Brit
Country Music’s BIGGEST Night!
The
Ascot Lawyers British Country Music
Awards were back for 2015, with a fresh brand new look and feel.
Thank
You:
The
Awards were organised by a hard working committee led by Lee Williams, CEO CMR Nashville, CEO of Django Promotions and
President of the BCMAwards and British Country Music Hall of Fame
The
organisers and sponsors/ partners who
helped to make it possible:
Ascot
Lawyers, CEI Events,
Chris Country Radio, CMA, CM&T,
CMDS Magazine, Copper
Kettle Festival, Digital Rodeo TV, Hotdisc,
JRoom3 Productions,
JSH Vintage Guitars,
KEMC (Global Music Marketing),
Quick
Draw Festival, M.T.Allan Audio,
NAM (National Artist Management),
Next Big
Thing Entertainments (Nashville), Puddleduck Publishing Ltd,
Tennessee Tourism,
Think Country, Travelling Time and W21 Music.
Please follow the links to the
sponsors at bcmawards.co.uk
This
year marked the first time viewers had live access to the event. Digital Rodeo TV and WhereverTV's Over the Top platform in
conjunction with Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAM), the global leading
Content Delivery Network services, made the broadcast possible to watch on any
device connected to the internet anywhere in the world. Scroll down for more
information on them.
CMR
Nashville reported that:
The Ascot Lawyers BCMAwards were a huge success in London on
Sunday to a sold out audience, also live from Digital Rodeo TV. We are waiting
for the official viewing figures, but first indication show they are very high!
Firstly
Many Congratulations to all the winners!
 |
| Ascot Lawyers BCMAwards 2015 WINNERS Montage CLICK to ENLARGE |
The
WINNERS of The Ascot Lawyers British Country Music Awards for 2015:
Entertainer of the Year: The Shires
Group of the Year: Raintown
Male Vocalist of the
Year: Ben Earle (The Shires)
Female Vocalist of the
Year:
Laura Oakes
Duo of the Year: Ward Thomas
Musician of the Year: Iain Bradshaw
Horizon Act of the Year: Outlander
UK Song of the Year: Luke & Mel
(“Something About A Woman”)
UK Album of the Year: The Shires (BRAVE)
Hotdisc Award (Awarded to the Single of the Year, a song which has
performed better than any other on the Hotdisc British & Irish Chart over
the past 12 months):
Frank Jennings - Rose Of El Paso
Frank Jennings - Rose Of El Paso
CM&T Award (Most voted International Video on CM&T): Jess and The Bandits (“My Name Is Trouble”)
The
Club Awards
People’s Choice: Solo
Act: Donna
Wylde
People’s Choice: Dance
Act:
Richard Palmer
People’s Choice: Act of
the Year:
Texas Tornados
People’s Choice: Festival
of the Year:
Quickdraw Festival
Hall
of Fame Inductees:
Lloyd Coles, Jackie Storrar, Stu Page
Services
to Industry
UK Services to Industry - Les Evans
International services
to Industry
- Bobbi Boyce (CMA)
International
Awards
International Song of
the Year: Brandy Clark (“Stripes”)
International Album of
the Year:
Darius Rucker (SOUTHERN STYLE)
International Act of
the Year:
Striking Matches
**
Scroll for full details listing on all the 2015 BCMAward nominees and sponsors
for each award.
2015
BRITISH COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS
The
10th British Country Music Awards
(BCMAwards 2015) show was rebranded in 2015 as the Ascot Lawyers British
Country Music Awards.
Ascot Lawyers (Website | Facebook)
has its office in Ascot, Berkshire (Ascentia House, Lyndhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire
SL5 9ED), and handles legal matters throughout the UK. Over the past years they
have been a strong supporter of the BCMAwards and sponsor the Lee Williams show of CMR Nashville on "Europe's #1
Country Music Radio Station". At various times throughout 2015 Lee conducted
Q & A interviews with Ascot Lawyers representatives offering useful advice
on such matters as bicycle accident claims, probate and wills.
On
Facebook Ascot lawyers posted: Thank
you to everyone at the BCMAwards for making last night's British Country Music
Awards such a success. Congratulations to all of the artists who received their
awards and thanks to Neil Somerville
and Derek Harte for presenting two of
the awards
[Which were Entertainer of the Year and People’s Choice/ Act of the Year
respectively]
They added special congratulations to Charlie Green [Quickdraw
Festival], winner of Ascot Lawyers vintage
guitar which was signed by many of the winners.
REPORT
The
awards took place on Sunday October 25th
2015 (7 PM GMT, or 2 PM Eastern Time) and were held once again at the Concorde Suite, London (Crane Lodge
Road, Heathrow, TW5 9PQ) where the winners were presented with a trophy.
18 awards were presented and
over 45 bands and artists were honoured.
There were two Services to Industry Awards presented, one for the United
Kingdom and one for International.
The
nominees for awards were originally announced on Tues 11th August 2015 with the
Decca Nashville and UK’s Hottest Country act The Shires
(Ben Earle & Crissie Rhodes) leading the way with six nominations (Entertainer, Duo, Male
& Female Vocalist, Album and Song of the Year). The 2014 BCMAward
Entertainer of the Year winners, husband & wife Glasgow act Raintown
received four nominations (Entertainer,
Duo, Group and Female Vocalist categories) the latter being won in 2014 by
Claire McArthur-Bain (Raintown).
Headlining
the show:
All
the way from Nashville, the ceremony welcomed Branch & Dean joined by US acts Beau Fuller and Kayla Adams.
Performances:
Live
Performances, in order of appearance included BCMAwards hosts Steve Cherelle, Caddy Cooper followed by Laura
Oakes, Luke & Mel, Raintown (Scotland; played new songs
“Writing On The Wall” and “Nineteen Again”), Carolynne Poole (“Standing On Top Of The World”), Beau Fuller (USA; set included “Dang Girl”), Richard Palmer (performed
covers 'Goodbye Time' by Blake Shelton and Eagles’ “Take It Easy”), Honey Ryder (set included new single “What if We've Only Got Tonight”) , Kayla Adams (USA) and Branch and Dean (USA) finished off the night with “Glad She's
Not an Angel' and a cover of Brooks and Dunn’s “Brand New Man”
 |
| BCMAwards 2015 Montage Performances CLICK to ENLARGE |
A
house band were present to back all the acts. Wayne Lee was playing keyboards. Lee who is the
son of Albert Lee is a former member of the Hayley Oliver Band and plays keys
for Liv Austin’s band playing at The Brooklyn Bowl for the 2015 C2C Festival. On
drums was American producer Justin
Johnstone (now a UK resident) who replaced Lee Guyler who was unable to
attend. Justin works and producers records at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool.
He produced Raintown’s new album and was recently part of their band in a short
5 date UK October tour.
