australia's Executive Director of Sales and Marketing, Tony Cramb, said: “This year, Toyota

celebrates 25 years of supporting the Country Music Festival in Tamworth, including 22 years of sponsoring

the Toyota Star Maker, and many years as a sponsor of these Golden Guitar Awards. We’re thrilled to be

able to continue our commitment of supporting country music in Australia – and the great artists honoured

today – and to be the sponsor of the Toyota Golden Guitars again in 2017.

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said last year’s Tamworth Country Music Festival

attracted more than 13,700 international and domestic overnight visitors, who spent more than $13 million

in the region.

“The Tamworth Country Music Festival is one of the world’s leading music events which generates

significant economic and community benefits to NSW. We congratulate all of the finalists and winners of

tonight’s 2017 Golden Guitar Awards which celebrated the success of outstanding musical achievements

throughout the year, while also showcasing the best of emerging and established country music talent

Australia has to offer,” Ms Chipchase said.

For full details of the winners, images and broadcast packages from the 45th Annual Toyota Golden Guitar

Awards, head to www.tcmf.com.au/media

The 2017 Country Music Awards Australia – Toyota Golden Guitars were presented by Felicity Urquhart, Adam Harvey, Reg Poole, Evelyn Bury, Tony Cramb, Karin Page, Doyle & Debbie, Colin Buchanan, Aleyce Simmonds, Dami Im, Lee Kernaghan, Tania Kernaghan, Max Ellis, Joy McKean, Graeme Connors, Catherine

Britt, His Excellency, the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove & The McClymonts. This years’ Country Music Awards of Australia – Toyota Golden Guitars were proudly supported by Toyota, the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, Regional Australia Bank, The Range, APRA AMCOS, Country Music Capital News, CMC, QANTASLINK and broadcast partner ABC.

The Awards, which started in 1973 are the nation’s longest running music awards and play a vital role

in developing and promoting Australian country music talent.

The Toyota Golden Guitar Awards are the only industry affiliated country music awards in Australia

and the greatest celebration of Australian country music talent. The Awards are the pinnacle event of

the Toyota Country Music Festival in Tamworth.

The Toyota Country Music Festival Tamworth is proudly supported by the NSW Government though its

tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

Ends.

Media Contact:

Sara Crowe, Publicist, Tamworth Country Music Festival and Golden Guitar Awards

M: 0438 197 559

45TH COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS OF AUSTRALIA WINNERS

Album of the Year : THINGS I CARRY AROUND: Troy Cassar-Daley

Producer : Troy Cassar-Daley

Alternative Country Album of the Year : BENNETT BOWTELL & URQUHART

Bennett, Bowtell & Urquhart | Producer : Glen Hannah

Male Artist of the Year : TRAVIS COLLINS

Hard Light

Female Artist of the Year : SARA STORER

Silos

Country Music Capital News Group or Duo of the Year

BENNETT BOWTELL & URQUHART : Bennett, Bowtell & Urquhart

Regional Australia Bank Vocal Collaboration of the Year

F U CANCER : Catherine Britt with Kasey Chambers, Beccy Cole, Lyn Bowtell,

Josh Pyke, Wes Carr, and Wendy Matthews

Bush Ballad of the Year

AMAZING NIGHT : Sara Storer

Songwriter : Sara Storer

Toyota Heritage Song of the Year

THE OLD MAN'S SHED : Luke O'Shea

Songwriters : Luke O'Shea & John Krsulja

Instrumental of the Year

SONG FOR MANAIA : Stuie French

Bluegrass Recording of the Year

ANOTHER WEARY MILE : Kristy Cox

Qantaslink New Talent of the Year

FANNY LUMSDEN : Land Of Gold

APRA AMCOS Song of the Year

CALL ME CRAZY : Travis Collins

Songwriter s: Travis Collins & Damien Leith

CMC Video Clip of the Year

THE TRUTH WALKS SLOWLY (IN THE COUNTRYSIDE) : O'Shea

Director : Mark O'Shea

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

JUST ANOTHER GIRL : Travis Collins