CMA Announces International Award Winners

The Country Music Association recently revealed its recipients for an array of international awards, including the Global Country Artist Award, International Artist Achievement Award, International Country Broadcaster Award, the Jo Walker-Meador Award, and the Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award.

“Advancing Country Music around the world is at the very foundation of CMA’s mission,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Being able to acknowledge the exhaustive efforts of our international and domestic colleagues outside of U.S. borders is very rewarding and central to our strategic objective of growing the business and developing new territories for Country Music.”

Award recipients in alphabetical order by category:

GLOBAL COUNTRY ARTIST AWARD – Morgan Evans
The Global Country Artist Award recognizes outstanding achievements by a Country Music artist originally signed outside of the United States – in both furthering the popularity of Country Music and bringing attention to the Country Music format in their foreign-based territory.

Morgan Evans

The winner of a record three Country Music Channel Music Awards this year, Evans was recently signed as a presenter, host, and ambassador for the Country Music Channel in Australia. He has toured with Country superstars including Alan Jackson and Taylor Swift, as well as headlining his own tours in Australia and New Zealand. Evans was recently signed to William Morris Endeavour Agency.

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Brad Paisley
Formerly the International Touring Artist Award, the CMA International Artist Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievement by a U.S.-based artist who contributes to the awareness and development of Country Music outside the United States.

Since being the recipient of this award in 2011, Brad Paisley has remained dedicated to including the international market place in his schedule. In 2014, he headlined the C2C Festival in London and Dublin as well as recorded the special “Brad Paisley & Friends” for BBC Radio 2 before going on to headline shows in Norway and Sweden.

INTERNATIONAL COUNTRY BROADCASTER AWARD – Ricky Ross

Ricky Ross

The International Country Broadcast Award recognizes outstanding achievement by radio broadcasters outside the U.S. who have made important contributions to the development of Country Music in their country.

Singer/songwriter Ross, who regularly visits Nashville, presents the BBC Radio Scotland’s “Another Country.” With a mix of classics and new Country releases, Americana, and alternative Country, he has won two Sony Radio Awards, the first in 2011 and the second the following year.

JO WALKER-MEADOR AWARD – Scott Borchetta

Scott Borchetta

Named for Country Music Hall of Fame member and longtime Executive Director of CMA, the Jo Walker-Meador Award recognizes outstanding achievement by an individual or company in advocating and supporting Country Music’s marketing development in territories outside the United States.

As the founder and CEO of Big Machine Records, Borchetta has supported artist development internationally early in artists’ careers. Borchetta previously won the Jo Walker-Meador Award in 2012.

WESLEY ROSE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Bob Shennan

Bob Shennan

The Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievements in the media, which contribute to the development of Country Music outside the United States. Radio, TV, print journalists, authors, editors, television writers, producers, and PR companies who reside outside the United States are eligible to win this award.

Since Shennan took over as Controller of BBC Radio 2 in 2009, he has driven exposure opportunities and was instrumental in bringing Country Music into the mainstream arena. Now Director of Music, Shennan chairs the newly formed CMA U.K. Advisory Group and serves on the CMA Board of Directors.

CMA International Awards are voted on by CMA International Membership as well as a panel of domestic U.S.-based industry members.

The timing of the announcement coincides with the return of the CMA Songwriters Series, and the third C2C London event (March 7-8), which is presented by AEG Europe and SJM Concerts in association with the Country Music Association.