Hosting
The
show was hosted by Chelmsford native for BBC Radio Essex (Eastern Counties) Country
Radio Presenter and Singer/Songwriter Steve
Cherelle and leading Perth, Western Australia acoustic/ folk singer-songwriter
and host of Caddy's Country Kitchen, Caddy
Cooper (Caddy Claire Hopper).
 |
| Steve Cherelle (L) Caddy Cooper (M) Lee Williams (R) |
To
give both Steve and Caddy a much need break recorded TV interviews with Lee
Williams and Edward D.Ciofani (CEO
of WhereverTV) were broadcast.
For the BCMAwards Hall of Fame (website) and Industry award presentations Jim Duncan took over the hosting. Jim is a CMA member (of America), a BCMAward panellist and well-known to UK country fans as the Wolvestock Festival promoter/ organizer and Country radio presenter on WCR FM 101.8 (Wolverhampton Community Radio). He was previously on the board of the defunct British Country Music Association which was disbanded many years ago.
For the BCMAwards Hall of Fame (website) and Industry award presentations Jim Duncan took over the hosting. Jim is a CMA member (of America), a BCMAward panellist and well-known to UK country fans as the Wolvestock Festival promoter/ organizer and Country radio presenter on WCR FM 101.8 (Wolverhampton Community Radio). He was previously on the board of the defunct British Country Music Association which was disbanded many years ago.
The
BCMAwards are NOT the BCMA awards: This confusion still it seems exists with disagreement
and confusion regarding its title reported back in Country Music People May
2011 (reported by David Allan)
PEERS:
The British Country Music Awards is
a self-appointed committee of directors whose names are not widely public knowledge
on the British scene with secrecy as to how acts are nominated, how the votes
are gathered and just how many votes are actually cast. This question has been
continually asked with no replies. It was noted that some of the nominees have
a connection to someone on the panel.
As
far as the winners go the committee panel got the balance about right.
As far as we can tell the panel is Lee Williams (President of BCMA), Malc T. Allan (chairman of British
Country Music Hall of Fame), Rob Davis (Publisher & Editor; Up Country and
Cross Country magazines), Roger Wild (Secretary of the BCMA/ Broke Spoke
Festival/ Copper Kettle Promotions), Les Evans (NAM agency) and Jim Duncan. It
is unknown just how many people actually determine who the winners are. See
more The Road to the BCMAwards 2015 (Blog Post):
AWARD
WINNERS
ENTERTAINER, BEST ALBUM, MALE VOCALIST
Chart dominating UK Country duo The Shires won big at British Country Music Awards after delivering
a triumphant sell out show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire the night before. This was
further confirmation of their whirlwind success this year, which also saw them
become one of the biggest break through acts of 2015.
Theshiresuk THAT'S A WRAP!!! What an amazing
tour. Thank you to each and everyone of you that came out to see us. Every gig
was so special for us and to end up at Shepherd's Bush was just a dream. We
have the best fans in the world. Thank you. B&Cx - Instagram - Sold out crowd Photo: Twitter
See Live Review: The Shires (O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire,
London)
 |
| The Shires at Shepherd's Bush Empire |
Last year they were nominated for UK Song of
the Year (“Nashville Grey Skies”) and nominated and won the BCMAward 2014 Horizon
Act of the Year. This year they bagged 3 awards out of 6 nominations. The Shires
(Crissie Rhodes and Ben Earle) celebrated a hat trick winning Entertainer of the Year, Best Album (BRAVE) and Best Male Vocalist of the Year.
Their headline sold out Shepherd’s Bush Empire
show was less than a year after supporting Little Big Town at the same venue.
The band stated: “Thank you so much to everyone. Over the moon! What a great end to the
tour.”
 |
| BCMAwards 2015-Ben Earle (L) with Jess Clemmons (R) |
Ben Earle stated: “We can’t believe how quickly things have progressed. When we started
the band, we always hoped things would develop fast, but we never anticipated
we would be headlining Shepherd’s Bush Empire so quickly. It just goes to show
how loyal the UK country scene is. They are some of the most loyal and
dedicated fans in music, and we owe everything to their support and
encouragement.”
The Shepherd’s Bush Empire triumph, recent
chart dominance and monumental performances at C2C Festival at the 02 earlier
this year are further examples of how country music continues to assimilate
into British culture and become a stronger focus for the UK music industry. As
Billboard declared earlier this year, “The Shires sing, "We can build our own Nashville underneath
these grey skies." The lyric may
prove prophetic as the United Kingdom develops its own vibrant country music
scene”.
Released on 2nd March 2015 BRAVE opened at No.10 on the Official UK Top 100 Album Chart (Week
Ending March 14, 2015) with first week/ pre-order sales of 9,516 copies.
The Shires 9,516 sales BRAVE debut bettered most the US country “superstars“ by quite some margin who charted during 2014. On the chart Week Ending Oct 29, 2015 BRAVE (Decca Nashville) fell 25-41 in their 31st Top 100 chart frame with sales estimated at 2,300 and a 34 week tally of 80,400 copies.
The Shires 9,516 sales BRAVE debut bettered most the US country “superstars“ by quite some margin who charted during 2014. On the chart Week Ending Oct 29, 2015 BRAVE (Decca Nashville) fell 25-41 in their 31st Top 100 chart frame with sales estimated at 2,300 and a 34 week tally of 80,400 copies.
The Shires
"Brave" Official UK Top 100 Album Chart 31-week run (beginning week
March 14, 2015):
10-23-48-78-95-158-136-88-30-37-37-17-25-32-45-48-60-74-78-99-90-72-24-13-17-28-51-66-48-77-101-16-25
Additionally on the Official UK Country Album
Chart (Week Ending Oct 29, 2015) BRAVE held at No.1 in their 34rd week
including 27 weeks at #1!
Purchase Brave (Decca) CD - MP3 - UK iTunes
Crissie Rhodes was not at the awards ceremony as she was away attending a wedding. Ben Earle was there to accept the three awards. He seemed humbled by their progress having only formed 2 years ago. He said it was an honour to be recognized by his industry peers and thanked the Association (even though there isn’t one) for their support.
Crissie Rhodes was not at the awards ceremony as she was away attending a wedding. Ben Earle was there to accept the three awards. He seemed humbled by their progress having only formed 2 years ago. He said it was an honour to be recognized by his industry peers and thanked the Association (even though there isn’t one) for their support.
Raintown’s
Paul Bain kindly stood in for Bobbi
Boyce (from the CMA) to announce the winner for Male Vocalist.
Host
Steve Cherelle questioned Paul if he won this award before and he said he
hadn’t been lucky enough. In fact Paul is yet to be nominated in the category.
 |
| Paul Bain (R) announces the Male Vocalist Winner |
Ascot Lawyers very own Neil Somerville (Member, APIL Managing
Director Entertainer Profile) was on hand to present the most
prestigious prize of the evening the Entertainer of the Year to Ben Earle. When
asked by Cherelle why Ascot Lawyers choose to sponsor the awards an
enthusiastic Neil said he had witnessed the growth in country music in the UK
and that the quality of the performances and the awards show itself has
continued to improve with every year.
