People’s Choice winners 2024
26 January 2024
Winners of the 2024 Australian Country Music People’s Choice Awards were announced at a gala presentation in Tamworth yesterday (Thursday January 25).
Rising country star Andy Penkow was named Best Male Vocal (pictured above) while last year’s Best Female Vocal winner Courtney Keil made it two in a row (pictured above).
The very popular Bo’Ness Brothers won the Best Group or Duo award (pictured below).
Duncan Toombs, a relative newcomer as a recording artist, won the Best Album award with his first offering Steel On Steel. Duncan, of course, has been very successful for many years as a producer of award-winning videos.
Sandee Facy, another newcomer beginning to make a name for herself, took home Best Song with Best One Yet co-written by Michael Saleta.
Best Bush Ballad went to prolific songwriter Matt Scullion with Lennie You’re A Legend, the story of Lennie Gwyther, a nine year old Australian boy who undertook a solo horseback ride in 1932 from Leongatha in Victoria to Sydney to watch the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Best Video was taken out by regular People’s Choice winner Brendan McMahon with I Hear Your Voice (The Soldier) featuring Montana Sharp.
Most Promising Future Star was awarded to Lily Grace.
The now new permanent category of Most Popular Musician or Instrumentalist was taken out by Corey Legge who has been pursuing a solo career as a singer/songwriter for almost a year now after working successfully in a number of bands.
In the broadcast categories, Alan Gilmour maintained his hold on Most Popular Country Music DJ for the third successive year via his successful program the Australian Country Songwriters Show on todayscountry94one.
Most Popular Country Music Radio Station went to perennial finalists KIX Country.
This year’s inductee/s to the Australian Country Music Broadcasters Hall of Fame were the on-air team of Dianne Lindsay & Peter Simpson whose popular syndicated “Australian Bush Ballad Show” is now in its 12th year.
Dianne is continuing a strong family tradition as her Mum Heather McKean (with sister Joy as The McKean Sisters) and Dad Reg were both among the earliest inductees to the Hall of Fame in 2002, just a few years after it was established.
One of the many highlights of this year’s People’s Choice Awards presentation concert, in addition to the numerous performances by many of the finalists, was the announcement of Fanny Lumsden as Australia’s 2024 Country Music Entertainer of the Year.
Voting for this accolade, which is largely determined by Australian country music broadcasters and specialist media, was extended to the public this year for a broader input.
Following last year’s winner Troy Cassar-Daley, Fanny is another of Australia’s hardest working and most successful country acts with huge success in a wide range of touring and special performances, music production, sales and critical acclaim.
Examples of this success are her win of the 2023 ARIA Award for Best Country Album for her latest work Hey Dawn, and a performance last year at the iconic and globally renowned Glastonbury Festival in the United Kingdom.
The Entertainer of the Year award was re-established by the Country Music Bulletin group, organisers of the People’s Choice Awards, who thought it was “high time it was re-introduced to recognise more than what is normally acknowledged in a series of category presentations.”
This year’s award winners were announced again in the famous Tamworth Town Hall.
Voting for the 2025 Australian Country Music People’s Choice Awards will open in July.
www.peopleschoiceawards.com.au.