* NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The 1998 songs that country music will be ...
JIM PATTERSON
* 02/05/99
The Associated Press Political Service
(Copyright 1999. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved)
* NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The 1998 songs that country music will be
remembered for are "This Kiss" by Faith Hill, "Holes in the Floor of
Heaven" by Steve Wariner and "Don't Laugh at Me" by Mark Wills.
That's the verdict of fans and industry voters who picked the
nominees for the TNN Music City News Country Awards, which were
announced Thursday. Those three records picked up nominations for
best single, song and video.
Hill led all nominees with seven including best female artist.
Winners will be announced June 14 at the Nashville Arena, during a
ceremony broadcast on The Nashville Network.
"This is especially thrilling since it comes from all the fans,"
Hill said. "What can I say but ... `You go, fans!"'
The nominees for the top category, Entertainer of the Year, were
George Strait, Alan Jackson, Shania Twain, Garth Brooks and Neal
McCoy. McCoy won it last year.
"This Kiss" is an ebullient love song. "Don't Laugh at Me" and
"Holes in the Floor of Heaven" are heart-tugging ballads. The first
takes an emotional stand against mocking the homeless and other
unfortunate people, while Wariner's song is about dealing with death.
"I like the fact that it ... talks about loss," said Wariner.
"And everybody has gone through it, and if they haven't, they're
going to go through it. It's just an inevitable part of our lives.
So I think it really struck a chord."
Hill was also nominated for best album for "Faith" and best song
and vocal collaboration for her duet with husband Tim McGraw, "Just
to Hear You Say That You Love Me."
Joining Hill in the best female vocalist category were Twain, Reba
McEntire, Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood. Brooks, Vince Gill,
Jackson, McGraw and Strait were nominated for best male vocalist.
Strait and Jackson trailed Hill with five nominations each.
In addition to his nominations for best entertainer and male
artist, Strait was nominated for his album "One Step at a Time" and
his single "I Just Want to Dance With You," which was also nominated
as best song.
Jackson's hit "I'll Go on Loving You," notable because he speaks
much of the lyrics instead of singing, was nominated for best single
and video. It will go up against another mostly-spoken record in the
video category, Toby Keith's "Getcha Some."
Billy Ray Cyrus, who won five awards last year, didn't score any
nominations. Another oddity was the nomination of The Wilkinsons in
the Male Star of Tomorrow category, even though the trio includes a
female lead singer, Amanda Wilkinson. TNN officials said they
allowed the nomination because two of the three group members are
male.
Fans vote for the TNN Music City News Country Awards through
ballots in the fan magazine Music City News and True Value Hardware
stores, a sponsor of the show. They also vote via telephone and the
Internet.
Industry voters were added to the nominations process this year,
* including country music radio stations, booking agents, music
distribution executives and trade magazines. TNN officials wouldn't
say how votes from the different factions are weighted, but Music
City News editor Mike Jones wrote in the February issue of the fan
magazine that "as always, this is a fan-voted awards show with Music
City News readers' votes carrying more weight than any other segment
of voting."
In the same article, Jones said the magazine has "taken steps to
see that there will be no block voting ..." Artists with aggressive
fan clubs have reportedly tried to stuff the ballot box over the
years.
Brian Hughes of TNN said the change was made to get "a much
broader account of fan's taste."
"These are people who live and die every day based on the consumer
* having an interest in country music," he said. "I don't think it
compromises the fan aspect of this at all."
The change only affected the nominations process. Voting for the
winners will be by fans only, Hughes said.
