The following are the Top Five fan-voted winners in the categories of
Local Country/Bluegrass Artists and Local Southern Gospel Artists as
voted on by way of Country Atlanta polling. Four rounds of polling
took place from May through August, and these are the final round
winners:
TOP FIVE LOCAL COUNTRY/BLUEGRASS ARTIST WINNERS
1. KRYSTA NICK. This young vocalist and rhythm guitarist out of
Peachtree City becomes the first solo artist to win the Top Local
Country/Bluegrass Artist title from Country Atlanta. At just 12 years old, she is fast becoming a seasoned veteran of the music
business and has effectively established her mark on the Atlanta music
scene. To her credit, she has already secured a number of awards,
including 2007 Female Vocalist of the Year and Female Entertainer of
the Year from the Georgia Country Music and Gospel Association, and
2007 Female Vocalist of the Year Rising Star from the North American
Country Music Association International. Other accolades include
winning the 2006 Fayette Idol contest, as well as the 2006 Colgate
Country Showdown for the Macon area. She has also been a runner up in
several other Colgate Country Showdown competitions, and was first
runner up for NBC's "Most Talented Kid Singers" in 2008. Additionally,
Krysta has performed at a large number of events across the region,
including performances alongside some well-known national artists. Her
backup band, known as Gopher Broke, consists of Charlie Gilbert and
Josh Lumsden on lead guitar, Anthony East on bass, and Josh Stiles on
drums. You can find Krysta Nick online at
krystanick.com and
myspace.com/krystalovestosing. Her Youtube
site can be found at
youtube.com/singingkrysta.
2. THE CARLA TATUM BAND. Last year's top winner and repeating as the
top group, the Carla Tatum Band is a country/southern rock group based
out of the mountain city of Ellijay. The band's roster consists of
Carla Tatum on lead vocals and harmony, Danny Tatum (Carla's husband)
on lead guitar and vocals, Mike Miller on bass, Frank Davis and Cody
Tatum on drums, Daniel Nieves on acoustic and electric guitar, and Joey
Ray on sound, lead vocals, harmonies and guitar. The group's lead
singer, Carla Tatum, lists her some of her musical influences as
Wynnona, Patty Loveless, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patsy Cline, Loretta
Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Earlier this year, CTB was honored to open for
Pam Tillis at the Strand Theatre in Marietta. And recently the group
has been a regular performer at Tom's Place in Cartersville. The Carla
Tatum Band can be found online at
myspace.com/thecarlatatumbandctb.
3. RENAY LEE. Both a solo artist and group vocalist, ReNay Lee out of
Canton has made a name for herself across the region through both
country and gospel music. She was named 2008 Female Entertainer of the
Year from the Georgia Country & Gospel Music Association, and
shared honors for Country Atlanta's Top Local Southern Gospel Artist
for 2008 as a vocalist with the Canton-based Redeeming River Band. In
addition ReNay also performs from time to time with gospel duo Dixie
Sonshine out of Cleveland, Tn. The GCGMA has named her as one of their
featured artists for September. Find ReNay Lee online at
myspace.com/drenaylee.
4. ALISA ASBURY & CROSS PLAINS. A Top Five winner for the second
straight year, this Dalton-based group has been a musical fixture
across North Georgia for nearly a decade and a half. They perform
mostly a mix of country and southern rock, but also feature several
other styles. They have won Band of the Year honors from the Georgia
Country & Gospel Music Association and the North America Country
Music Associations International from 2004 - 2007. Alisa Asbury &
Cross Plains has shared the stage with many national luminaries
including Rascal Flatts, T. Graham Brown, 38 Special and The Drifters,
and they are also a major touring band for many Harley-Davidson
events. Alisa also heads the GCGMA and Sweet Southern Entertainment.
The band was hit with tragedy on Feb. 2 when drummer Steve Ballew
passed away after suffering a massive heart attack. A tribute page has
been set up to honor Steve, it can be found at
myspace.com/steveballewcp. Find Alisa
Asbury & Cross Plains online at
myspace.com/crossplainsband, and Alisa's
pages at
myspace.com/alisaasbury and
shoutlife.com/alisaasbury.
5. COURTNEY DICKINSON. At only 14 years old, Courtney Dickinson of
Acworth has shared the stage with more nationally-based stars than some
could ever dream of. Just a handful of those names includes Jason
Aldean, Joe Nichols, Kellie Pickler, LeAnn Rimes, Jimmy Wayne and Phil
Vassar. An accomplished singer, songwriter and guitarist, Courtney has
been performing live since the age of five. At that young age she
performed on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry as the youngest member of
the Little General Cloggers. At age six she performed for President
Jimmy Carter’s birthday celebration, and also joined the cast of the
Broadway tours of Annie and The Wizard of Oz in Georgia. Courtney has
also qualified as a finalist in the Colgate Country Showcase
competition. In 2008 she got to perform a live duet with Billy Ray
Cyrus on "Ready, Set, Don't Go (a hit duet that Billy Ray had with
daughter Miley) at one of Kicks 101.5's "Lunchtime Live" concert
events. Courtney will also feature a CD release listening party in
Nashville on Oct. 6 with details to be announced later. Find Courtney
Dickinson online at
courtneydickinson.com and
myspace.com/courtneydickinson.
