Monday 26 November 2018

2018 British Country Music Association Awards Winners – Report & Fashion


This years’ British Country Music Association Awards (BCMA Awards 2018 | Website: bcmawards.co.uk) took place at the Harrogate Convention Centre (Website | Facebook King's Road HG1 5LA Harrogate, North Yorkshire) on Saturday 24th November and was a 1-day event.


VIP Guests gather at the BCMA Awards 2018
























In Brief:
The WINNERS of the British Country Music Awards for 2018:
UK Horizon Award: Izzie Walsh
UK Duo of the Year: Gasoline & Matches
UK Album of the Year: The Wandering Hearts – WILD SILENCE
UK Musician of the Year: Luke Thomas
UK Video of the Year: Backwoods Creek – ‘When I Grow Up’
UK Male Vocalist: Darcy (Darcy Crawford)
UK Group of the Year: The Wandering Hearts
UK Song of the Year: Jade Helliwell – ‘Boom Tick’
UK Female Vocalist: Jade Helliwell
UK Entertainer of the Year: The Wandering Hearts
Best Original UK Festival: Buckle & Boots

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS 2018
Best Solo – Kezia Gill
Radio Presenter of the Year – Bob Harris
Band of the Year – Izzie Walsh
Album of the Year – The Shires, ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE

International Awards
International Song of the Year: Luke Combs – When It Rains It Pours
International Album of the Year – Brothers Osbourne, PORT ST JOE
International Touring Artist – Jenn Bostic

INDUSTRY AWARDS 2018
Services to Country Music – Mike Curb (Curb Records)
UK Services to Industry – Mark Hagen (Producer: Bob Harris Country)
International Services to Industry – John Marks (Spotify)

BRITISH COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS 2018
Lonnie Donegan
Aubrey Lovejoy
Alan Cackett (Music Journalist, former Maverick Magazine creator & editor, Album Notes)

Going into the awards The Wandering Hearts led with 5 nominations, Darcy (Darcy Crawford) received 4 nominations (Video, Group, Male Vocalist, UK Entertainer of the Year) and Jade Helliwell had 4 nominations (Album, Song, Female Artist, UK Entertainer of the Year).

It was good night for 4-piece The Wandering Hearts Tara (Tara Wilcox), Chess (Francesca Whiffin), AJ (Alexander John Dean-Revington) and Tim (Timothy Prottey-Jones) who were not present, playing in Exeter on their current UK Tour which kicked off on Nov 21) on winning 3 of the 5 categories they were nominated in.
They snagged UK Album of the Year for WILD SILENCE (4 STARS Country Music Issue 09 “a dozen uniformly impressive pieces”; 1 STAR Country Music People) and with some fine festival appearances bagged both Group of the Year and the highly coveted Entertainer of the Year.
The Wandering Hearts live in Exeter on their Nov-Dec UK Tour




















At the start of the year their single “Burning Bridges” was on the Radio 2 C Playlist.
WILD SILENCE made a debut at No.85 on the Official UK Top 100 Albums Chart (Week Ending 22 February 2018) and No.1
on the Official UK Country Album Top 20 (dated Feb 22, 2018) with estimated sales of 1,000 copies). To date they have spent 41-weeks on the UK Country Album Top 20.

In February, they won the Bob Harris Emerging Artist Award at the UK Americana Awards 2018.

They were the featured cover artist for the August/September 2007 issue of Maverick Magazine and opened for Marty Stuart on his October 2017 UK Tour. Stuart, who was so impressed with the group’s performances invited them to join him and his band the Fabulous Superlatives in the US. They will played at his Late Night Jam at the fabled Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on 6 June, then at his 8 June show at the equally hallowed Grand Ole Opry!.

In something of a surprise win Birmingham based duo Gasoline & Matches (Website: Sally Rea Morris (vocals and guitar) & Steve Marks (vocals and lead guitar) picked up the UK Duo of the Year trophy overhauling last year’s winners and Decca UK’s The Shires, Sony UKs Ward Thomas, Foreign Affairs and former winner Holloway Road.
Gasoline & Matches played the mainstage at year’s Buckle & Boots festival backed by their fully amped up band.  
They first properly formed around 2015 during a road trip through Georgia.
They have hosted several Nashville Sounds In The Round events at The Kitchen Garden Cafe in Birmingham (Presented by Website Your Life In A Song) which are intimate songwriter with special guests.