Theshiresuk on Instagram posted WE WON 3
@BCMAwards. Celebrating with @w21music - Can't believe it. 'Entertainer of the Year',
'Best Album', and 'Best Male vocalist of the year'. Thank you so much to
everyone. Over the moon! What a great end to the tour.
GROUP OF THE YEAR
Raintown have just about all the country awards there
is to win. At the 2013 British Country Music Awards they won Duo of the Year
and last year McArthur-Bain won Female Vocalist and the duo were crowned Entertainer
of the Year.
Nominated for 3 awards this time they took home
the Group of the Year to add to
their BCMA collection. This will have lifted their spirits having returned home
a day early from another fantastic holiday (Rome, Sorrento, Capri and Amalfi
Coast line) to find the front 2 tyres on their car were flat and had to get
them repaired very early Sunday morning before travelling down to London.
 |
| Raintown win Group of the Year |
Unlike the awards in America there seems to be
no clear guidelines regarding both the Duo and Group/Band BCMAs.
Quite rightly Raintown were nominated for Duo.
But....A group should be defined as an act, composed of three (3) or more people, all of whom normally perform together and none of whom is known primarily as an individual performing artist. This Award is based on the musical performance of the group as a unit on an album.
Raintown are still officially a duo with 2 named members with a variety of musicians who step in as a trio or band format.
Quite rightly Raintown were nominated for Duo.
But....A group should be defined as an act, composed of three (3) or more people, all of whom normally perform together and none of whom is known primarily as an individual performing artist. This Award is based on the musical performance of the group as a unit on an album.
Raintown are still officially a duo with 2 named members with a variety of musicians who step in as a trio or band format.
Although it's myself and Paul that pick this
award up tonight for "Group of the Year" we want to take this
opportunity to thank everyone involved who help make it all work. You guys ROCK!
Posted Claire on Facebook
Their brand new album WRITING ON THE WALL, crowd-funded by fans using the Pledge Music platform was only released on Oct 9th which was many weeks after the nominations were announced. It has received widespread acclaim from radio presenters, websites, magazines and by two major players who sit on the BCMA panel. It's already a BCMAward contender for Album of the Year 2016.
Available for purchase: CD - UK iTunes >> Test Drive on SPOTIFY
Apart from the Official Scottish Album chart (one week at No.36 before falling off the top 100) it hasn’t charted as yet on the Official UK Charts and only very briefly peaked at #11 on the UK Country iTunes chart. Outside of their 400 Pledgers there has it seems been small sales for the album despite their 18,000 followers on FACEBOOK, BBC and Internet country radio exposure. With the album now getting distribution nationally in HMV stores and the live worldwide BCMA stream maybe things are about to change?
UKCountryRadio.com (presenters/subscribers) who
previously named Raintown their first UK Artist of the Year in 2014 and Duo of
the Year in September have made "Writing On The Wall" their Album Of
The Week.
FEMALE
VOCALIST OF THE YEAR:
Laura Oakes nominated for the first time at the
BCMAwards took home the title getting the nod ahead of Claire
McArthur-Bain (Raintown); Sasha McVeigh; Crissie Rhodes (The Shires) and Carolynne
Poole, quiet an achievement!
Laura who is a talented
British Country Music singer from Liverpool comes from a huge Liverpudlian
family, where everyone sings or play an instrument. So it was only a matter of
time before Laura caught the music bug.
 |
| Laura Oakes (R) accepts the Female Vocalist Award |
She learned how
to play the guitar, started to write songs and after discovering Carrie
Underwood and the Dixie Chicks at age 14, it was Country Music that had her
heart. Laura graduated from Leeds College of Music in 2012 with a first degree
in Popular Music.
After graduating, she began recording her first single ‘Don’t
Let It Hit Ya’, which was released in September 2013 and landed in the Top 20
on the iTunes Country Chart. Her second single ‘Snakes & Ladders’ followed
in 2014 with similar success.
On June 25,
2015, Laura released her first 4 track EP (MP3 - UK iTunes | SPOTIFY), including brand new songs along with
her two previous singles.
Watch >> “Snakes & Ladders” first published on Nov 3, 2014 (4,100+ views on YouTube) This young UK
country artist appeared at the C2C 2015 Country To Country Festival. Find her on Facebook
On Facebook Laura posted: Thank you so much to everybody who
voted for me in the Female Vocalist of the Year category at the British Country
Music Awards last night! I am so happy to be a part of the British Country
Music family! To everybody who has sent congrats messages today - Thank You,
I'm overwhelmed!! #ukcountrymusic #britishcountry #lauraoakes #Dreamin
DUO OF THE YEAR
Last year Ward
Thomas (Catherine and Lizzie Ward-Thomas) received just one nomination
winning the UK Album of the Year: for FROM WHERE WE STAND.
On the Official UK Country Album Chart (Week Ending Oct 29, 2015) it was placed at #16 in their 66th chart week and 60 of those weeks were in the Top 10. This year they played some major festivals including BBC Radio 2’s Hyde Park event.
On the Official UK Country Album Chart (Week Ending Oct 29, 2015) it was placed at #16 in their 66th chart week and 60 of those weeks were in the Top 10. This year they played some major festivals including BBC Radio 2’s Hyde Park event.
Nominated this year for Entertainer of the Year, Duo
and CM&T Award (video “Town Called Ugley”) they were the winners of the Duo of the Year category. Neither of
the twin sisters were there but in one of the more humorous parts of the
evening Lizzie sent a thank you videocast from Zambia! Ape named “DeDe” (aka Catherine) who had been singing
with her all week she referred to as her African Catherine. “Thank you so much
to the BCMA Awards for awarding is The Duo Of The Year!!! So sad we couldn't be
there! Thank youuuuuu Catherine was overwhelmed and couldn't talk getting
chocolate even though she's allergic” -
Thank you so much to the BCMA Awards for awarding is The Duo Of The Year!!! So sad we couldn't be there! Thank you!! pic.twitter.com/fKyiOdkqZ4
— Ward Thomas (@wardthomasmusic) October 26,
2015
MUSICIAN
OF THE YEAR / HORIZON ACT OF THE
YEAR
Musician of the Year was awarded to Iain Bradshaw (who plays in Gary Quinns band) last year he lost
out to Lee Guyer.
Gary Quinn tweeted
@GaryQuinnMusic Huge congrats to my main man and my keys player Iain Bradshaw
on picking up @BCMAwards Musician of the Year!!!
Nominated for
the first time the Horizon Act of the
Year went to
Outlander who won over other young acts Katy
Hurt and Toria Lynn (CEI
Events), Wolverhampton’s very own Emma
Swindells and Belfast based Pop/Country/Rock/Acoustic outfit The Rising who have recently supported
Jess and the Bandits on tour.
Outlander
are a 5 piece Country-Rock comprising Ali Garner
(Lead Vocals, Guitar), Alex Young (Lead Guitars, Backing Vocals, Keys), Brian
Boyd (Mandolin, Banjo, Guitars, Vocals), David Roughton (Bass Guitar &
Backing Vocals) and Phil Tyrrell (Drums & Percussion). They hail from the
North East of England (Gateshead) and are probably best-known for their cover
of Hunter Hayes of >> “I Want Crazy”.
