| Country Music Awards of Australia | |
| Awarded For: | Outstanding achievements in the Australian country music industry |
| Presenter: | Country Music Association of Australia and Tamworth Regional Council |
| Country: | Australia |
| Website: | or |
The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry.[1] The awards are hosted at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre (TRECC) on the final Saturday night of the Tamworth Festival. They have been held annually since 1973.[2] The first award ceremony had just six awards. The awards show is presented in fornt of live audience made up from the media, the music industry and the public.
The award winners are given a Golden Guitar trophy. These are cast in solid bronze on a base of polished Tasmanian Blackwood. They are 235 mm tall and weigh 1.5 kilos.
See main article: Australian Roll of Renown. Since 1976, the Australian Roll of Renown is an award to honour Australian and New Zealander country music artists who have shaped the industry by making a significant and lasting contribution to country music.
Here is a list of major award winners.[3]
| Country Music Awards of Australia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Album of the Year | Song of the Year (APRA) | Female Artist of the Year | Male Artist of the Year | Top Selling Album of the Year |
| 1973 | Me & My Guitar by Slim Dusty | "Lights On the Hill" by Slim Dusty | Redback on the Toilet Seat by Slim Newton | ||
| 1974 | Live At Tamworth by Slim Dusty | "Goondiwindi Grey" by Tex Morton | "Dust On Mother's Bible" by Suzanne Prentice | "July You're a Woman" by Reg Lindsay | Heaven Is My Woman's Love by Col Joye |
| 1975 | Australiana by Slim Dusty | "The Biggest Disappointment" by Slim Dusty | "What Kind of a Girl Do You Think I Am" by Jean Stafford | "The Biggest Disappointment" by Slim Dusty | Flowers For Mama by Jean Stafford credited by sales *not awarded |
| 1976 | Lights On the Hill by Slim Dusty | "Santa Never Made It to Darwin" by Bill & Boyd | "I Can Feel Love" by Heather McKean | "My Lancashire Yodelling Lass" by Rex Dallas | Worst in the World by Slim Dusty |
| 1977 | Angel of Goulburn Hill by Slim Dusty | "Three Rivers Hotel" by Slim Dusty | "Sweet Country Music" by Suzanne Prentice | Angel of Goulburn Hill by Slim Dusty | Things I See Around Me by Slim Dusty |
| 1978 | Country Travellin by The Hawking Brothers | "Indian Pacific" by Slim Dusty | How Great Thou Art by Suzanne Prentice | Silence On the Line by Reg Lindsay | Indian Pacific by Slim Dusty |
| 1979 | One Day At a Time by The Hawking Bros | "Beat of the Government Stroke" by Slim Dusty | "Grievous Angel" by Anne Kirkpatrick | "Marty" by Slim Dusty | One Day At a Time by The Hawking Bros |
| 1980 | Walk a Country Mile by Slim Dusty | "Three Empty Bottles" by Dave Pincombe | Hello Love by Jean Stafford | "The Empty Arms Hotel" by Reg Lindsay | Walk a Country Mile by Slim Dusty |
| 1981 | The Man Who Steadies the Lead by Slim Dusty | "One Armed Bandit" by Allan Caswell & Brian Caswell | "That Glory Bound Train" by Jean Stafford | The Man Who Steadies the Lead by Slim Dusty | |
| 1982 | The Lady and the Cowboy by Jewel Blanch & Arthur Blanch | "His Spurs Are Rusty Now" by Rex & Colin Dallas | "I Can Love You" by Jewel Blanch | "Rough Around The Edges " by Johnny Chester | Who Put the Roo in the Stew by The Webb Brothers |
| 1983 | Too Late for Regrets by Arthur Blanch | "Used to Be a Gold Song" - Allan Caswell & Keith Potger | Send All The Ghosts Away by Jewel Blanch | "An Ad in The Weekly Times" by Johnny Chester | One Day At a Time by Suzanne Prentice |
| 1984 | On the Wallaby by Slim Dusty | "I Was Only 19" by John Schumann/Redgum | "Beautiful Lady" by Patsy Riggir | "I've Come a Long Way" by Arthur Blanch | "I Was Only 19" by John Schumann/Redgum |
