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10
Apr 2008
Winners Named in 9th Annual Great American Song Contest
Posted in News - U.S. National, Awards & Contests by Michael Kornfeld at 11:02 am |

By Michael Kornfeld

Dave Murphy, an Americana singer-songwriter, captured first place in the contemporary acoustic/folk category of the ninth annual Great American Song Contest for his song “Chesapeake.”  Winners in nine categories were named earlier this month, while Marla Lewis and Les Julian won the grand prize for “Mighty Jackie (The Strikeout Queen).”

Dave Murphy plays Kerrville“It’s always nice to be recognized, to get acknowledged” says Murphy, who also was a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition in 2005.  “I’ve always gravitated towards troubadours like Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and Guy Clark – storytellers who are kind of gritty and really authentic.” Citing the old adage “three chords and the truth,” Murphy says his own music “may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but at least it’s true to my heart and authentic.” He describes his award-winning song, “Chesapeake,” as “a story about place – geographic and in the heart.” It is the first track on Stories From Snake Hill, his third full-length CD, which is slated for release in May. 

In addition to Murphy, the following individuals were recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting in the Contemporary Acoustic/Folk category: Noelle Price for “Pontchartrain Prayer Flags” (an unreleased track that can currently be heard on her website), Adam Levy and Amber Rubarth for “Washing Day” (the title track of Levy’s latest CD also was a first-place winner for lyrics in the International Songwriting Competition), Kerri Lee Smith for “Dog Shake That Squirrel” (that can currently be heard on her MySpace page), and Jeff Talmadge for “Scrapbook” (from his 2007 CoraZong release At least that much was True).

Sponsored by the Songwriters Resource Network, the Great American Song Contest is open to amateur and semi-professional songwriters whose entries are evaluated by music industry professionals based on the song, not the performance or quality of the recording.  Criteria used in judging include creative and engaging lyrics, effective and memorable melodies, and the overall success of the songwriting technique.

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