Blurb:
Formed from former members of Lee Paul Band, Outlander are at a new beginning with their sound, harnessing more energy than ever before.
They apparently went down well at The Wolvestock Festival in
Wolverhampton in July impressing BCMA panellist and festival promoter Jim
Duncan.
The
winner was announced by award sponsor W21
Music (Website) and the band gave a shout out to “social media guru” Ken
Meakin for getting them radio airplay around the UK.
Facebook Post: We won!
Outlander posted are now officially The British Country Music Horizon Act of
the year. Thanks to everyone for all the support!
Outlander tweeted @OutlanderBandUK
Thank you so much @Country_Box and to everyone who voted for us! Feeling good
at #BCMAs
(CountryBox Team: Bringing all the latest in
today's Country Music. From UK tours, to UK releases and upcoming releases to
all the latest news).
UK SONG
OF THE YEAR:
Luke &
Mel (Luke Thomas & Melanie
Greggain) took home the award for Song of the Year for “Something About A Woman” written by Ann “Thunderlungs” Bailey and Matt
Greaves.
Quickly recognised by the British Country Music
Awards Luke & Mel won the Horizon Act of the Year (Sponsors. Digital Rodeo)
and in 2014 they snagged the Duo of the Year.
At last year’s BCMAwards one of the standout
performances was certainly “Somethin' about a Woman” >> YouTube
They also got to perform at the 2014 ceremony
alongside multi Grammy award winner and Grand Ole Opry star, Steve Wariner.
Luke & Mel are a multi-award winning
singer-songwriter duo and have been hailed as one of the hottest bands to hit
UK Country Music in recent years. Formed in 2012, having met through performing
in the UK's top touring theatre show, Country Legends, the pair combine
haunting harmonies and fine musicianship creating a sound that is both unique
and authentic.
Charlotte Elizabeth Board from CEI Events (Facebook, Charlotte Elizabeth International; event planner and
Management service for bands and musicians) who sponsored the Song award was
there to announce the winner and presented the trophy.
Luke & Mel invited the attractive Ann
Bailey, who hails from Gladwin, Michigan now London based to the stage and for
the press photo.
 |
| Luke (L) with lovely Ann Bailey (C) & Melanie (R) |
Ann Bailey and Matt Greaves are the duo that also
crafted the songs on the 2014 BCMA award-winning album FROM WHERE WE STAND by Ward Thomas which proved a hit on Sir
Terry Wogan’s Weekend Wogan BBC Radio 2 show. He also supported a song titled
“Trouble” by German-born 19 year-old Charly on his Sunday 26th July 2015
programme co-written by Charly alongside Ann and Matt.
Ward Thomas’ “'The Good And The Right” and “Push
For The Stride”, peaked at #1 on the UK Country Album Chart and Country Singles
Chart.
Session Singer/Songwriter/Vocal Arranger “Ann Bailey is an accomplished and first rate vocalist, songwriter, arranger and producer - an absolute joy on stage or in the studio” wrote Chris Rodriguez (photo) the producer of the Ward Thomas’ album and recording artist, guitarist (Kenny Loggins, Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson, Shania Twain)
Session Singer/Songwriter/Vocal Arranger “Ann Bailey is an accomplished and first rate vocalist, songwriter, arranger and producer - an absolute joy on stage or in the studio” wrote Chris Rodriguez (photo) the producer of the Ward Thomas’ album and recording artist, guitarist (Kenny Loggins, Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson, Shania Twain)
For more information on Ann Bailey visit: Thunderlungs.com | Facebook
On Facebook Luke & Mel posted: We are SO PROUD to have won the BCMAwards
Song of the Year!! Thanks to Ann Bailey and Matt Greaves for Co-writing this
with us! We were honoured to be in the same category as The Shiress, Laura
Oakes, Honey Ryderr and Carolynne Poole - all such amazing songwriters!
Congrats to everyone involved! L&M x
They also added: It was a great night at the BCMAwards Songwriter Show. Thanks
to Gary Quinn, Katy Hurt - KT, Alan West, Steve Black, Acoustic Journey, Kayla
Adams, Branch and Dean and Beau Fuller for sharing your awesome songs. Also
thanks to W21Music for all your work and Vintage Guitars for sending us another
V52 to give away tonight.
W21Music commented: We are so proud of Luke & Mel,
Congratulations on winning another BCMAward, well deserved, we love you x
CLUB AWARDS
The BCMAwards stated (Up
Country Magazine Press Release) that the general consensus amongst the committee was that the
award categories should be
shared between the club acts and the aspiring young hopefuls who ply their trade in theatres and
honky-tonk style venues around the UK as well as on the international stage.
The 2015 BCMAwards included "part fan and part industry voting
for the very first time. The 2015 nominees were chosen by popular votes via the British Country Music Awards
website (?) and via the Country music press."
* Note:
We found no evidence of voting via the website clarified by W21 Music who
designed it. The public voting appears to have come from readers of Cross Country Ltd/ Up Country Magazine
and CMDS Magazine Country Music & Dance in Scotland.
The awards evening provided the
opportunity where the “two camps” met. In recent years there seems to have been
a split with acts playing the singer-songwriter listening club gigs and those
that play the CMC (Country Music Club) scene and C&W Festivals to a dance/
line dance crowd. A few acts play both circuits and very few club acts have to
date played the C2C Pop Up stages.
 |
| BCMAwards 2015 Montage People's Choice Club Awards CLICK to ENLARGE |
Popular for many years at the club and
festival events Donna Wylde who last year was nominated for Female Vocalist of
the Year this year picked up the People’s
Choice Solo Act award much to her surprise winning over Jim Worton; Darren
Busby; Chris Mezza and Bob Keeley.
Donna tweeted @DonnaWylde1 @BCMAwards thanks to everyone
who voted always means a lot when the fans and peers have that faith in you
Richard
Palmer who
last year won the Line Dance Act of the Year picked up People’s Choice Dance Act beating out Glenn Rogers; Paul Bailey;
Alan Gregory and Natalie Thurlow.
 |
| Kayla Adams (lady in red) & Richard Palmer (L) |
The
People’s Choice/ Act of the Year went
to Texas
Tornados winning over Henry Smith
Band; The Thrillbillies; Gary Perkins & The Breeze and John Permenter Band.
The London based band consists Peter Stothard (Lead
Vocals & Rhythm Guitar), Stuart Payne (Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals &
Harmonies) and Roger McKew (Lead Guitar). Find them Website | Facebook
Formed late in 2004 out of a long-standing
dream of Pete Stothard the Texas Tornados suddenly hit the country music scene
like a ..... well, like a 'tornado' really! Within less than two months the
circuit was buzzing with reports and recommendations about the exciting new
outfit that already had its own fan-base growing larger as each week passed. By
the summer of 2009 not only had they rocketed up the ladder to one of THE most
sought-after bands in the UK but they found themselves as nominees for the BCMA
"Band Of The Year" awards in September 2014 (won by John Taylor Band).
