Jindabyne’s Brad Cox is taking home three Golden Guitars from Tamworth’s 52nd Tamworth Country Music Festival. Image: Brad Cox Music.
It was gold, gold, gold and more gold in Tamworth at the weekend for southern NSW musicians, with Brad Cox, Fanny Lumsden and Corey Legge all celebrating wins at the 2024 Tamworth Country Music Festival.
It wasn’t that long ago that Jindabyne local Brad Cox was returning to the country capital to build on his 2018 Starmaker success but on Saturday night he walked away with three Golden Guitars for Best Male Artist, Contemporary Country Album of the Year and Top Selling Album of the Year for his new release Acres.
The Top Selling Country Album of the Year announcement had already been announced in January following the release of Australia Recording Industry Association Music Awards (ARIA) charts data, used to determine the winner for the period 1 January to 31 December, 2023, for albums and new material, first released in 2023.
Produced by US producer/songwriter Brandon Hood, Acres was released in May 2023 and went straight to number one on the ARIA Country Charts.
The third-studio album for Brad, it includes the hit singles Last Time Last and Single Life and was nominated for a 2023 ARIA award.
Toyota Golden Guitar Awards executive producer, Peter Ross, said the announcement of Brad as the winner of the 2024 Golden Guitar Award for Top Selling Australian Country Album of the Year was very well deserved, “and just the start of what is a very exciting time for artists in the Australian Country Music industry”.
Fanny Lumsden and The Prawn Stars performing at Tamworth at the weekend. Image: Fanny Lumsden/Facebook.
Brad was in good company for Top Selling Country Album of the Year with Tooma local, Fanny Lumsden’s 2023 album Hey Dawn also holding position among the top five top-selling Australian country albums of the year.
But Fanny didn’t leave Tamworth empty-handed, taking the Golden Guitar for Alternative Country Album of the Year with Hey Dawn.
Fanny said she was grateful for the win in such a strong category.
Just days earlier she was also presented with the Entertainer of the Year Award at the Australian Country Music People’s Choice Awards, voted for by broadcasters and industry as well as the public.
The People’s Choice Awards were established as a balance to the numerous awards presented in country music in Australia by giving “the people” the right to vote and have a say in who they believe is the best.
They remain the only mainstream awards in Australian country music where voters can vote for whoever they like … that is, not being restricted to a pre-determined list of finalists.
Corey Legge said he was humbled to be awarded the Most Popular Musician or Instrumentalist award at Australian Country Music People’s Choice Awards in Tamworth on Thursday. Image: Bob Mcgahan.
Bega-born, Wollongong-based singer/songwriter Corey Legge was also a People’s Choice favourite as winner of the 2024 Most Popular Musician or Instrumentalist award.
The young up-and-comer, who has released three albums in three years, with a fourth incoming, told Region he was truly humbled by the accolade and thanked everyone who voted for him.
The past 12 months have laid a blistering path for Corey who recorded with multiple award-winning producer Nash Chambers at Kasey Chambers’ Central Coast Rabbit Hole Recording Studio and toured throughout Europe, with shows in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.
He was also recently a Top 10 finalist in the prestigious 2023 Gympie Music Muster Talent Search.
Corey said his focus was now on his new single West Coast, the second for his forthcoming album, with a launch tour continuing throughout NSW in February.
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