The County Music Association of Australia held its annual Golden Guitar Awards on Saturday, 21st January at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre. The 51st Golden Guitar Awards celebrated contemporary musicians such as Casey Barnes, Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley and Andrew Swift, and stalwarts like Dean Perrett and Luke O’Shea.
Barnes picked up the coveted album of the year gong for Light It Up. Upon the album’s release in February, Barnes spoke to Music Feeds about the story behind each song on the record. Find that here and see the full list of winners below.
Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley – ‘Star of the Show’
2023 Toyota Golden Guitar Awards Nominees and Winners
Toyota Album of the Year
- All Or Nothing – Adam Brand
- Living For The Highlights – Amber Lawrence
- In The Moment – Ashleigh Dallas
- WINNER: Light It Up – Casey Barnes
- Silver Linings – Kaylee Bell
Song of the Year
- All Or Nothing – Adam Brand (writers: Adam Brand, Nicholas Wolfe, Tom Wolfe)
- WINNER: Star Of The Show – Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley (writers: Brooke McClymont, Adam Eckersley, Dan Biederman, Tiggy Heart Eckersley)
- Small Town – Casey Barnes (writers: Casey Barnes, Michael DeLorenzis and Michael Paynter)
- Small Town – James Johnston (writers: James Johnston, Nolan Wynne)
- South East Queensland – Luke O’Shea (writers: Luke O’Shea, Fred Smith, Mitchell Lynham)
Male Artist of the Year
- Adam Brand
- WINNER: Andrew Swift
- Casey Barnes
- James Johnston
- Morgan Evans
Female Artist of the Year
- WINNER: Amber Lawrence
- Ashleigh Dallas
- Hayley Jensen
- Lyn Bowtell
- Melanie Dyer
Group or Duo of the Year
- WINNER: Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley
- Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes
- McAlister Kemp
- The Buckleys
- The Weeping Willows
New Talent of the Year
- Blake Dantier
- Cass Hopetoun
- WINNER: James Johnston
- Max Jackson
- Taylor Moss
Traditional Country Album of the Year
- WINNER: In The Moment – Ashleigh Dallas
- Dry Season – Blake Dantier
- Shades of Blue – Kristy Cox
- Mr Goodtime – Michael Carpenter and The Banks Brothers
- Travelling Heart – TC Cassidy
Bush Ballad of the Year
- Sometimes It’s Your Job – Allan Caswell
- Ghostly Gums – Andy Penkow
- Waiting for the Boss – Angus Gill featuring Anne Kirkpatrick
- WINNER: Out on Killarney – Dean Perrett
- Family Tree – Dianne Lindsay
Heritage Song of the Year
- I’m Coming Home – Amber Lawrence
- Listen to the Country – Angus Gill & Kevin Bennett
- Bogswamp – Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham
- Come Together – Lee Kernaghan, Mitch Tambo, Isaiah Firebrace
- WINNER: South East Queensland – Luke O’Shea
Alt Country Album of the Year
- Dead Men Tell No Tales – Allison Forbes
- Strength Of A Queen – Andy Golledge
- Tug of War – Jenny Mitchell
- WINNER: Looks Like Heaven – Kim Cheshire
- You Reap What You Sow – The Weeping Willows
Bluegrass Recording of the Year
- Sweet Sister Jasmine – Angus Gill
- WINNER: Good Morning Moon – Kristy Cox
- Until This Song Ends – Lynchburg & The Weeping Willows
- Road Man – Michael Carpenter and The Banks Brothers
- House Of Sin – The Weeping Willows
Instrumental of the Year
- Dust – Angus Gill & Pixie Jenkins
- Burning Mountain – Michael Carpenter and The Banks Brothers (feat Hamish Davidson)
- Fidget Spinner – Mickey Pye
- Clippety Clop – Pete Denahy
- WINNER: Soda Cap Boogie – The French Family Band
Contemporary Country Album of the Year
- All Or Nothing – Adam Brand
- Living For The Highlights – Amber Lawrence
- Light It Up – Casey Barnes
- Silver Linings – Kaylee Bell
- WINNER: Wiser – Lyn Bowtell
CMT Video of the Year
- Star Of The Show – Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley (dir: Brad Murnane)
- Small Town – James Johnston (dir: Elijah Cavanagh)
- WINNER: South East Queensland – Luke O’Shea (dir: Luke O’Shea, Jay Seeney)
- Something Good’s Gonna Happen – The Wolfe Brothers Feat. Amy Sheppard (dir: Jay Seeney)
- One Of Them Nights – Travis Collins (dir: Jay Seeney)
Vocal Collaboration of the Year
- WINNER: Same Songs – James Johnston & Kaylee Bell
- Let The Girls Sing – Kirsty Lee Akers, Amber Lawrence, Ashleigh Dallas
- Come Together – Lee Kernaghan, Mitch Tambo, Isaiah Firebrace
- Wiser – Lyn Bowtell & Shane Nicholson
- Dumb Decisions – Melanie Dyer & Caitlyn Shadbolt
Apple Music Single of the Year
- All Or Nothing – Adam Brand
- WINNER: Memory Lane – Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley
- Get To Know Ya – Casey Barnes
- Small Town – James Johnston
- Sing Along Drink Along – Morgan Evans
Further Reading
Casey Barnes ‘Light It Up’: Track By Track