This year they went one better!
They posted: Wow... Thank you every one! We've just won people choice act at the BCMA's.
Finally Festival
of the Year went
to the Quickdraw
Festival (Website)
winning over Kelso Festival; Rock Ridge Festival; Northern Nashville Festival
and Broken Spoke Festival. As a further bonus Charlie Green from Quickdraw
Festival was the winner of Ascot Lawyers vintage
guitar in the prize draw!
INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
All three winners sent a recoded video cast
message thanking the BCMAwards
Despite the fact that Brandy Clark’s “Stripes”
dates back to April 2013 (a track which helped to discover her) she won the
2015 International Song of
the Year overhauling
nominated Toby Keith (35 Mph), Little
Big Town’s 2015 smash hit (Girl Crush), Miranda Lambert (Little Red Wagon) and
Darius Rucker (Homegrown Honey)
Brandy’s writing talents have been heard on
respectable cuts such as Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart” and The Band
Perry’s “Better Dig Two,” while her name
appears all over the co-writer credits on Kacey Musgraves’ excellent Mercury
Records debut Same Trailer Different Park and her album Pageant Material. “Stripes” a brash up-tempo number wouldn’t
sound out-of-place on a Miranda Lambert album and has been covered by trio Lucy
Angel.
An exceptionally talented singer-songwriter,
“Stripes” does not disappoint. It was an ambitious, energetic debut and the
>> video published on Jul 8, 2013 has received 1.45 million views.
Brandy played the Indigo O2 and O2 Arena for the 2015 Country To Country
Festival in March 2015.
Darius
Rucker with
SOUTHERN STYLE (Universal Nashville) won International Album of the Year winning
over Striking Matches (Nothing But
The Silence), Lee Ann Womack (The Way I'm Livin'), Reba McEntire (Love Someone)
and Brandy Clark (12 Stories). The only album of those nominated to chart on UK
Official Top 100 Albums at No.96 (chart week April 4, 2015) was Striking
Matches with NOTHING BUT THE SILENCE.
For
the chart dated April 18, 2015 SOUTHERN STYLE was #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums opening
with 51,580 copies. In the UK it was released by Humphead Records and failed to
sell enough copies to make the Official Top 100 and made a debut at No.2 on Official UK Country Album Chart (Week
Ending April 11, 2015)
Released on March 31, 2015 (13
Tracks CD - Smart Choice Music - Amazon.com ) it was produced by Frank Rogers and Keith Stegall named after one of the songs. Darius said it was reflective of his approach
to this project, which was to have a little more fun than he had on previous
albums, which have leaned heavily on love songs.
International Act of
the Year went
to Striking
Matches beating out Luke Bryan, Brandy Clark; Lee Ann Womack and
Darius Rucker.
The music of Striking Matches (Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis) occupies that sweet spot at the intersection of country, rock and blues, where all of the elements blend to form an authentically raw and rootsy sound that has a timeless and international appeal.
They posted: Dear UK Friends, Our appreciation for the love and support we've
received from you cannot be overstated. We are beyond THRILLED to receive the
British Country Music Award for International Act of the Year!!
Thank you all from the bottoms of our hearts!! We can't wait
to celebrate with you all in a few weeks!!
HOTDISC AWARD
This
was awarded to the Single of the Year,
a promoted song which performed better than any other on the Hotdisc British & Irish Chart over
the past 12 months.
Taking the 2015 BCMA Hotdisc Award honour was veteran Frank Jennings with “Rose Of El Paso” which led for 7 weeks atop the chart.
Taking the 2015 BCMA Hotdisc Award honour was veteran Frank Jennings with “Rose Of El Paso” which led for 7 weeks atop the chart.
On the July
5, 2015 Chart) it marked debuts from a sprinkling of the
19 newly promoted singles on the July
2015 Hotdisc #199 (Rush Released) promotional disc. Taking home Hotdisc Hot
Shot debut honours blasting in with a new entry on the Hotdisc Top 40 at No.2
was Jennings with his re-issued 20-year old favourite “Rose Of El Paso”.
In so doing the former Opportunity Knocks “star”, who was slated to return to
America to record a final album, bagged the No.1 on the Hotdisc British and
Irish chart.
The song
was written by American singer/songwriter, bassist, guitarist, mandolin player Sam
Weedman and was released by Mel
Tillis as 7" single (RCA PB-14175 >> Video)
appearing as the lead off track on his album California Road (RCA Victor
AHL1-5483) back in 1985.
Frank
Jennings first released “Rose Of El Paso” on the album of the same name as a Vinyl,
LP (Grasmere – GRALP 11) in 1988 and it was mastered at Abbey Road Studios and
recorded at Woodcray Studios.
From the Hotdisc
charts dated July 12, 2015 Jennings led the Top 40 for 5 weeks and the British & Irish chart for 7 weeks. He even held onto the top spot on the charts dated August 9, 2015 securing a fifth successive Top 40 week. This
chart frame witnessed new entries impacting the chart from the historic Hotdisc 200 August 2015 promo disc.
This special anniversary triple CD (Hotdisc #200, HD200A and HD200B) marked
Hotdisc's 200th edition and no less than 49 newly promoted releases were unable
to remove Jennings from the top spot.
At the
presentation ceremony Ian Highland (Photo) picked up award on Frank Jennings
behalf who was unfortunately ill.
CM&T
AWARD
Texan
Jess Clemmons the lead singer of
Anglo/ US band Jess and the Bandits got straight off a plane from Ireland to represent her Brit
Bandits!
Jess and The
Bandits with
“My Name Is Trouble” won the CM&T Award for most voted
International Video on CM&T (Website)
The
video published on Youtube on Aug 21, 2014 has to date received
over 35,000 views:
Jess and the Bandits tweeted @JesstheBandit Always great to see our friend @ChrisCountry! Having a great time so far at the @BCMAwards! #BCMAs #BCMAwards
On Facebook she posted: Wow! Video of the Year for 'My Name Is
Trouble'!! Totally unexpected! On behalf of myself and the Bandits, Thank you
to the BCMAwards, CM&T and all of the fans for this! Come see us perform it
on the last week of our tour starting in Bristol on Tuesday!
Sonnet Music tweeted well deserved
video of the year @BCMAwards winner @JesstheBandits
CM&T (Country Music and
Travel) produced by Lee Williams is
brought to you by Travelling Time, CMR Nashville and Deep South USA. Described
as a fast moving Country Music Show it features a blend of the best Music
Videos, News and Travel from the USA. Fans can vote online for their favourite videos to
compile a top 5 monthly chart
The
show goes out on Sky 192, Freesat 402 and online www.cmandt.tv.
There are no presenters just country videos and associated advertising from
sponsors.
BRITISH COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS
The music awards, affiliated with the Country
Music Awards in America, recognise the contribution of professionals within the
country music genre.
