Published: April 26, 2009 10:04 pm      

Texas Music Awards

People from all over Texas descended upon Palestine for the 7th annual Texas Music Awards - filling up the Palestine Civic Center with cowboy boots, cowboy hats and high heels Sunday.

Legendary cowboy singer, songwriter and cowboy poet Michael Martin Murphey known for his songs "Wildfire," "Cherokee Fiddle" and "What's Forever For?" among others, not only served as the award show host - he won the biggest award of the night - Entertainer of the Year.

Making the awards show unique for the Palestine area was seeing two of its own win awards.

Country singer Crystal Sands of Frankston won the Female Vocalist of the Year award.

Dave Wheaton of KBHT Grapeland won a special award along with J.B. Cloud of KBCY of Abilene, presented by show organizers Jinelle and Lucky Boyd.

Here is a list of all of the awards presented:

• Entertainer of the Year - Michael Martin Murphey

• Female Vocalist of the Year - Crystal Sands of Frankston

• Male Vocalist of the Year - Wade Bowen of Austin ("If We Ever Make It Home")

• Vocal Duo or Group of the Year - Smythe and Taylor of Houston

• Live Band - Ben Morris and the Great American Boxcar Chorus of College Station

• Rising Star of the Year - Cody Riley of Canton ("Everything In Color")

• Album of the Year - Highspeed Hayride of Goliad ("Highspeed Hayride")

• Singer/Songwriter of the Year - Connie Mims of The Woodlands

• Song of the Year - "Gather 'Round" by Tres Womack of Bastrop

• Record of the Year - "Lucky Me Lonely You" by Jerry Audley of Anna ("Audley Enough")

• Musician of the Year - Rodney Pyeatt, guitar, of Temple (Everything in Color)

• Producer of the Year - Billy High of Cuero, "Highspeed Hayride" (Highspeed Hayride)

• Disc Jockey - Ryan Fox of 99.5 The Wolf, Fort Worth

• Broadcast Radio Station - KHYI 95.3 FM of Dallas

• Internet Radio Station - Radio Free Texas (www.radiofreetexas.org)

Among those who performed during the awards ceremony included Jerry Audley, DeAnne Moore, Crystal Sands, Connie Mims, Danny Everitt, Derek Aramburu, Dewveall, Brian Kalinec, Joe Forlini, Smokey Wilson, Cody Riley Band, Tres Womack, Ben Morris, Hank Woji, Cornell Kinderknecht, David Lutes, John Evans, Moon and the Starz, Smythe and Taylor, Highspeed Hayride, Gaylynn Robinson and Tubie Push'e.

Following the awards show, Murphey presented his acoustic Lone Cowboy Concert for the audience singing some of his newer bluegrass cowboy songs as well as some of the songs from his past albums including "Carolina," "Cherokee Fiddle," "Shadow of the Pine," "What's Forever For," "Wildfire" and others.

The second set of the concert included a surprise reunion of Murphey's first band - Cosmic Cowboy. Murphey was joined on stage by Gary P. Nunn, Herb Steiner, Bob Livingston and others who sang "Geronimo's Cadillac," Cosmic Cowboy, etc.

Among those who attended the Texas Music Awards was Karen and Steven Dittfurth of Bryan, who were elated when the band Ben Morris and the Great American Boxcar Chorus won the Live Band of the Year award. Their son Jon Dittfurth, 32, is a bass player in the band.

"We were excited - our whole family is musicians so it's nice to see him win an award," Steve Dittfurth said.

The Dittfurths have a connection to Palestine as well. Steve Dittfurth is the sister of Sherry Wages of Palestine, making the Texas Music Awards a family affair.

Palestine resident Hugh Summers also attended the awards show and concert.

"This is my first time and I have to say it's been a pretty neat show," Summers said. "I really like the format seeing the groups perform and seeing who won."

This was Palestine's second year to host the show. Several Palestine businesses played various roles in sponsorship as well as providing gifts for the nominees, including Murphy.

The show, presented this year by Northeast Texas-based MyTexasMusic.com, the retail partner of the show's production company, Payline Productions, presents awards to independent Texas performers for The Academy of Texas Music.

For more information abou the Texas Music Awards, visit www.texasmusicawards.org

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To read the live blog from the awards show, visit http://palestineherald.blogspot.com. Also, visit the Palestine Herald-Press Web site (www.palestineherald.com) for videos from the show and concert.