For their self-titled debut EP, release in January this year, they enlisted the help of experienced producer Gavin Monaghan.  
Their debut single ‘Fool’s Gold’ reaching Number 1 on the UK iTunes Country Singles Chart and single ‘If You Wanna Stay’ (released 19 March 2018) peaked at #3 peak on UK Country iTunes.

Gasoline & Matches joined Dan Wharton (Your Life In A Song) after their win for ‘Duo Of The Year’ at the BCMA British Country Music Association Awards! Tap to watch and adjust volume:
INTERVIEW: GASOLINE & MATCHES (BCMA AWARDS 2018)
INTERVIEW: Gasoline & Matches joined us after their win for 'Duo Of The Year' at the BCMA British Country Music Association Awards!
Posted by Your Life In A Song on Sunday, 25 November 2018


Batley’s very own Jade Helliwell won 2 awards retaining her Female Artist of the Year crown and adding Song of the Year for ‘Boom Tick’.

Related BLOG Post: Batley country singer Jade Helliwell's spontaneous duet with a busker goes viral

The song is taken from her 21 May 2018 self-released 5 track EP INFATUATION (Amazon UKUK iTunes) | Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #119,277 in Albums; #3703 in Digital Music Country). The EP debuted and peaked at #3 UK iTunes Country Albums (#146 UK iTunes all-genre) quickly falling to #5 (#304 all-genres). The following day is was at #10 (#578 UK all-genres), then #21 (#942 all-genres) and by Weds May 23rd it had fallen off the top 200 UK iTunes Country Albums. 

Despite several high profile 2018 festival appearances (Buckle & Boots, Nashville Meets London, FSA Fest, Black Thorn) the EP has yet to reappeared on the iTunes chart but her performances drew a nod for Entertainer of the Year.
On Nov 16, 2018 she released a new single “Drive” (116 Records) which has received airplay on Chris Country Radio with a 1-day appearance on UK Country iTunes Singles Chart with a debut #13 (#784 UK iTunes all-genres). For an UK country artist with 69,500 Followers on Facebook it demonstrates how difficult it is for UK acts to sell their music outside of gigs and festivals.

Darcy (Darcy Crawford) who originally hails from Brisbane, Australia won one of the 4 categories he was nominated (Video, Group, Male Vocalist, UK Entertainer of the Year) picking up UK Male Vocalist beating out 2016 and 2017 winner Gary Quinn, Pop turned country newbie Danny McMahon, Glasgow’s Kevin McGuire and traditionalists and Country Music People magazine favourite Ags Connolly.

Last year Darcy won UK Song of the Year (”Too Country For You”) and Video of the Year (“Hooked”). Darcy is joining Jade Helliwell, Sarah Jory, Kezia Gill, Stew Mac & Dean Roberts and Izzie Walsh on tour in Australia in January. The tour, organized by The Buckle & Boots Festival will see them perform in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Tamworth Country Music Festival, Hunter Valley and Sydney!


Darcy accepts his 2018 BCMA Awards Male Vocalist award 
























Darcy shared on Facebook: “Last night was so much fun! Congratulations to all the award winners and to all the nominees. Honoured to receive the award ‘Male vocalist of the year’ it really is the cherry on top of what has been an amazing year for my music. Thankyou to all those who attended and voted. Massive thankyou to the BCMA British Country Music Association for having my band and I! We had a blast playing for you”

From the neutral’s standpoint Darcy appears to have had a quiet year releasing no new music within the eligibility period (1st July 2017 to June 30th 2018). His 6-track EP Hooked dropped June 23, 2017 (iTunes) and made a #17 debut on the UK iTunes Country Album chart (#526 overall UK Albums chart), then fell to #28 (#1080) and quickly fell off the top 200.

