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VIDEOS: Dallas Smith steps back from BC music awards

Langley once again dominates the provincial country music awards shortlist.
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Karen Lee Batten performed Sunday at Langley’s tbird, during the World Cup show jumping qualifiers. (Roxanne Hooper/Langley Advance)

Dallas Smith has graciously bowed out of this year’s BC Country Music Association awards.

The Langley musician, who has earned many of the top provincial music honours year after year, opted to step aside to allow new and emerging artists to receive some of the same opportunities he has been afforded, BCCMA president Linda Corscadden explained when releasing the list of semi-finalists.

The full list of semi-finalists issued Monday afternoon did, however, still include a few other existing and past Langley names.

Among them, Gabby’s Country Cabaret is once again up for country venue of the year.

Langley singer Karen Lee Batten is shortlisted for entertainer, fan choice, female artists, and humanitarian of the year – the latter specifically for the work she did with coordinating the Paddington Station benefit concert for the victims of the December apartment fire in Langley.

Walnut Grove’s Shawn Meehan of Me And Mae is a contender for group and entertainer of the year.

Langley City’s Emily Taylor Adams, a young mother who has just recently returned to her music after several years away, is also competing for the female artist of the year honour.

And, also on the list from Langley was video director of the year was Langley’s Stephano Barberis, who has worked with Smith, Batten, former Langleyite Chad Brownlee, and Bucko & Toad.

When it comes to accolades for former Langley residents, there were quite a few who have made the semi-finals.

They include Brownlee, who – recently left Langley for Gibsons – is a contender for entertainer, fan choice, male artist, single, video (both for Somethin’ We Shouldn’t Do), and humanitarian of the year awards. The humanitarian nomination is for the work this former NHL defenceman does with Tim Hortons to send under-privileged kids to camp.

Also appearing on the list is former Langleyite Aaron Pritchett. He too is in the semi-finals for single and video of the year for his song When A Momma’s Boy Meets A Daddy’s Girl. He’s also up for male artist, fans choice, and entertainer of the year awards.

Rounding out the list of former Langley residents is Shylo Sharity.

She’s relatively new to this award scene, hence her making the short list for the Ray McAuley Horizon Award for a new, up-and-comer to the country music scene.

But that’s not the only list Sharity is on. She’s also a contender for the female artist of the year, as well as the Gaylord Wood traditional/roots country award, and a musician award for her abilities playing the mandolin (with a nomination for one of the Mike Norman All-Star Band awards).

A half dozen years ago, Sharity was performing on Variety – The Children’s Charity, at the then Merritt Mountain Music Festival, among other special events.

The Trinity Western University grad also toured with a band called Winter Harp, won the Idol contest at her Walnut Grove high school, and appeared as a singer in the TV series Dead Like Me.

“I actually live in Vancouver now, but Langley will always be my hometown,” she told the Langley Advance.

The finalists will be announced Sept. 22, with the awards being presented at the Molson Canadian Theatre at the Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam on Oct. 22.

• Stay tuned to the Langley Advance for more as the event approaches

At the national level

In the meantime, Smith has been nominated for a number of Canadian Country Music Association awards that will be presented next month in Saskatoon.

And in addition to be nominated for several of the 2017 national awards, Smith will be performing at this year’s awards ceremony.

Described by CCMA organizers as being on the “edge of global superstardom,” they invited the JUNO award winner and platinum-selling country star to join the likes of the James Barker Band and Blake Shelton in performing at SaskTel Centre on Sept. 10.

Ironically, while Smith isn’t competing against his friend, fellow musician, and former neighbour – Brownlee – for the BCCMA accolades, they are fighting it out for a few of the CCMA titles.

Brownlee is also up for the Fans Choice and male artists of the year. And again, Langley’s Barberis up for video director of the year on the national level, for two of Brownlee’s songs, Somethin’ We Shouldn’t Do, and I Hate You For It.

Langley record producer Mitch Merrett is also a contender at the CCMAs for the work he, Scott Cooke, and Ben Glover did on Brownlee’s album Heart On Fire.

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rhooper@langleyadvance.com

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Roxanne Hooper

About the Author: Roxanne Hooper

I began in the news industry at age 15, but honestly, I knew I wanted to be a community journalist even before that.
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