APRIL 9, 2009 ISSUE
Finalists Announced for Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest
Finalists have been selected for the 17th annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, hosted by MerleFest 2009, scheduled for Thursday to Sunday, April 23 to 26 on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro.
Songs chosen as the 12 finalists in four categories were selected from 840 entries. The songwriters will compete on the Austin Stage at MerleFest on Friday, April 24, at 2:00 p.m.
Bluegrass
“Water Falls” by Wyatt Espalin and Cobi Ferguson; Nashville, Tenn.
“Love Gone By” by Carol Hausner and Coin McCaffrey; Montpelier, Vt.
“The Old Coal Mine” by Brink Brinkman; Columbus; Ohio
Gospel
“I Had A Little Talk with Jesus” by Richard Henry; Houston, Texas
“Little Bitty Piece of God” by Jo Ellen Doering; Los Angeles, Ca.
“Beyond the Rain” by Brink Brinkman; Columbus; Ohio
Country
“Maybe You’ll Start Loving Me Again” by Lloyd Wood; Spencer, In.
“Man of Few Words” by Dennis Duff; Kuttawa; Ky.
“Once Upon a Time” by Tonya Lowman; Lenoir; N.C.
General
“Carolina Rain” by Ron Fetner; Seaford; Va.
“I Will Fly” by John Smith; Trempealeau; Wis.
“Unmarked Pavement” by Letha and Miles Costin; Raleigh, N.C.
The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest is a unique opportunity for aspiring writers to have their original songs heard and judged by a panel of Nashville music industry professionals under the direction of this year’s volunteer contest chairperson, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale.
First-place winners in each category receive a performance on the Cabin Stage at MerleFest 2009, an acoustic guitar, a check for $300, two boxes of D’Addario strings and a one-year subscription to Acoustic Guitar magazine.
Second- and third-place winners in each category receive performance slots on the Friday night Songwriters Coffeehouse, as well as cash prizes, D’Addario strings and Acoustic Guitar subscriptions.
Songs were judged by a volunteer panel of Nashville songwriters, publishers and other music industry professionals. Judging was based on a song’s originality, lyrics, melody and overall commercial potential.
Previous winners of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest include such musical luminaries as Gillian Welch, Tift Merritt, Michael Reno Harrell, Adrienne Young, Martha Scanlan, David Via and Johnny Williams.
Net proceeds from the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest support the Wilkes Community College Chris Austin Memorial Scholarship. Since its inception the scholarship has awarded more than $25,000 to 68 deserving students. The 2008-2009 recipients are Ryan Jeffery Call and Kimberly Ilene Osborne.
About Chris Austin
A native of Boone, Chris Austin worked as a sideman for Ricky Skaggs for three years, singing and playing guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle. During that time, executives at Warner Bros. Nashville discovered Austin, offering him a recording contract. While releasing singles including “Blues Stay Away From Me,” “I Know There’s a Heart in There Somewhere” and “Out of Step,” Austin also developed his songwriting skills, as evidenced in “Same Ol’ Love,” recorded by Skaggs in 1991.
On March 16, 1991, Austin’s life was cut tragically short when the private plane carrying him and six other members of Reba McEntire’s band, as well as her tour manager, crashed in the mountains near San Diego. Pete Fisher, then of Warnersongs and currently general manager of the Grand Ole Opry, and Kari Estrin, then MerleFest consultant and Pickin’ for Merle video associate producer, initiated the songwriting contest to honor Austin’s memory.
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