He still has no official website (Socials: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and has only played a handful of shows in 2018 including the Buckle & Boots Festival (a BCMA sponsor) in June where he must seemingly have impressed for the BCMA membership at large to have both nominated and voted for him in final round.
For the record Darcy shared that he was born in Australia. Has father in Scotland. He spent 10 years in Australia and 16 years in the UK with a 2-year pit stop in the south of France. Darcy has dual citizenship. British and Australian.

In February 2017 he started an Inde record company run by Peter Taylor with Ray Crawford (Darcy’s manager, driver and father) called 4Quarters ( WEBSITE).

Americana Manchester singer-songwriter Izzie Walsh picked up the UK Horizon Award winning over Kezia Gill, Danny McMahon, Steve O’Connor and Emily Faye.
On April 12, 2018 Izzie self-released a 5-track EP Take Me Back (Amazon UK - UK iTunes) which debuted at #79 on UK Country iTunes chart.
Her music is described by UK Country Radio as “Gothic Bluegrass with a hard edge her voice is amazing, strong and sensuous, compelling everyone to listen to her” -
Published on Feb 20, 2018 "Take Me Back" (3,800 Views), Directed by Freddie Jones & Axel Wolstenholme:



Walsh and her Americana band have performed around the Northwest, taking Manchester venues and turning them into Tennessee front porches providing banjo & mandolin instrumentation which are complimented by “toe tapping rhythms & haunting melodies”. Find out more at www.izziewalsh.com
Izzie shared “Thanks so much to BCMA Awards for having us! It’s still not sunk in that we were awarded The Horizon Act of the Year and People’s Choice Best Band! Congratulations to all nominees and performers! We’re overwhelmed by your support, thank you for everyone who voted, we couldn’t have done it with out you all! Love - Izzie & The Guys

Newbie nominees Guildford based Backwoods Creek took home UK Video Of The Year for ‘When I Grow Up’.




Luke Thomas retained his Musician of The Year title for a second year. He has previously won Song of The Year twice, Video of the Year and Duo Of Year when as one halve of duo Luke & Mel.
Luke Thomas accepts his award for 2018 BCMA Musician of the Year




























PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS 2018

A new concept this year was the introduction of the 4 People’s Choice awards whereby any member of public could nominate an act or person.  
Kezia Gill won Best Solo, Izzie Walsh won Band of the Year, The Shires scooped Album of the Year for ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE.
Kezia Gill accepts her award for People's Choice Best Solo Act







































Bob Harris (OBE) was named Radio Presenter of the Year beating out Russell Hill Country Music Show (Express FM), Sid Randell (Ghost Rider Radio Website | Radionomy 24/7 stream), Scott Welsby (KFM Radio) and his good friends Baylen Leonard & Chris Stevens (Chris Country Radio).  




































On Instagram Bob shared: Thank you British CMA for my Best Radio Presenter Award and thank you to all the fans who voted for me. I am absolutely thrilled and very proud. And congratulations to my friend and Bob Harris Country producer Mark Hagen for his richly deserved Services To Industry Award. This really means the world 

US singer-songwriter Jenn Bostic (well known for her hit song, Jealous Of The Angels) co-hosted the British Country Music (BCMA) Awards ceremony and she also picked up and retained International Touring Artist of the Year.
She played UK dates in February, March (including the Country On The Clyde in Glasgow) and 5 more dates in April and made a second appearance at the Buckle & Boots Festival.

BCMA Awards 2018 co-host for the evening was Gary Quinn (a five-time British Country Music Association Awards winner) who was unable to bag a hattrick of Male Vocalist of the Year losing out to Darcy.
BCMA 2018 hosts: Gary Quinn and Jenn Bostic. 📸 DJS Photography

















Award Show Times & Performers

• 11.30am - Doors open 
• 12pm - AFTERNOON SHOW (Free to BCMA members): Performances from Amie Knight, Emily Faye, Chloe Elliot, Danny McMahon, Jen Atkin, Sam Coe & The Long Shadows and Peter Donegan.
• 5pm - VIP Reception
• 6pm - Doors open (evening tickets)
• 7pm - Show starts: Performances from Gasoline & Matches, Backwoods Creek, Izzie Walsh, Sarah Jory, Jade Helliwell, Gary Quinn, Jenn Bostic, Darcy, Morganway and Kezia Gill.
• 11pm - Finish, and after party until 1am

The show began with a performance by BCMA 2018 hosts Gary Quinn and Jenn Bostic with their rendition of 'Shallow'
from the 2018 film A Star Is Born (performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper).

