NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) – The Country Music Association staged the annual CMA Touring Awards in Nashville on Monday night, honoring the professional achievements of the country music industry.
Hosted by country legend Keith Urban, the awards gala recognized the top touring professionals in the U.S. for 2024.
The Messina Group’s Louis Messina was named as the talent buyer/promoter of the year while WME’s Jay Williams was named as the Talent Agent of the Year.
Meg Miller was recognized as the Tour Manager of the Year for her work with Lainey Wilson while Red Light Management’s Mandelyn Monchick was honored as the Manager of the Year.
The late Ron Baird, former agent and head of CAA’s Nashville office, was posthumously honored with the CMA Touring Lifetime Achievement Award. Marc Dennis, agent and co-head of CAA’s Nashville office as well as Baird’s stepson, accepted the honor on behalf of Baird.
Stars on hand in support of their teams included Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson, as well as members of Old Dominion.
Additionally, the CMA took the opportunity to unveil its new Touring Mentorship Program, intended to help early-career touring professionals to receive support from established members of the community.
As part of the six-month program, participants will engage in monthly meetings along with hadowing and projects in the field. The Touring Mentorship Program will cover seven key roles in the touring industry: Tour Manager, Band Leader/Musician, Production Manager, Production Assistant, Front of House Engineer, Monitor Engineer and Lighting Director/Designer.
The 2023 CMA Touring Awards winners :
CREW OF THE YEAR
“All-American Road Show Tour” Crew – Chris Stapleton
BACKLINE TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR
Joel “Tico” Jimenez – Thomas Rhett
BUSINESS MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Duane Clark – Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy
COACH/TRUCK DRIVER OF THE YEAR
Erin Siegfried – Lainey Wilson
FOH (FRONT OF HOUSE) ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Arpad Sayko – Chris Stapleton
LIGHTING DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Mac Mosier – Chris Stapleton
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Mandelyn Monchick – Red Light Management
MONITOR ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Bryan “Opie” Baxley – Kenny Chesney
PRODUCTION MANAGER OF THE YEAR
John Garriott – Chris Stapleton
PUBLICIST OF THE YEAR
Tyne Parrish – The GreenRoom PR
STAGE MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Todd Green – Chris Stapleton
SUPPORT SERVICES COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Clair Global – Nashville, TN
TALENT AGENT OF THE YEAR
Jay Williams – WME
TALENT BUYER/PROMOTER OF THE YEAR
Louis Messina – The Messina Group
TOUR MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Meg Miller – Lainey Wilson
TOURING MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Paul Franklin – Chris Stapleton/Vince Gill – Steel Guitar
TOUR VIDEOGRAPHER/PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
CeCe Dawson – Lainey Wilson
TOUR VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Chris Jones – Jelly Roll
VENUE OF THE YEAR
Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
UNSUNG HERO OF THE YEAR
Kelsey Maynard – Old Dominion – Assistant Tour Manager
