Published: February 14, 2009 10:25 pm      

Nominees named for 7th annual TMA awards show

Singer Michael Martin Murphey to perform

PALESTINE — Public voting will continue through Friday for the 7th annual Texas Music Awards™ nominees, according to The Academy of Texas Music Inc.

The 7th annual Texas Music Awards™ show will be held on April 26 at the Palestine Civic Center in Palestine. 

The show will feature a concert by the host, legendary cowboy singer Michael Martin Murphey, immediately following the presentations.

At least a dozen nominated artists will take the stage to perform for this prestigious event and awards will be handed out in fifteen categories to deserving Texas musicians and professionals.

The awards show, presented this year by Northeast Texas-based MyTexasMusic.com, the retail partner of the show’s production company, Payline Productions, will feature talent from several styles of music.

The annual event also serves as a fund-raiser for the non-profit Academy of Texas Music, Inc. which seeks sponsorships and donations to further its efforts toward music education programs, scholarships, recognition projects, and benevolence programs for musicians in need.

Jinelle Boyd, Executive Director of the Academy of Texas Music, Inc. and co-founder of the Texas Music Awards™ explains how important this process is to the nominees.

“Independent artists need something to bridge the gap between regional success and the national attention they deserve. The Texas Music Awards™ serve to give these artists a stepping stone to bigger and better things.”

Nominees will arrive via limousine to a red carpet affair starting at noon on April 26. The show will begin at 2 p.m. and the Michael Martin Murphey concert will begin around 6 p.m. Those who hold tickets to the awards show will be admitted to the concert at no charge.

The voting process includes a public voting component, and interested fans are encouraged to visit the Texas Music Awards™ Web site to learn more about the process. Voting ends Friday.

“The collective public vote is important,” says Boyd, “but the bulk of the voting is done by the Academy Board of Honorees which is comprised of those who have received the awards over the past six years. This year’s recipients will be added to the Board of Honorees. This is how we ensure that the awards are more about the music and less of a simple popularity contest.”

Sponsorships are still available for the 7th annual awards show and range from $100 to $50,000. Each level of sponsorship comes with a pre-determined number of tickets, so this is a sure way to get good seats. Tickets go on sale to the public March 1, and a quick sell-out is expected.

For more information on voting, the awards, or sponsorships, visit www.texasmusicawards.org

A list of the 2008 nominees appears below:

Producer
Mark Addison / Fred Andrews (Austin, TX) “MILE BY MILE” (Honeybrowne)
Steve Christensen / John Evans (Houston, TX) “LUCKY 13” (John Evans)
Billy High (Cuero, TX) “HIGHSPEED HAYRIDE” (Highspeed Hayride)
Ryan Murphey / Michael Martin Murphey (Dallas, TX) “RIDIN’ THE RIO GRANDE (Michael Martin Murphey)
Rodney Pyeatt (Temple, TX) “EVERYTHING IN COLOR” (Cody Riley)

Vocal Duo or Group
Byrd & Street (Austin)
Dewveall (Houston)
Moon & The Starz (Linden)
Rockin' Gospel Project (Austin)
Smythe and Taylor (Houston)

Musician
Joe Forlini, guitar (Austin) “BACK TO THE ROADHOUSE” (Smokey Wilson)
Cornell Kinderknecht, multiple inst. (Dallas, TX) “NIGHTFALL” (Cornell Kinderknecht)
Justin Lowe, piano (Deer Park) “TRAINED PROFESSIONALS” (Billy Bourbon)
Tubie Pushee, guitar (Navasota) “THE LONESTAR BLUES” (Tubie Pushee)
Rodney Pyeatt, guitar (Temple) “EVERYTHING IN COLOR” (Cody Riley)

Record
“Boots” – Highspeed Hayride (Goliad) “HIGHSPEED HAYRIDE”
“Jim Marshall” - Sam Sliva (Austin) “SEE YOU AROUND”
“Lucky Me Lonely You” Jerry Audley (Anna) “AUDLEY ENOUGH”
“Mile By Mile” – Honeybrowne (Austin) “MILE BY MILE”
“You Had Me At My Best” – Wade Bowen (Austin) “IF WE EVER MAKE IT HOME”

Song
“All For The Price Of One Love” Richard Bowden, songwriter (Linden) Moon & The Starz
“Day By Day” Jerry Audley, songwriter (Anna) Jerry Audley
“Found You” David Lutes, songwriter (Austin) Plumtucker
“Gather ‘Round” Tres Womack, songwriter (Bastrop) Tres Womack
”Settle For Lonely” Gene Moreno, songwriter (Goliad) Highspeed Hayride

Female Vocalist
Connie Mims (The Woodlands) “GO DEEP” (Connie Mims)
DeAnne Moore (Coppell) “NEVER TOO LATE” (DeAnne Moore)
Gaylynn Robinson (Luling) “LOVE AND HEARTACHE” (Gaylynn Robinson)
Crystal Sands (Frankston) “CRYSTAL SANDS” (Crystal Sands)
T.C. Smythe (Houston) “COME WHAT MAY” (Smythe and Taylor)

Male Vocalist
Wade Bowen (Austin) “IF WE EVER MAKE IT HOME” (Wade Bowen)
David Lutes (Austin) “SOLO STAGES” (Plumtucker)
Jonathon Dewveall (Houston) “THE WATER EP” (Dewveall)
Jay Sims (Sisterdale) “HALF SOULS AND HEALS” (Jay Sims)
Jerry Audley (Anna) “AUDLEY ENOUGH” (Jerry Audley)

Album
Jerry Audley (Anna) “AUDLEY ENOUGH”
Mike Blakely (Bluffton) “THE RAREST OF THE BREED”
John Evans (Houston) “LUCKY 13”
Highspeed Hayride (Goliad) “HIGHSPEED HAYRIDE”
Tres Womack (Bastrop) “FREAK SHOW”

Entertainer
Mike Blakely (Bluffton)
Wade Bowen (Austin)
John Evans (Houston)
Kelly McGuire (League City)
Michael Martin Murphey (Dallas)

Singer/Songwriter
Derek Aramburu (Cypress)
Danny Everitt (The Woodlands)
Brian Kalinec (Houston)
Connie Mims (The Woodlands)
Hank Woji (Houston)

Rising Star
Dewveall (Houston) “THE WATER EP”
Joel Hofmann Band (San Marcos) “ONE MORE DAY”
DeAnne Moore (Coppell) “NEVER TOO LATE”
Cody Riley (Canton) “EVERYTHING IN COLOR”
Crystal Sands (Frankston) “CRYSTAL SANDS”

Live Band
Ben Morris and the Great American Boxcar Chorus (College Station)
Highspeed Hayride (Goliad)
Jerry Audley Band (Anna)
The Silverado Band (Katy/Huntsville)
Wade Hatton and Texas Hat Band (Arlington)

Disc Jockey
J.B. Cloud – KBCY – Abilene
Ryan Fox – 99.5 The Wolf – Ft. Worth
Daniel Miller – RadioFreeTexas.org – Nederland
Scotty Preston – KOLI – Wichita Falls
Dave Wheaton – KBHT – Grapeland

Broadcast Radio Station
KBCY – 99.7 FM – Abilene
KGSR – 107.1 FM – Austin
KHYI – 95.3 FM – Dallas
KOLI – 94.9 FM – Wichita Falls
KPFT – 90.1 FM – Houston

Internet Radio Station
Radio Free Texas   www.radiofreetexas.org (Nederland)
Texas Music World   www.texasmusicworld.com (Taft)
Toss M Music   www.tossmmusic.com (Arlington)