| 1985 | Trucks On the Track by Slim Dusty | "Queen in the Sport of Kings" by John Williamson | You'll Never Take the Country Out of Me by Patsy Riggir | "What Do Lonely People Do" by Arthur Blanch | Trucks On the Track by Slim Dusty |
| 1986 | Road Thru the Heart by John Williamson | "The Garden" by Allan Caswell | You Remind Me of a Love Song by Patsy Riggir | "You and My Guitar" by John Williamson | Yodelling Man by Roger Tibbs |
| 1987 | Mallee Boy by John Williamson | "He's a Good Bloke When He's Sober" by Slim Dusty | Now I'm Easy by Deniese Morrison | "True Blue" by John Williamson | Patsy Rigger Country by Patsy Rigger |
| 1988 | Neon City by Slim Dusty | "The Old Time Tent Shows" by Alan Hawking | "I'm Stronger Than I Look" by Evelyn Bury | "Black Jack Blues Again" by Allan Caswell | Mallee Boy by John Williamson |
| 1989 | Boomerang Café by John Williamson | "We've Done Us Proud" by Slim Dusty | "Battle Hymn of Love" by Deniese Morrison | "Cloncurry Cattle Song" by James Blundell | Boomerang Café by John Williamson |
| 1990 | Warragul by John Williamson | "Kimberley Moon" by James Blundell | "You've Gotta Learn to Dance" by Deniese Morrison | "Kimberley Moon" by James Blundell | Warragul by John Williamson |
| 1991 | Coming Home by Slim Dusty | "The Blue Heeler" by James Blundell | "Sarah's Memory" by Norma Murphy | "Age of Grace" by James Blundell | Two Singers, One Song by Slim Dusty & Anne Kirkpatrick |
| 1992 | Out of the Blue by Anne Kirkpatrick | "Things Are Not the Same On the Land" by Slim Dusty | "I Guess We've Been Together Too Long" by Anne Kirkpatrick | "The River" by Keith Urban | JW's Family Album by John Williamson |
| 1993 | The Outback Club by Lee Kernaghan | "Boys from the Bush" by Lee Kernaghan | "Tamworth" by Norma O'Hara Murphy | "Boys from the Bush" by Lee Kernaghan | This Road by James Blundell |
| 1994 | Three Chain Road by Lee Kernaghan | "Three Chain Road" by Lee Kernaghan | "Two Stars Fell" by Gina Jeffreys | "Three Chain Road" by Lee Kernaghan | Touch of Water by James Blundell |
| 1995 | Homeland by Graeme Connors | "Songs from the Homeland" by Graeme Connors | "Girls Night Out" by Gina Jeffreys | "Songs from the Homeland" by Graeme Connors | Three Chain Road by Lee Kernaghan |
| 1996 | 1959 by Lee Kernaghan | "The Great Australian Dream" by Graeme Connors | "Didn't We Shine" by Gina Jeffreys | "End of the Road" by Troy Cassar-Daley | Mulga to Mangoes by John Williamson |
| 1997 | December Moon by Tania Kernaghan | "The Road Less Travelled" by Graeme Connors | "Where the Murray Meets the Darling" by Tania Kernaghan | "The Road Less Travelled" by Graeme Connors | 1959 by Lee Kernaghan |
| 1998 | True Believer by Troy Cassar-Daley | "Living in the Circle" by Dead Ringer Band | "Dunroamin' Station" by Tania Kernaghan | "Little Things" by Troy Cassar-Daley | Pipe Dream by John Williamson |
| 1999 | Hat Town by Lee Kernaghan | "Dancin' with Elvis" by Gina Jeffreys | "Goondiwindi Moon" by Lee Kernaghan | Hat Town by Lee Kernaghan | |
| 2000 | The Captain by Kasey Chambers | "They Don't Make 'em Like That Anymore" by Troy Cassar-Daley | "The Captain" by Kasey Chambers | "They Don't Make 'em Like That Anymore" by Troy Cassar-Daley | The Way It Is by John Williamson |
| 2001 | Good Friends by Adam Brand | "Good Things in Life" by Adam Brand | "This Heart" by Beccy Cole | "Good Friends" by Adam Brand | Looking Forward Looking Back by Slim Dusty |
| 2002 | Workin' Overtime by Adam Harvey | "Not Pretty Enough" by Kasey Chambers | "Too Strong to Break" by Beccy Cole | "Shake of a Hand" by Adam Harvey | Barricades & Brickwalls by Kasey Chambers |
| 2003 | Electric Rodeo by Lee Kernaghan | "Born to Survive" by Troy Cassar-Daley | "The Story of My Life" by Melinda Schneider | "Born to Survive" by Troy Cassar-Daley | Electric Rodeo by Lee Kernaghan |
| 2004 | Beautiful Circle by Sara Storer | "Raining on the Plains" by Sara Storer | Beautiful Circle by Sara Storer | "Call It Love" by Adam Harvey | Golden Road by Keith Urban |