Gasoline & Matches
Jade Helliwell


Kezia Gill

The 2018 BCMA Winners & Nominees

UK Horizon Award
For UK emerging/new artists who have had an exemplary year based on overall recognition and activity whether through album, song, radio airplay, publicity, touring, or other criteria within the eligibility period (cannot be nominated twice for this award). Artist will not have previously won an award in any category other than writer or video.

Kezia Gill, Izzie Walsh * WINNER *, Danny McMahon, Steve O’Connor, Emily Faye

UK Duo of the Year
For a UK act made up of 2 members who have had an exemplary year based on overall recognition and activity whether through album, song, radio airplay, publicity, touring, or other criteria within the eligibility period.

Gasoline & Matches * WINNER *, The Shires, Holloway Road, Foreign Affairs, Ward Thomas

UK Album of the Year
For Country albums released by UK artists within the eligibility period (1 July 2017 - June 30, 2018) (5 tracks or more will constitute an Album)

The Wandering Hearts – WILD SILENCE * WINNER *
Jade Helliwell – INFATUATION
The Shires – ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE
Kezia Gill – KEZIA
Catherine McGrath – TALK OF THIS TOWN

UK Musician of the Year
For UK Country musicians who have had an exemplary year based on overall recognition and activity whether through performing on an album or song, touring, or other criteria within the eligibility period.

Tom Wright, Steven Marks, Luke Thomas * WINNER *, Oliver Hopkins, Yannick Van Riet

UK Video of the Year
For Country videos released by UK artists within the eligibility period.

Backwoods Creek – ‘When I Grow Up’ * WINNER *
Darcy – ‘If I Were You’
The Wandering Hearts – ‘Devil’
Hannah Paris – ‘Just You Wait’
The Shires – ‘Guilty’

UK Male Vocalist
For a UK male artist (s) who have had an exemplary year based on overall singing performance whether through album, song, radio airplay, publicity, touring, or other criteria within the eligibility period.

Darcy * WINNER *, Gary Quinn, Danny McMahon, Kevin McGuire, Ags Connolly

UK Group of the Year
For a UK act made up of 3 (or more) members who have had an exemplary year based on overall recognition and activity whether through album, song, radio airplay, publicity, touring, or other criteria within the eligibility period.

Jess and the Bandits, Darcy Band, The Wandering Hearts * WINNER *, Backwoods Creek, Morganway

UK Song of the Year
For Country songs released by UK artists (either separately or on an album or EP) within the eligibility period.

The Wandering Hearts – ‘Fire and Water’
Backwoods Creek – ‘When I Grow Up’
Catherine McGrath – ‘Talk Of This Town’
Jade Helliwell – ‘Boom Tick’ * WINNER *
Hannah Paris – ‘LA’

UK Female Vocalist
For a UK female artist(s) who have had an exemplary year based on overall singing performance whether through album, song, radio airplay, publicity, touring, or other criteria within the eligibility period.

Laura Oakes, Kezia Gill, Philippa Hanna, Jade Helliwell * WINNER *, Demi Marriner

UK Entertainer of the Year
For UK artists who have had an exemplary year based on overall recognition and activity whether through album, song, radio airplay, publicity, touring, or other criteria within the eligibility period.

Laura Oakes, Darcy, Morganway, Jade Helliwell, The Wandering Hearts * WINNER *

Best Original UK Festival
For UK festivals that predominantly showcase and promote original UK Country artists.

Nashville Meets London, FSA Fest, Buckle & Boots * WINNER *, Black Deer, Millport

International Song of the Year
For Country songs released in the UK by international artists (either separately or on an album or EP) within the eligibility period – award given primarily to the artist with writers also acknowledged.
Old Dominion – Written In The Sand
Brothers Osborne – Shoot Me Straight
Filmore – Slower
Jenn Bostic – Revival
Luke Combs – When It Rains It Pours * WINNER *

International Album of the Year
For Country albums released in the UK by international artists within the eligibility period.

