2008 Finalists and Winners

The 2008 Awards to recognise excellence in Australian Blues Music were presented on Thursday night 7 February 2008 as part of the official opening of the 12th Australian Blues Music Festival.

The finalists out of 128 total nominations across all categories were:

SONG OF THE YEAR

You Gotta Go - Chase The Sun (Album: Chase The Sun)
Through The Fire - Gail Page (Album: Colours That Run)
Play Me Sumthin New - Hat Fitz (Album: Play Me Sumthin New)
Dead End Road - Joe Galea Band (Album: Hiding Under Cover)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Chase The Sun by Chase The Sun
Colours That Run by Gail Page
Hiding Under Cover by Joe Galea Band
Way Down The River by Sugarcane Collins

DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

Chase The Sun - You Gotta Go
(Album: Chase The Sun)
Gail Page and Parris Macleod - Without You Here
(Album: Colours That Run)
Kate Meehan and Skip Landy - It Ain't Like It Is
(Album: Pocketful of Blues)
Steve Romig and Mike Kelly - Way Down Homeless Blues
(Album: The Friday Sessions)

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Anni Piper - More I Keep on Losing (Album: Texas Hold 'Em)
Gail Page - Through The Fire (Album: Colours That Run)
Jan Preston - The Big Beat (Album: Boogie Boots)
Kate Meehan - I'm A Woman (Album: Pocketful of Blues)

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Jan Rynsaardt (Chase The Sun) - Gypsy Woman
(Album: Chase The Sun)
Pugsley Buzzard - Hammer These Tongs
(Album: Hammer These Tongs)
Ash Dilorenzo (The Lyman Debut) - Annie Roadside
(Album: Blue Harvest)
Tim Gaze (Tim Gaze and Rob Grosser) - Voodoo Chile
(Album: River City Blues)

NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR

Chase The Sun - You Gotta Go (Album: Chase The Sun)
Gail Page - Shape I'm In (Album: Colours That Run)
Heather Frahn Trio - Gracious (Album: Synergy)
Marshall and the Fro - Soldiers (Album: Marshall and the Fro)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Ryan Van Gennip for Chase The Sun's self-titled album Chase The Sun
Parris Macleod for Gail Page's album Colours That Run
Sugarcane Collins for his self produced album Way Down The River
Tim Gaze and Rob Grosser for their self produced album River City Blues

and the WINNERS for 2008 are...

Song of the Year - You Gotta Go
Album of the Year - Way Down The River
Female Vocalist of the Year - Gail Page
Male Vocalist of the Year - Tim Gaze
Duo or Group of the Year - Chase the Sun
Best New Talent - Gail Page
Producer of the Year - Parris Macleod

Performances on the night of the Awards presentation were to a capacity crowd of industry and enthursiasts from around the country and featured: Stingray, Natural Ball and Collard Greens & Gravy at the Tattersalls Hotel in Goulburn.

An additional 'satellite' venue on the night of the Chain Awards was held at the National Press Club in Canberra and featured a performance by multi-award winning Chase the Sun (supported by Young Guns: Tom Richardson, Jonno Zilber and Jason Lowe. Winners Chase the Sun were presented with their Awards in Canberra on the night.

While the judging panel for the Awards is completely independent of the selection panel for the Festival, many of this year's winners and finalists are on the Festival line-up in 2008 (or previous years) including: Gail Page, Andy 'Sugarcane' Collins, Hat Fitz, Joe Galea Band, Kate Meehan, Anni Piper, Jan Preston, Pugsley Buzzard, Heather Frahn Trio, and Marshall & the Fro.

Click here for information on eligibility criteria and nomination for the Awards.

Click here to view Media Release on 2008 Winners Announcement[8/2/08]