UKCountryRadio.com 2014 Artist of the Year Finalists

UKCountryRadio.com havecounted up the votes for nominations for listeners favourite UK Country Artist of the Year Awards which is a new award for 2014.

• Online nominations, open to all, were received between January and May 2014.
• The Award is, quite simply, for the best UK Country Artist. The Award was open to solo artists, duos and bands - ukcountryradio.com/vote artist
• UKCountryRadio.com want to give this award to an artist who has demonstrated an outstanding achievement over the past year.
• It could be a great album they have released, a great tour they've undertaken, a TV appearance, a show, anything really that's made them stand out from the crowd.

There was a special programme broadcast at 12noon on Sunday 8th June, when Charlie Brown announced the finalists.

>> Listen to the announcements and sound clips from each of the Finalists nominated songs.

There was a tie for the nominations so there are eleven not ten finalists

These 11 Finalists will go through to a VOTE by UKCountryRadio.com presenters and subscribers (who were subscribed prior to the voting process in January 2014): 

Artist Finalist #1: Annie Marks ("Coming Home")

Artist Finalist #2: Chris Green Project ("Little Bit of Texas")

Artist Finalist #3: Gary Quinn ("He Don't Show Her Anymore")

Artist Finalist #4: Kelly Michelle ("Your Good Girls, Gonna Go Bad")

Artist Finalist #5: Raintown ("Picture Of Us")

Artist Finalist #6: Red Dirt Skinners ("Idaho Blues")

Artist Finalist #7: Redhillbillies ("Wagon Wheel")

Artist Finalist #8: Suzanna Shore ("Have You Ever")

Artist Finalist #9: Thorne Hill ("Help Me Find The Strength")

Artist Finalist #10: Ward Thomas ("Footnotes" (Happy Ending))

Artist Finalist #11: Wayne Jacobs ("I Want My Daddy")

***  WHO WE LIKE ***

** For your Consideration: WARD THOMAS  **

They are an English country/folk/pop music Hampshire duo, hail from Petersfield, UK who comprise:
20-year old twin sisters Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas.

Achievements during the last Year

• Represented the UK at “CMA Presents The Aristo Global Show” in June 2013 in Nashville 
• Recorded debut album in Nashville TN; musicians include: Dan Dugmore, Chris Rodriquez, Michael Omartian and Vince Gill! 
• Support for Mindy Smith in June 2013 in London 
• Signed with BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc) November 2013 
• Invited and played at the C2C: Country to Country 2014 Festival Pop Stages 
• Small market American Radio performance and promotional tour Oct/ Nov 2013 & April/June 2014 in Tennessee and Alabama 
• Embarked on their first UK tour in February 2014. 
• Interview and played live on Weekend Wogan (BBC Radio 2) 
• Single “The Good And The Right” on the “B” BBC Radio 2 Playlist for 4 weeks.
• Released >> Official Video “The Good And The Right”   
• “The Good And The Right”  #Top 10 on the UK iTunes Chart 

Quotes:

“Hampshire the home of country music, sensational country duo Ward Thomas” - Sir Terry Wogan

Talk about bringing coals to Newcastle and those country boys down there

in Nashville think they're fantastic, so do we" – Sir Terry Wogan BBC Playlist Page

"They are blindingly good" - Terry Wogan BBC Playlist Page

"Country music from Hampshire...great to know that there's home grown talent

 pumping this great music at us" - Bob Harris OBE  BBC Playlist Page

Oh I love a hoe-down, Ward Thomas, The Good and the Right, they sound amazing" - Zoe Ball  BBC Playlist Page

Their debut album FROM WHERE WE STAND is packed with great songs, fantastic arrangements, tasteful instrumentation, superb vocals and top-notch production. Ward-Thomas are one of the most refreshing acts to come along in some time and in FROM WHERE WE STAND they have put together a beguiling debut album that is sure to charm all who come across it. They are the kind of act whose future literally seems unlimited - Alan Cackett (Maverick Magazine Editor 2002 - 2014; Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award 2007)

>> Listen to Ward Thomas Footnotes EP:

CONNECT with Ward Thomas:

Suggested Social Media post to share the graphic below and to show your support for Ward Thomas for UKCountryRadio.com Artist of the Year, THANK YOU!:
Tweet:
Please support @wardthomasmusic for your @ukcountryradio Artist of the Year http://bit.ly/1oVz27z  http://bit.ly/1kodgFf