TOP FIVE LOCAL SOUTHERN GOSPEL ARTIST WINNERS
1. ENLISTED. Formed in 2003, Rockmart-based Enlisted consists of lead
singer Joey Saxton, Pam Atcheson on alto, Debbie Mitchell on soprano,
and David Mitchell on guitar. The current configuration of the group
was created in early 2009, as Enlisted lost their former soprano, and
another locally-based group, Mercy Road, lost their alto singer. Mercy
Road decided to disband and the Mitchells joined Joey and Pam.
Enlisted combines years of experience in the southern gospel music
industry. David was a driver for Gold City in the 1980s and for Brian
Free & Assurance in the 1990s, and also played bass guitar with
pianist Mark Fuller for the television dates for the Eve Mae LeFevre
and Jimmy Jones. Debbie, married to David since 1992, has been singing
since age 11 with the church choir and local church groups, and also
filled in with a regional group owned by David called The Popes, from
Powder Springs. Pam, who writes most of Enlisted's songs, sang backup
and played keyboards with Cristy Lane for five years. Joey serves as
the group's emcee and founded Enlisted in 2003 with Pam, his mother.
You can find Enlisted online at
enlisted4him.com and
myspace.com/enlisted4him.
2. GUIDING LIGHT. A longtime family group based out of College Park,
they began as the Guiding Light Trio which included the Spriggs
siblings of Charles, Bobby and Annette, who ranged in ages from five to
nine. Later on the group would include sister, Vera, and mother, Laura
League. For a period of the time, Guiding Light became a family
tradition singing only on Thanksgiving Day at home with mama. It was
in 1996 that the group would return to a regular singing ministry,
which included eight family members, and the group's name officially
became the Guiding Light Gospel Singers. Several of the members left
the group over the years to pursue other ministries. Today's roster
includes vocalists Vera (Spriggs) Camp, Steve Camp, Annette (Spriggs)
Teal and Curtis Teal, and Carl Street as drummer. Find Guiding Light
online at
myspace.com/guidinglightgospelsingers and
shoutlife.com/guidinglightgospelsingers.
3. IN HIS STEPS. Ed Ford and Nancy Turner make up the duo of In His
Steps, which is based out of Roopville in Carroll County. Formed in
1999, In His Steps has performed on many parts of the east coast,
including Christmas in the Smokies and the National Quartet
Convention. They were honored with the award of 2004 Duet of the Year
with the ACMA Music Association in Kentucky. In His Steps just
recently held their tenth anniversary concert at Mt. Carmel Full Gospel
Church in Carrollton, where they also released a new CD called
"Homesick For Heaven." In His Steps can be found online at
inhisstepsmusic.com.
4. VICTORY ROAD. Previously known as the Promise Quartet, Victory Road
is a quartet based out of Rockmart. The group consists of Valerie
Bagwell, Willard Walker, Vickie Teal and Kenny Teal and was founded in
1997 by the late Donald Gibbs, who passed away in 2007. Victory Road's
Anniversary Sing will take place on Sept. 26 at the Paulding County
Community Center in Dallas at 6:30 p.m. Their latest CD is titled
"Life Is So Much Better" and was recorded at BCS Studios in Woodland,
Al. Websites for Victory Road are
victoryrd.org,
myspace.com/victoryrd and
shoutlife.com/victoryroad.
5. THE BRIDGEMANS. The only gospel artist to appear in the Top Five
for the second straight year, The Bridgemans consists of husband and
wife duet Travis and Alecia Bridgeman based out of Cumming. The duo
has shared the stage with some of gospel's top national stars including
Greater Vision, Carroll Roberson, The Kingsmen, Squire Parsons and the
Talley Trio. Travis holds the title of senior pastor at Antioch
Baptist Church in Cumming, having held the position for seven years.
The Bridgemans released their latest CD, "We Can Hardly Wait!," late
last year. Lee Bridgeman, the couple's son, is gifted on the piano and
in musical composition. One of his songs, "Sea Of Dreams," can be
heard on their project, "Climbing Higher." You can find out more about
The Bridgemans at
thebridgemans.com,
sogocity.ning.com/profile/thebridgemans and
myspace.com/thebridgemansduet.