| 2005 | Family Tree by Melinda Schneider | "Real People" by Melinda Schneider | "Pony" by Kasey Chambers | "That's What You Call a Friend" by Adam Harvey | Wayward Angel by Kasey Chambers |
| 2006 | Chandelier of Stars by John Williamson | "Lonesome But Free" by Troy Cassar-Daley | Firefly by Sara Storer | "Lonesome But Free" by Troy Cassar-Daley | Chandelier of Stars by John Williamson |
| 2007 | The New Bush by Lee Kernaghan | "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)" by Beccy Cole | "Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World)" by Beccy Cole | The New Bush by Lee Kernaghan | The New Bush by Lee Kernaghan |
| 2008 | I'm Doin' Alright by Adam Harvey | "Land Cries Out" by Sara Storer | "Then There's Me" by Dianna Corcoran | "Everything's Going to Be Alright" by Troy Cassar-Daley | Stronger by Melinda Schneider |
| 2009 | Rattlin' Bones by Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson | "Rattlin' Bones" by Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson | "What I Did Last Night" by Catherine Britt | "Get On Down the Road" by Adam Brand | Rattlin' Bones by Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson |
| 2010 | I Love This Place by Troy Cassar-Daley | "Big Big Love" by Troy Cassar-Daley | "Roller Coaster" by Felicity Urquhart | I Love This Place by Troy Cassar-Daley | Defying Gravity by Keith Urban |
| 2011 | Still Walking by Graeme Connors | "Little Bird" by Kasey Chambers | "Little Bird" by Kasey Chambers | A Good Life by Graeme Connors | Planet Country by Lee Kernaghan |
| 2012 | Falling Into Place by Adam Harvey | "Bad Machines" by Shane Nicholson | "Waitress" by Beccy Cole | "Long Hot Summer" by Keith Urban | Get Closer by Keith Urban |
| 2013 | Home by Troy Cassar-Daley | "Home" by Troy Cassar-Daley | "Charlestown Road" by Catherine Britt | Home by Troy Cassar-Daley | Home by Troy Cassar-Daley |
| 2014 | Lovegrass by Sara Storer | "Lady of the Land" by Luke O'Shea | Lovegrass by Sara Storer | "Flying With the King" by Lee Kernaghan | Beautiful Noise by Lee Kernaghan |
| 2015 | Bittersweet by Kasey Chambers | "Three Brothers (The Great War)" by Luke O'Shea | "Superheroes" by Amber Lawrence | Sing You You by Luke O'Shea | |
| 2016 | Freedom Ride by Troy Cassar-Daley | "Freedom Ride" by Troy Cassar-Daley | Boneshaker by Amber Lawrence | Freedom Ride by Troy Cassar-Daley | Spirit of the Anzacs by Lee Kernaghan |
| 2017 | Things I Carry Around by Troy Cassar-Daley | "Call Me Crazy" by Travis Collins | Silos by Sara Storer | Hard Light by Travis Collins | Ripcord by Keith Urban |
| 2018 | Endless by The McClymonts | "Our Backyard" by Travis Collins & Amber Lawrence | More Than Meets the Eye by Aleyce Simmonds | Love and Blood by Shane Nicholson | The 25th Anniversary Album by Lee Kernaghan |
| 2019 | Country Heart by The Wolfe Brothers | "Ain't Seen It Yet" by The Wolfe Brothers | Lioness by Beccy Cole | Brave & The Broken by Travis Collins | Graffiti U by Keith Urban |
| 2020 | Frozen Rabbits by Felicity Urquhart | "Chain of Joy" by Felicity Urquhart | Frozen Rabbits by Felicity Urquhart | Things That We Drink To by Morgan Evans | Backroad Nation by Lee Kernaghan |
| 2021 | Fallow by Fanny Lumsden | "The High Price of Surviving" by Shane Nicholson | Fallow by Fanny Lumsden | Wreck Me by Travis Collins | The Speed of Now Part 1 by Keith Urban |
| 2022[4] | Living in Colour by Shane Nicholson | "And You Will Have Your Way" by Shane Nicholson | Ashleigh Dallas | Troy Cassar-Daley | The World Today by Troy Cassar-Daley |
| 2023[5] | Light It Up by Casey Barnes | "Star of the Show" by Brooke McClymont & Adam Eckersley | Andrew Swift | Light It Up by Casey Barnes[6] | |
| 2024[7] | Livin' the Dream by The Wolfe Brothers | "Size Up" by Felicity Urquhart & Josh Cunningham | Kaylee Bell | Brad Cox | Acres by Brad Cox[8] |