Before the inductions Jim Duncan spoke about
the recent death of Kenny Johnson
the former BBC Radio Merseyside
presenter and country singer who died in Spain
aged 75, on Tuesday night Oct 13, 2015. This apparently was at the end of a
country music week that the group West
Virginia put on. Jim said it was part of a Cloud 9 Entertainers event (website) and that Kenny collapsed whilst performing
and required an emergency operation.
LLOYD COLES
Lloyd Coles has been a
presenter of the country show “Countrified “(Mondays 7 – 10pm) on Swansea Sound (Website; Swansea Sound, 29, North Street, Pembroke Dock,
Wales) since 1975 and is regarded as one of the top Country music presenters in
the UK. One of his dreams was to bring a commercial radio station to his native
Pembrokeshire.
As of Feb 2006 the popular Monday evening
Countryfied became available on the internet after he celebrated 30 years of
broadcasting country music offering listeners a mixture of music ranging from
the latest Nashville releases and Independent record companies, hits from the
past, a taste of bluegrass, local club news and tour dates.
At the induction ceremony it was said that back
in the early 90s that Lloyd covered the major American CMA Awards before BBC
Radio 2 ever broadcast it.
In order to present his show each week it
involved a round trip of 112 miles and Lloyd worked out that he had travelled
3 million miles to present on Swansea Sound over a 40-year span.
Lloyd was in hospital and unable to attend.
The award was accepted on his behalf by Tony Byworth who has been involved in country music for over 35 years, working initially as a country music journalist with columns in various publications and editing the consumer publication Country Music People.
Working within the industry, he was Creative Manager for Acuff-Rose Music (1974–76), and in 1983, founded Byworth-Wootton International. A founding member of the BCMA (British Country Music Association) consumer organisation in 1969, Tony Byworth was twice elected Chairman of the trade CMA (Great Britain) in 1975 and '76.
 |
| Jim Duncan (L) with Tony Byworth (R) Fame Induction - Lloyd Cole 25 Oct 2015 |
The award was accepted on his behalf by Tony Byworth who has been involved in country music for over 35 years, working initially as a country music journalist with columns in various publications and editing the consumer publication Country Music People.
Working within the industry, he was Creative Manager for Acuff-Rose Music (1974–76), and in 1983, founded Byworth-Wootton International. A founding member of the BCMA (British Country Music Association) consumer organisation in 1969, Tony Byworth was twice elected Chairman of the trade CMA (Great Britain) in 1975 and '76.
JACKIE STORRAR:
Kirkcaldy’s own dame of country has been
honoured for her lifetime’s work by the British Country Music Awards.
Brought up in Kirkcaldy, Jackie Storrar she has seen her career as a singer/songwriter take
her to over 80 countries including stints as a radio presenter.
She hung up her headphones to concentrate on
her singing career but returned to
the airwaves in Spring 2007 when she was asked to join the original team to
launch Smooth Radio Scotland.
Following on from the success of that, Jackie
took up the opportunity of hosting the popular "The Country Cafe" on CMR Nashville (Europe's No1 24/7
Country Music Station) from 2009-2011 a show I regularly listened too and loved.
 |
| The lovely Jackie Storrar with her Hall Of Fame Award |
Jackie’s radio experience is considerable and
goes back many years.
Her first words behind the microphone were in Hospital Radio: Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Radio Network.
Her first words behind the microphone were in Hospital Radio: Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Radio Network.
After reaching the finals of the local “Voice
of 85” competition, Jackie was offered her own Country Show on Radio Tay (in Dundee, Scotland).
She became the station’s first female country presenter, hosting a show aptly named “Country Girl”.
She became the station’s first female country presenter, hosting a show aptly named “Country Girl”.
It was during the rise of the popular Irish
record label “Ritz” and Jackie found herself championing artists such as Daniel
O’Donnell, Mary Duff and Charlie Landsborough. Without a doubt, she helped turn
them into household names all over Tayside & Fife.
Due to the success of that, she was asked to
present another show called “Feelings”, where she became one of the stations’
most popular broadcasters. ”I didn’t
realise just how much this show meant to people until one day I received a BBC
“Hearts of Gold Award” from Esther Rantzen. I had been nominated by one of
my listeners. My show had become a lifeline for him and so many other broken
and lonely hearts.”
In 1994 Jackie packed her bags, leaving her
native Scotland, to take up a job with Radio
Calypso in Malta
It was whilst working on one of these ships
that she met the man who would prove to be the most influential person in my
life. He was a musician called Steve
Thiebault. Having just returned from working in Branson (USA), he
understood her love of country music. They decided to form their own duo act
called “Foreign Affair”. After Steve’s meeting with Jackie singing on cruise
ships, the couple’s work turned into romance and they married in June 2003.
Jackie was delighted to be awarded the British
Country Music Hall Of Fame distinction:
“It is the biggest honour. I have spent 30 years of my life devoting it to country music. “The nicest thing is the recognition that the award brings for all the years of working hard and giving my all.” “It’s been a great honour to work with my husband for the last 15 years - it’s been an absolute joy,” said Jackie. “He’s been a big influence on my life and a complete rock.”
“It is the biggest honour. I have spent 30 years of my life devoting it to country music. “The nicest thing is the recognition that the award brings for all the years of working hard and giving my all.” “It’s been a great honour to work with my husband for the last 15 years - it’s been an absolute joy,” said Jackie. “He’s been a big influence on my life and a complete rock.”
Sadly a serious health diagnosis forced Jackie
to take a step back from the limelight and she now counts her current battle
with cancer as a full time job.
She said: “Every
day is a fight to stay alive but that doesn’t mean I don’t have dreams and
plans for the future, they are just on the back burner and the most important
thing is to keep living.”
Jackie was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2010, when aged 44, and in an exclusive
interview (Oct 10, 2010) with the Fife Today Press, she said it was the worst moment of her
life."My GP referred me to Queen Margaret
Hospital where they did a mammogram, ultra sound and a biopsy on the same day.
When the results came back, they confirmed it was breast cancer.
Jackie released a single 'My Angel' which she
first wrote with her husband six years previous as a tribute to popular
television presenter Caron Keating.
Jackie admitted that on the list is completing
a new album. “That has always been on my
mental bucket list, I want to be well enough to record another album and be
back out on the stage singing. “I’m a performer, an entertainer and that’s what
I love to do.”
“This is
an acknowledgement of what she’s done and Jackie is a very welcome addition to
the Hall of Fame,” said Jim
Duncan, in late August 2015, curator of the British Country Music Hall of Fame.
“She has
a wonderful, clear voice, has contributed significantly to country music in the
media - she literally ticks all the boxes!”
At the award ceremony she gave thanks to her
husband Steve for his devoted support. She spoke about the toughness of the
music industry and urged the audience and fellow musicians to support one
another. She gave a shout-out to a friend at Irish radio and spoke about the
joys of once having dinner with Vince
Gill!