Brothers Osborne - PORT SAINT JOE * WINNER *
Ashley McBryde - GIRL GOING NOWHERE
Jenn Bostic - REVIVAL
Kacey Musgraves - GOLDEN HOUR
Luke Combs - THIS ONE'S FOR YOU

Brothers Osborne released the 10-track Port Saint Joe (Snakefarm Records) on April 20, 2018. John and TJ Osborne co-wrote all 10 tracks on their sophomore album, along with frequent collaborators Lee Thomas Miller, Kendall Marvel, Barry Dean, Shane McAnally and Troy Verges. Produced by Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Little Big Town), the project included lead single “Shoot Me Straight” and was named for the Florida coastal town where it was recorded.

On the Official UK Top 100 Albums Chart (Week Ending 3 May 2018) the fraternal country duo, built on the base of their 2016 non-charting debut album, Pawn Shop (9,000 copies sold in UK) when Port Saint Joe made a No.47 debut on sales of 1,919 copies. Additionally, it made a No.3 bow on Official UK Country Album Top 20 (Week Ending 3 May 2018) has peaked at #2 and has spent 31-weeks on the chart.

International Touring Act
For international artists who have had an exemplary year based on overall recognition for their performances and touring activity in the UK within the eligibility period.

Jenn Bostic * WINNER *, American Young, Kip Moore, Filmore, Brothers Osborne

Awards Guidelines & Membership Entitlements
ELIGIBILITY PERIOD: The eligibility period for each award is 1st July 2017 to June 30th 2018.

British Country Music Association Awards Nominations Process And Membership Entitlements 
Only members of the British CMA in good standing can take part in the nomination and voting process for our annual awards.

Who could nominate?
BCMA Members. Each member could send up to three nominations per award category.
Artist members were allowed to nominate themselves if they so wish.

NOMINATIONS: Opened on 20 July 2018 and closed on 10 August 2018. (3 weeks)
All the nominations were collated and presented to the British CMA board, who drew up a shortlist for each award.
The shortlist goes forward to the voting process for members to vote.
VOTING: Voting opened on 20th Aug 2018 and closed on 17th Sept 2018. (4 weeks). The Voting was controlled and adjudicated by an independent body and the results are released on awards night.

BCMA Directors are: BJ Thomas (CEO), Jeanne Jordan (Secretary Director), Lara Goodfellow, Karl Hancock (Buckle and Boots Country Music Festival CEO), Rob Davis (Founding member, owner Puddleduck Publshing Ltd, publishers of Cross Country and Up Country magazine), Wayne Hadlow (Founder FSA Festival)

Sponsors: Pericular International Waste Specialists, PRS for Music Limited, Cumbrae Group, Buckle & Boots, CountryUK, Sawtry Media (Broadcasting & Media Production Company), Cross Country Magazine, FSA Presents, Sonnet (boutique PR and digital agency), The Banger Hanger (Recording Studio), DJS Photography (Official Photographer), UK Country Live, Country On The Clyde, Insure4music


MISSION
The British Country Music Association (BCMA) is committed to supporting the very best in UK and International Country music artists.
Working closely with our friends, industry partners and the Country music community in the UK, we are here to heighten the awareness of Country Music and support its on-going growth by recognizing excellence in the genre. The BCMA will be a place to have fun and celebrate success.

CONNECT with British Country Music Association:
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BCMA Award 2018 Fashion

Emily Faye & Izzie Walsh

































Jade Helliwell – The UK Female Artist & Song of the Year winner was pictured with her Turtle (aka #boyfriend; Musician of the year Luke Thomas) wearing a dark green sleeved ASOS Bodycon dress.


































Jenn Bostic – Pictured with her BCMA date, Mum (Barbara Williams Bostic), the US singer-songwriter donned a black sleeveless halter-neck floor length gown with keyhole detailing and silver embellishments.






































Hannah Paris – The lovely Chelmsford "Just You Wait" singer-songwriter wore a RARE London black sleeveless Bandeau neck mesh Illusion maxi dress with glittery gold shoulder sash and belt detailing.














































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