Travis Collins, Keith Urban win big at CMC Music Awards
TRAVIS Collins is officially Australia's hottest rising star in country music after he took home three gongs at tonight's CMC Music Awards on the Gold Coast.
The Cessnock native was named CMC Australian Artist of the Year. He also won the Male Australian Artist of the Year, Australian Video of the Year award and, jointly, the ARIA Highest Selling Australian Artist as part of Adam Brand and The Outlaws.
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Collins tied Queensland's superstar export Keith Urban, who accepted his gongs by video, for the biggest solo awards haul of the night, and his CMC wins come hot on the heels of three Golden Guitar Awards in January for his latest album Hard Light.
"I'm really humbled," he said.
"Tamworth is voted on by my peers and the industry and this is purely and simply voted on by fans."
The McClymonts, who will headline the CMC Rocks festival main stage tomorrow at Willowbank, were also named Group or Duo of the Year.
"It's our 11th year and fifth album, and we certainly couldn't do it without you," Sam McClymont told fans during her acceptance speech.
Western Australian songwriter Chelsea Basham was named Female Australian Artist of the Year and Fanny Lumsden was named New Australian Artist of the Year.
But the night arguably belonged to Lee Keranaghan, who was inducted into the CMC Hall of Fame. He recalled some of the highs and lows of his career, including getting fired from the band of his good mate James Blundell.
In a moving tribute to the 'boy from the bush', Collins, Adam Brand, Catherine Britt, Jasmine Rae, Caitlyn Shadbolt, Christie Lamb and The Wolfe Brothers all performed a medley of Kernaghan's hit songs.
Kernaghan, who plays CMC Rocks on Sunday night, ended the evening by performing Outback Club Reunion.
The CMC Music Awards are the glittering pre-party to the three-day CMC Rocks festival, which kicks off tomorrow.
The sold-out 10th anniversary event is expected to attract 45,000 country music lovers to Ipswich.
2017 CMC Music Awards winners
CMC AUSTRALIAN ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Adam Brand
Amber Lawrence
Lee Kernaghan
O'Shea
Travis Collins*
CMC INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Blake Shelton
Brad Paisley
Carrie Underwood
Florida Georgia Line
Keith Urban*
CMC MALE AUSTRALIAN ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Adam Brand
Lee Kernaghan
Travis Collins*
Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Kemp
CMC FEMALE AUSTRALIAN ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Amber Lawrence
Caitlyn Shadbolt
Chelsea Basham*
Jasmine Rae
Kasey Chambers
CMC NEW AUSTRALIAN ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Fanny Lumsden*
Imogen Clark
Jason Owen
Missy Lancaster
Weeping Willows
CMC GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
The McClymonts*
O'Shea
Sunny Cowgirls
The Wolfe Brothers
Viper Creek Band
CMC AUSTRALIAN VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Chelsea Basham- One of These Days
O'Shea- The Truth Walks Slowly
The McClymonts- House
Travis Collins- Call Me Crazy*
Wolfe Brothers- This Crazy Life
CMC INTERNATIONAL VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Carrie Underwood- Heartbeat
Florida Georgia Line- H.O.L.Y.
Keith Urban- Wasted Time*
Kelsea Ballerini- Peter Pan
Tim McGraw- Humble & Kind
HALL OF FAME AWARD
Lee Kernaghan
ARIA HIGHEST SELLING AUSTRALIAN ARTIST
Adam Brand and The Outlaws (self-titled)
ARIA HIGHEST SELLING INTERNATIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Keith Urban- Ripcord
