KEITH Urban, Beccy Cole and Adam Harvey took top honours at the annual country music awards in Tamworth tonight.
No runaway winner emerged at the ceremony, which is the traditional centrepiece of the country music festival. Instead the spoils were shared by a broad range of Australian country artists at the event's 40th anniversary celebrations, held at Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre, The Australian reports.
Nashville-based Urban, who was unable to attend, picked up two Golden Guitars, for best male artist and for his best selling album of the year, Get Closer.
Cole also won two, taking the female artist of the year for her songWaitress and vocal collaboration of the year alongside Kasey Chambers for the song Millionaires. Both songs are from Cole's album Songs and Pictures. Harvey, who was the leading contender this year with eight nominations, took the coveted album of the year award for his album Falling Into Place.
Chambers' husband Shane Nicholson also made the podium, collecting APRA song of the year for his song Bad Machines, the title track of his album from last year.
The country music awards are the traditional centrepiece of the Tamworth country music festival. This year's show was the first in many years not to be broadcast on television. Hosted by radio personality Ray Hadley and singer Felicity Urquhart, the ceremony did provide some memorable performances, notably from Anne Kirkpatrick, daughter of country legend Slim Dusty.
She closed the ceremony with a stirring performance of Looking Forward Looking Back, the Don Walker song recorded by her father in 2000, three years before his death.
Others to collect Golden Guitars included Melbourne band Jetty Road, who won group or duo of the year, and Catherine Britt, who's song Sweet Emmylou won single of the year. Nashville-based Aussies O'Shea took the new talent of the year title for their tack Smash.
