The finalists for the 2017 Recorded Music NZ Best Country Music Album and APRA Best Country Music Song have been announced today and will be presented at this year’s Golden Guitar Awards in Gore on June 1st. The awards are open to the public, and tickets are available through iticket.co.nz.

The finalists for Best Country Music Album 2017 are Hamilton County Bluegrass Band for their album These Old Hands, Wanaka native Jody Direen for Shake Up, and Phil Doublet for his second album Endless Highway.

The APRA Best Country Music Song finalists include Kendall Elise Todd’s ‘Heart Full of Dirt’, Chester Travis and Great Danes for ‘Toothache’, and ‘The Reasons to Stay’ by Ginny Peters.