AUSTRALIAN country music's poster girl Beccy Cole and US-based Aussie Keith Urban led the winner's tally at the 40th Jayco CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia, collecting two Golden Guitars each.
Although Keith couldn't be there, he sent two pre-recorded acceptance speeches for his wins in Sanity Top Selling Album of the Year and Male Artist of the Year, thanking the fans and promising to be back 'home' again this year.
He said his April 12 show in Tamworth was a highlight of the Get Closer tour. We would hope that meant the Country Music Capital would be included in future Urban tours.
Beccy took home Golden Guitars for Female Artist of the Year for Songs and Pictures, as well as Vocal Collaboration of the Year with Kasey Chambers for their duet Millionaires.
"It's an absolute honour to receive an award with my best friend," Beccy said. "I'm so incredibly proud of Kase's achievments as a friend and as member of this industry."
Kasey told Beccy that she loved her guts off.
Beccy said it was a shock to get Female Artist.
"Having my band on this record was a thrill for me," she said. "It's a wonderful industry to be part of and I can't believe it was so long ago I was busking."
The often under-awarded but much-loved Bushwackers breathed new life into the classic I Am Australian, co-written by frontman Dobe Newton, taking out Toyota Heritage Song of the Year.
Dobe, who was dressed in a trademark suit with bright paint colours fashionably splashed across it made the band's acceptance speech.
"Thank Christ I dressed up," he said.
"I love you mate (to Roger Corbett). When we first came (to the Tamworth Country Music Festival) in 1981 we didn't realise at the time we were becoming part of a community. Without our musical friends and city of Tamworth friends and fans we would have no career. Bless you and thank you very much."
Adam Harvey secured the Album of the Year award for Falling Into Place, produced by Rod McCormack.
Melbourne foursome Jetty Road, who were discovered in the Australian Country Music Busking Championships after busking on Peel St years ago, took out Group or Duo of the Year. They won the same award in 2010.
Country music's sweetheart Catherine Britt, scored a win in Single of the Year for her song Sweet Emmylou.
Performing live on the night, both Shane Nicholson and O'Shea collected Golden Guitars for APRA Song of the Year and Telstra New Talent of the Year respectively.
Shane was pleased to have one Golden Guitar, at last, that he didn't have to share with wife, Kasey Chambers.
"It's especially cool to have one of these in the house that has just my name, not my wife's," he said. "This award is about the songs, and being a song person, it's what I do. It's what gets me out of bed in the morning."
He dedicated his win to his dad.
The evening, hosted by Ray Hadley OAM and Tamworth's own Felicity Urquhart, featured plenty of moments to reflect on where Tamworth and the country music industry had come from and to pay tribute to the pioneers, with many involved in the presentation.
Many of the new Australian country artists also performed, reflecting the looking forward aspect of the awards and festival overall.
Two highlights were Melinda Schneider's tribute to those pioneers no longer with us and Anne Kirkpatrick who closed the show with a tribute to her dad and the theme of the festival Looking Forward, Looking Back, the song made famous by her late father Slim Dusty and written by Cold Chisel's Don Walker.
The winners are:
Album of the Year: Falling Into Place - Adam Harvey, produced by Rod McCormack (Sony Music)
Sanity Top Selling Album of the Year: Get Closer - Keith Urban (EMI Music Australia)
Male Artist of the Year; Keith Urban - Long Hot Summer (EMI Music Australia)
Female Artist of the Year: Beccy Cole -Waitress (Core Music)
Group or Duo of the Year: Jetty Road - Serves You Right
Vocal Collaboration of the Year: Millionaires - Beccy Cole and Kasey Chambers (Core Music)
Telstra New Talent of the Year: O'Shea - Smash (Sony Music)
APRA Song of the Year: Bad Machines - Written and recorded by Shane Nicholson (Liberation Music)
Video Clip of the Year: Children Of The Gurindji - Sara Storer and Kev Carmody, directed by Duncan Toombs (ABC Music)
Single of the Year: Sweet Emmylou - Catherine Britt (ABC Music)
Toyota Heritage Song of the Year: I Am Australian - The Bushwackers
Fender Instrumental of the Year: OMFG - Davidson Brothers
Bush Ballad of the Year: Channel Country Ground - Written by Merv Maltman, recorded by Dean Perrett and Lee Kernaghan
2011 Producer of the Year: Matt Fell
2011 Engineer of the Year: Ted Howard
2011 Musician of the Year: Mark Punch
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