STU PAGE
The late British guitarist and songwriter who
died aged 58 was honoured
Stu Page (born 12 May 1954 Leeds, West
Yorkshire; died 28 April 2013) was one of Britain’s finest guitarists and
singer/songwriters on the country music circuit.
After slipping on ice in
December 2012 it resulted in a fractured vertebrae. Complications following his
accident led to surgery and it was discovered he had lung cancer and had to go
through intensive chemotherapy.
 |
| Stu Page's widow (C) |
At 2011 the 4 piece rock n roll / country Stu Page Band consisted of Stu Page (Lead
Vocals & Guitar), Roy Wike (Drums), Tom Page (Acoustic Guitar & Backing
Vocals) and Ian Hawkins (Bass).
Stu’s influences included Merle Haggard, Gram
Parsons & The Byrds, Alan Jackson, Hal Ketchum, Albert Lee, Nanci Griffith,
Elvis, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs.
Associated acts included the band Whistler, Leeds based six piece band Midnight Flyer, he formed his own band Remuda, which was an early incarnation
of The Stu Page. In 1995 with the aid of fellow guitar player and band member
Andy Whelan (Link), Stu put together an Eagles tribute band The B'Eagles.
Read More:
Stu Page, British guitarist & songwriter dies aged 58 (BLOG Tribute)
Stu’s widow Janet Page (married Stu 11 February
1976) was present at the induction ceremony and she shared that she fell in
love with his guitar playing before she fell in love with him.
The BCMAward
2015 Nominees and Winners (shown in BLUE) are:
Entertainer of the Year: (Sponsor: Ascot Lawyers)
Winner: The Shires
The Shires; Ward Thomas; Nathan
Carter; Raymond Froggatt; Raintown.
Group of the Year: (Sponsor: JSH Vintage
Guitars Website; presenter Jean Jordan)
Winner: Raintown
Dexeter;
Raintown;
Honey Ryder; Henry Smith Band; Gary Quinn Band.
Male Vocalist of the
Year:
(Presented by Paul Bain in Bobbi Boyce absence CMA International Director)
Winner: Ben Earle
(The Shires)
Richard
Palmer; Gary Perkins; Ben Earle (The
Shires); Nathan Carter; Alan West.
Female Vocalist of the
Year:
(Sponsor:
Puddleduck Publishing Ltd (Cross Country Ltd/Up Country Magazine); presenter Rob
Davis)
Winner: Laura
Oakes
Laura Oakes; Claire McArthur-Bain
(Raintown); Sasha McVeigh; Crissy Rhodes (The Shires); Carolynne Poole.
Duo of the Year:
(Sponsor:
Think Country Website; presenter Leslie Hastings proud
member of the Think Country review team)
Winner: Ward Thomas
Ward Thomas; The Shires; Luke
& Mel; West & Black; Raintown.
Musician of the Year:
Winner: Iain Bradshaw
(keyboards)
Lee
Guyler; Justin Johnson; John Permenter; Iain Bradshaw; Andy Kingston.
Horizon Act of the Year: (Sponsor: W21 Music Website)
Winner: Outlander
Katy
Hurt; Toria Lynn; Emma Swindells; The Rising; Outlander
UK Song of the Year: (Sponsor: CEI Events Facebook)
Winner: Luke & Mel (Something
About A Woman);
Luke &
Mel (Something
About A Woman); The Shires (Made In England); Honey Ryder (Born In A Bottle);
Laura
Oakes (Snakes And Ladders); Carolynne Poole (I Love You But Shut Up).
UK Album of the Year:
Winner: The Shires (BRAVE);
The Shires (Brave); Chris Raddings
(Coming Out Of The Shadows); Honey Ryder (Born In A Bottle);
Sasha
McVeigh (I Stand Alone); Alan West (All Things For A Reason).
Hotdisc Award (Awarded to the Single of the Year, a song which has performed better than any other on the Hotdisc British & Irish Chart over the past 12 months)
Winner: Frank Jennings (“Rose
Of El Paso”)
Tony
Clarke (Tomorrow Never Comes); Frank Jennings (Rose
of El Paso); Megan Adams (Travellin' Soldier)
Charlotte
Black (Politicians); Ian Highland & Frank Jennings (Pride)
CM&T Award (Most voted
International Video on CM&T Website)
Winner: Jess and The Bandits (“My
Name Is Trouble”) >> Video
SaraBeth
(“Nowhere With You”), Ward Thomas (“Town Called Ugley”); Jess and The Bandits (“My Name Is Trouble”); Josh
Goodlett (“Why You Gotta Be That Way”);
Sonia Leigh (“When We Are Alone”)
Sonia Leigh (“When We Are Alone”)
Hall of Fame Inductees: Lloyd Coles, Jackie
Storrar, Stu Page
The
Club Awards:
People’s Choice Solo
Act: (Sponsor:
Next Big Thing Entertainments Nashville [Beau Fuller])
Winner: Donna Wylde
Jim
Worton; Donna Wylde; Darren Busby; Chris Mezza; Bob Keeley.
People’s Choice Dance
Act:
(Sponsor:
CMDS Magazine Country Music & Dance in Scotland Facebook)
Winner: Richard Palmer
Glenn
Rogers; Paul Bailey; Alan Gregory; Natalie Thurlow; Richard Palmer
People’s Choice/ Act of
the Year:
(Presented
by Derek Harte from Ascot Lawyers)
Winner: Texas Tornados
Henry
Smith Band; The Thrillbillies; Gary Perkins & The Breeze; John Permenter
Band; Texas
Tornados.
People’s Choice Festival
of the Year:
Winner: Quickdraw Festival
Kelso
Festival; Rock Ridge Festival; Northern Nashville Festival; Quickdraw Festival;
Broken Spoke Festival.
International
Awards
International Song of
the Year: (Sponsor: Quick Draw Festival Website)
Winner: Brandy Clark (Stripes);
Toby
Keith (35 Mph); Brandy
Clark (Stripes); Little Big Town
(Girl Crush);
Miranda
Lambert (Little Red Wagon); Darius Rucker (Homegrown Honey)
International Album of
the Year:
(Sponsor:
Chris Country Radio [Chris Stephens])
Winner: Darius Rucker (SOUTHERN
STYLE).
Striking
Matches (Nothing But The Silence); Lee Ann Womack (The Way I'm Livin');
Reba
McEntire (Love Someone); Brandy Clark (12 Stories); Darius Rucker (Southern Style)
International Act of
the Year:
(Sponsor:
Tennessee Tourism; presenters Branch & Dean)
Winner: Striking Matches
Luke
Bryan; Striking
Matches; Brandy Clark; Lee Ann Womack; Darius Rucker.
W21MUSIC
w21Music is described as “The Hub
for UK Country Music, supporting UK & International Country Artists and sharing
their music with the World”
The team recovered from what they described as “an
epic weekend”. They celebrated their 1st
Birthday on the awards night and couldn't be prouder with all the things they
have achieved in such a small amount of time.
 |
| w21Music's Pete Woodhouse starts the 1st Birthday Bash as Acoustic Journey, Emma Swindells and Katy Hurt look on |
“We would just like to say a massive thank you to the BCMAwards, it has
been an honour to be part of it all and can't wait to do it again next year”
they shared on Facebook.
