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Posted In: Shows/Attractions by Shawn Walsh

Triple platinum recording artist Bertie Higgins and his “Band of Pirates”,will perform a two hour show extravaganza beginning April 3rd,2008 at the Caravelle Theatre in Branson,Missouri. Show times will be 8:00pm,Tuesday thru Saturday. Bertie will perform the 2008 season thru December. Bertie Higgins takes center stage to perform his chart busting #1 gold hits KEY LARGO, CASABLANCA, JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE, and many more memorable songs. Bertie Higgins is named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland,Ohio and is displayed in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Bertie is a songwriter,novelist,actor,and film producer. Mr.Higgins television appearances include The Tonite Show, Late Night with David Letterman, Crook & Chase and CMT. The historic Caravelle Theatre,located in the heart of Branson’s Music Row,has a long history of suppling Superstar entertainers such as Anita Bryant, John Davidson, and the legendary Bob Hope.The Caravelle Theatre proudly brings another Superstar to the stage, Bertie Higgins.

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Posted In: Other by BroadcastBranson.com

The winners have been announced for the 15^th Annual Billboard World Song Contest. These winners were selected from an overwhelming amount of submissions. “Our numbers just keep growing,” stated Mark Furnas, contest director. “Every year, I think the songwriting ability has improved. This year, we had a better quality of songs than ever before,” says contest president, Impresario Jim Halsey.

The winners were judged on structure, originality, lyrics, composition, melody and commercial appeal. Their songs will be featured on a CD, provided by sponsor DiscMakers, distributed exclusively to recording industry decision makers. Other prizes include membership to online song submission partner Sonicbids, TAXI – The Independent A&R Vehicle membership, CASIO keyboards, Indie Band Manager Software, BluBlocker Sunglasses, D’Addario Guitar strings, Halsey Institute Online Music Business Courses and female membership in GoGirlsMusic.com. The first place winners in all categories will be invited to receive their award and perform the winning song onstage in front of music industry professionals, theater owners and buyers. The award show presentation will be March 29, 2008 at the Mansion Entertainment and Media Center in Branson, MO.

A grand prize winner will be chosen from the live performance at the awards show and will receive $5,000 for Overall Best Presentation, $1,500 for first runner up and $1,000 to the second runner up. The award show provides a platform for aspiring songwriters to display their work before an industry audience.

The winners of the 15^th Annual Billboard World Song Contest are…

Rock

1. Jimi Anderson (Jimi Anderson Band) – NJ – “Another Way to Run”
2. Jonathan Rush (Joal Rush) – SC – “Bleed”
3. Greg Hyde – IL – “Crush”

Rap

1. Derrick Ashong (Soulfege) – CA – “From The Soul”
2. Kym Smith (BoBo Ken) – Bahamas – “I Know”
3. Chris Hamilton (Chris Mugs) – DE – “Fever”

Pop

1. Joel Plaskett (Joel Plaskett Emergency) – Canada – “Fashionable People”
2. Matt Gorney (The Specimen) – NY – “Do U Damage”
3. Nafsica Gavrilaki and Zach Amitt – NY – “Perfect”

R&B

1. Leah Tysse – CA – “You Don’t Scare Me”
2. Micheal Hunter – TN – “Echos of Eden”
3. Charlotte Kelly – United Kingdom – “Symphony”

Country

1. Rick Huckaby – TN – “Ain’t Enough Blacktop”
2. Jennifer Mangum – CO – “I Can’t Breathe For You”
3. Damian Follett – Canada – “Perfect”

Jazz

1. Alyse Black – WA – “Stood For Stand For”
2. Ja’nos Egri – Hungary – “Little Johnny”
3. Steve and Karen Multer – IL – “Look Out For Love (Crash Boom Bang)”

Contempory Christian/Gospel

1. Carmen Calhoun – DC – “Dare 2 Be”
2. Kayla and Rachel Carlson – WI – “Love Him”
3. Tom Paden – TN – “Everytime You Pray”

Electronica/Soundtrack

1. DJ Boom, Victoria Patchen, Scotty Beam – DC – “Back To You”
2. Demetrios Katis – Greece – “Gathering of the Tribes”
3. Giselle Minns – Ontario – “Him”

Dance

1. Jeremy Yeremian, Alyson – CA – “Here With Me”
2. Gerald Kohlbeck – NY – “Calling Angels”
3. James Burrell (The True Self Gang) – United Kingdom – “Velvet Kingdom”

World

1. Robert and Wendy O’Hearn – OR – “Lost Sons of Erin”
2. Sinem Varoglu (Sinem Saniye) – NY – “Boom Sheke Nana”
3. Joule L’Adara – CA – “Red Earth Hands”

Americana/Folk

1. Jared Scharff (Jared Scharff & The Royals) – NY – “Bedroom Eyes”
2. Amy Hafner (Johnny Rodgers Band) – FL – “Home to Mendocino”
3. Eric Scott – MD – “Starting Today”

Latin

1. Mariella Gonzalez (The Mariella Show) – NY – “Flyaway”
2. Zoraida Santiago – Puerto Rico – “Canciones Por Tadas Partes”
3. Jorge L.Quintana – FL – “Ahora Etas Aqui”

Success in this contest has provided a launching pad for many aspiring songwriters. Last year’s country song writers, Stephen Desjardins, Lisa Firestone and Charles Harn landed a publishing deal for their song, “When He Comes Home to Her.” First place pop winners Peter Roberts and Ron Boustead’s song, “Fearless,” has been featured in the motion picture, Bratz.

Contest sponsors include Billboard Magazine, CASIO, D’Addario Strings, TAXI – The Independent A&R Vehicle, Indie Band Manager, Discmakers, BluBlocker Sunglasses, GoGirlsMusic.com, The Halsey Institute and online song submission partner Sonicbids.

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