CMA Announces 2017 Touring Awards Finalists

In the midst of an exciting Awards season, CMA is proud to announce the 2017 CMA Touring Awards Finalists. Final voting to determine the winners of the CMA Touring Awards, which highlights vital behind-the-scenes members of the industry, begins Nov. 21 and closes Dec. 6.

CMA members in the following membership groups are eligible to vote on the 15 categories up for awards: Advertising/Public Relations/Media, Affiliated, Artist, Entertainment Services, Marketing/Digital, Musician, Personal Manager, Record Label, Talent Agent, Talent Buyer/Promoter, Touring and Venue.

Each category contains five nominees this year, up from three used to determine winners in previous years. Ballots are tabulated by the professional services organization Deloitte & Touche, LLP.

"The CMA Touring Awards honor the unseen heroes of Country Music, the men and women who work behind the scenes to give our fans the best live music experience in entertainment," said CMA CEO Sarah Trahern. "As you'll notice, we've expanded the number of nominees from three to five in each category to acknowledge the many touring and industry professionals who are working at the highest levels."

Final Nominees for the 2017 CMA Touring Awards are as follows (in alphabetical order):

CATEGORY 1 - BUSINESS MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Duane Clark - Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.

Cheryl Harris - O'Neil Hagaman, PLLC

Lou Taylor - Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group

Rob Taylor - Wiles + Taylor & Co., PC

Dwight Wiles - Wiles + Taylor & Co., PC

CATEGORY 2 - COACH/TRUCK DRIVER OF THE YEAR

Caleb Garrett - Luke Bryan

Jerry Martin - Darius Rucker

Larry Phye Jr. - Chris Stapleton

Danny Shelnut - Montgomery Gentry

Kavin Spears - Eric Church

Dean Tubbs - Charlie Daniels Band

CATEGORY 3 - FRONT OF HOUSE ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Jared Blumenberg - Florida Georgia Line

Dan Heins - Garth Brooks

Arpad Sayko - Chris Stapleton

Frank Sgambellone - Luke Bryan

Chris Stephens - Jason Aldean

CATEGORY 4- LIGHTING DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Dave Butzler - Garth Brooks

Scott Cunningham - Florida Georgia Line

Philip Ealy - Kenny Chesney

Justin Kitchenman - Luke Bryan

Gavin Lake - Eric Church

CATEGORY 5 - MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Bob Doyle - Bob Doyle & Associates

Clint Higham - Morris Higham Management

Jason Owen - Sandbox Entertainment

John Peets - Q Prime South

Clarence Spalding - Maverick

CATEGORY 6 - TOUR MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Todd Bunch - Eric Church

David Farmer - Kenny Chesney

Tracy Greenwood - Garth Brooks

Logan Kornegay - Thomas Rhett

Mark Sizemore - Luke Bryan

CATEGORY 7 - MONITOR ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Marc Earp - Eric Church

Juan Gomez - Florida Georgia Line

Ed Janiszewski - Luke Bryan

Phil Robinson - Kenny Chesney

Martin Santos - Garth Brooks

CATEGORY 8 - PRODUCTION MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Drew Brown - Jason Aldean

Gary Chrosniak - Luke Bryan

John Garriott - Chris Stapleton

Todd Ortmeier - Florida Georgia Line

Brian Petree - Garth Brooks

CATEGORY 9 - PUBLICIST OF THE YEAR

Jake Basden - Big Machine Label Group

Tyne Parrish - The GreenRoom

Jesse Schmidt - Schmidt Relations

Nancy Seltzer - Nancy Seltzer & Associates, Inc.

Jensen Sussman - Sweet Talk Publicity

CATEGORY 10 - TALENT AGENT OF THE YEAR

Rob Beckham - WME

Joey Lee - WME

Darin Murphy - CAA

Kevin Neal - WME

Nate Ritches - Dale Morris & Associates

CATEGORY 11 - TALENT BUYER/PROMOTER OF THE YEAR

Ben Farrell - Lon Varnell Enterprises

Patrick McDill - Live Nation Nashville

Louis Messina - Messina Touring Group

Brian Traeger - Live Nation

Ed Warm - Joe's Bar

CATEGORY 12 - TOUR CATERER OF THE YEAR

Concert Kitchens

Dega Catering

HSG Catering

Knoxville Catering

Mike Maxwell + Co. Motion Picture Catering

CATEGORY 13 - TOURING MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

Nathan Barlowe - Keith Urban (Keyboard)

Wyatt Beard - Kenny Chesney (Keyboard)

John Thomasson - Little Big Town (Bass Guitar)

Lee Hendricks - Eric Church (Bass Guitar)

Jimmy Mattingly - Garth Brooks (Fiddle)

CATEGORY 14 - VENUE OF THE YEAR

Ascend Amphitheater - Nashville, TN

Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion - Gilford, NH

Bridgestone Arena - Nashville, TN

Grand Ole Opry House - Nashville, TN

Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO

CATEGORY 15 - TOUR VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

John Breslin - Garth Brooks

Houston Creswell - Dierks Bentley

Milojko Dobrijevich - Jason Aldean

William Parisian - Florida Georgia Line

Ryan Rushing - Luke Bryan

The CMA Touring Awards, originally called the SRO Awards, were created by the CMA Board of Directors in 1990 to honor outstanding professional achievement within the touring industry. The first awards were presented at a black-tie gala hosted by K.T. Oslin and Roger Miller during CMA's Entertainment Expo, also known as the Talent Buyers Entertainment Marketplace. Ten Awards were presented at the first gala and the number swelled to 19 over the years before settling at the current 15. The SRO Awards were renamed the CMA Touring Awards in 2016.

For more information, visit CMAworld.com.

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