See all the photos
They have a new w21STORE where you find Accessories, Clothing, Music from their
favourite UK and International artists.
Connect with w21Music: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
LIVE
BROADCAST
This
year marked the first time viewers had FREE live access to the event
using this link wherever.tv
It
is believed 5 cameras were employed to
give a variety of views of the mainstage live performances and two for the
award presentation stage in the rear of the venue.
Lee Williams, the President of BCMA
and CEO of CMR Nashville ("Europe's #1 Country Music Radio Station")
said, "The audience for country
music is now global. And Europeans have enjoyed country artists for years. This
is our 10th year honouring artists with the British Country Music Awards in
London and it will be the first time it airs live. We are proud that Digital
Rodeo TV has become our long term Live Broadcasting Partner for The Ascot
Lawyers British Country Music Awards (BCMAs). Broadcasting the Awards Show
‘Live' to the world will continue to raise the awareness of the popularity of
Country Music in Great Britain and around the world, and showcase some of the
great talent we have to offer."
WhereverTV Broadcasting
Corp (OTC:TVTV),
an emerging leader in delivering Over the Top live-streaming music events and
subscription television services to internet connected devices announced (Oct
20) that it had agreed to sign an exclusive agreement to be the only
long term live broadcaster of the British Country Music Awards (BCMAs)
sponsored by The Ascot Lawyers.
The
initial term of the agreement is for 5 years, including this year's 10th
anniversary British Country Music Awards ceremony.
Digital
Rodeo TV and WhereverTV's Over the Top platform in conjunction with Akamai
Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAM), the global leading Content Delivery Network
services, made the broadcast possible to watch on any device connected to the
internet anywhere in the world!
Viewers
could watch it directly on their PC or on smartphones and TabletPCs by
accessing a download of the WhereverTV
app in the Google Play
Store
or the Apple Store. Read
More: Press Release (Oct 20, 2015)
Description:
Digital Rodeo TV brings you Country
Music's Favorite Legacy & Hottest Up and Coming Artists.
Aim:
To deliver a content rich mixture of music and videos from independent country
artists, current artists and legacy artists. Digital Rodeo TV intends to
broadcast interviews, videos and live streaming and recorded concert events.
The agreement is expected to be finalized within the next several weeks.
Digital Rodeo TV is a joint venture between Fox Hill Records, Inc. and key
people from Digital Rodeo, LLC. Find Digital Rodeo: Website | Twitter
Edward D. Ciofani, CEO of WhereverTV
stated, "As country music continues
to grow in popularity the ability to access content across any platform and on
any device has become the wave of the future.
WhereverTV's Global OTT
Television platform will merge country music and Internet TV to create a venue
worthy of country music's artists and fans everywhere. I am excited about this
relationship with Digital Rodeo TV and its desire to give striving and thriving
country music artists increased visibility and an opportunity to be heard
internationally by their fans. This is just the beginning for all facets of
music and entertainers”.
Mr.
Ciofani brings 28 years of public company and public market experience
including 18 years of experience in Financial Markets with an emphasis on
Investment Banking, Mergers & Acquisitions, and the trading of stocks.
Read
More: Press Release (April 27, 2015) | Digital Rodeo
- Press
Issues
Watching the Live Broadcast
You
were able to join the live stream at 19:00 in the UK to catch the ending of
host Caddy Copper’s set on playing the mainstage.
The
running of the show seemed a little disjointed at times and didn’t seem to
flow.
Perhaps
too many awards were presented on the night? It seemed to jump around from a
batch of two or three presentations to a 3 song mainstage performance.
On
a 2MB broadband connection there were issues of the connection being lost and
having to frequently refresh the website and reboot the PC.
This seemed to be the case for others on a BCMAwards Chat Facebook Group
This seemed to be the case for others on a BCMAwards Chat Facebook Group
In
CMA tradition videos were used with commentary from Lee Williams to announce
the nominees for each awards. This was quite slick and professional but the
sound levels were much louder than the microphone levels in the Concorde Suite.
Edward
D. Ciofani, CEO of WhereverTV has said that a repeat show will be available for
broadcast in the weeks and months ahead as it will require a considerable
amount of editing. Whether this will require a subscription remains to be
seen.
 |
| Caddy Cooper |
Steve Cherelle appeared to dominate the proceedings. Caddy seemed to be on hand to stand beside Cherelle holding the award envelopes and was more eye-candy for the audience and indeed some of the winners who commented on her beauty!
Read
more about Caddy Cooper and her music: The Road to
the BCMAwards 2015: Spotlight on host Caddy Cooper -
There
were teething problems with the live broadcast and lessons will be learned. The
new live broadcast was a big leap with a potential massive online
audience adding to the pressure. The BCMAwards, sponsors and hosts are to be
congratulated for their time, effort and determination in moving the event
forward and greatly raising its awareness.
At
times I think the hosts forget it was a live broadcast. There was a few minutes
delay/ confusion over the Album and Male Vocalist awards. Steve Cherelle
towards the end of the show got Bl**dy excited swearing on stage. He messed
around with a mobile phone having fun with Raintown’s Claire Bain. Was he
trying to do the “Periscope thang”?
 |
| Live TV: What was Cherelle up to? |
Earlier
in the year it was known that Steve Cherelle has been in conversation had
meetings with BBC Radio 2 as he has
a desire to present a country show on National radio. He used the live BCMAward
platform to let this be known saying the British Broadcasting
Corporation should be championing British country acts. He said he had “enough
material to do a 1 hour show for 10-years”.
The
fact is that BBC Radio 2 and Bob Harris have been doing just that. It was they
that approached Decca to get them to sign The Shires. They have playlisted The
Shires (5 times), Ward Thomas (4 times) Honey Ryder (Playlisted + Live
session), Callaghan (twice), Jess and the Bandits, Carolynne Poole, Lucy May
and Millers Daughter. BBC Radio 2 have strongly supported the C2C Festival,
invited The Shires and Ward Thomas to play the last 2 years at the Hyde Park
Concerts and recorded sessions for Bob Harris Country. The format of the
existing Big Country show by Steve Cherelle on BBC Essex simply wouldn’t work
as it is more “listener request” biased with Steve saying its “your show” and
as a result along with the Pop Goes to Country and Country connection segments
there is very little in the way of brand new tracks and new artist worldwide introductions.
Indeed the show is popular with regular listeners but it simply is not a show
to tune into in order to discover new music. Too much presenter chat and not
enough music, too much conversation led.
LINKS:
Website:
http://www.bcmawards.co.uk/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/bcmawards
CMR
Nashville: http://www.cmrnashville.com
Related
BLOG posts:
The Road to the BCMAwards 2015: Spotlight on host Caddy
Cooper
