Winners of the 2013 SRO Awards. Pictured (Back row, L-R): Ed Hardy, Lisaann Dupont, Brian Wagner, Art Rich, Brad Baisley, Mark Metzger, Susan Pye, Jamie Cheek, Robby Emerson, Jay Cooper. (Front Row, L-R): Kevin Canady, Brian O’Connell, Rod Essig. Photo credit: Donn Jones / CMA
The winners of CMAs touring industry honors, known as the SRO (Standing Room Only) Awards, were presented by superstar artist and radio personality Kix Brooks on Tuesday evening (Oct. 23) during the 43rd Annual IEBA Conference in conjunction with the presentation of the IEBA Awards and Hall of Fame Induction in Nashville.
The individuals honored tonight help to make the touring industry vital to our business, said Ed Hardy, President of the CMA Board of Directors. I would like to congratulate each of these deserving individuals.
Winners were determined in two rounds of balloting with CMA members in the following categories: Affiliated, Artist, Engineer, Entertainment Services, Musician, Personal Manager, Publicist, Record Label, Talent Agent, Talent Buyer/Promoter, TV/Video/Media, and Venue. Ballots were tabulated by the international accounting firm Deloitte & Touche, LLP.
The SRO Awards were originally created by the CMA Board of Directors in 1990 to honor outstanding professional achievement within the touring industry.
CMAs SRO Awards 2013 winners are as follows (in alphabetical order by category):
Business Manager of the Year
Jamie Cheek (Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc.)
Coach/Truck Driver of the Year
Kelley Beck (Blake Shelton)
FOH (Front of House) Engineer of the Year
Jeff Parsons (Blake Shelton)
Lighting Director of the Year
Steve Richards (Taylor Swift)
Manager of the Year
Narvel Blackstock (Starstruck Entertainment)
Tour Manager of the Year
Kevin Canady (Blake Shelton)
Monitor Engineer of the Year
Brad Baisley (Blake Shelton)
Production Manager of the Year
Art Rich (Blake Shelton)
Publicist of the Year
Mary Hilliard Harrington (The GreenRoom)
Talent Agent of the Year
Rod Essig (Creative Artists Agency)
Talent Buyer/Promoter of the Year
Brian O’Connell (Live Nation)
Tour Caterer of the Year
TourCats Catering
Touring Musician of the Year
Robby Emerson (Jake Owen Bass)
Venue of the Year
Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, Tenn.)
Tour Video Director of the Year
Jay Cooper (Kenny Chesney)
About the Author
Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.View Author Profile
