Telstra Road to Tamworth grand finalists named.

The eight finalists have been announced for tonight’s Telstra Road to Tamworth Grand Final following two finals shows yesterday at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre which have been described as "spectacular".

They are... Liam Brew ( Caloundra, Qld), Caitlin Harnett (Richmond, NSW), Kane Harrison (Wodonga, Vic), Michelle Murphy (Alice Springs, NT), Jasmine Rae (Fawkner, Vic), Taryn Trautsch (Greendale, NSW), Mark Wells (Merewether, NSW) and Chad Woods (Meckering, WA).

Competition judge and Chief Executive of Entertainment Edge Rob Potts said the talent displayed by the 20 finalists, selected from heats held nationally throughout last year, was outstanding. "We had a very strong talent pool this year," he said, "so choosing the final eight was a seriously hard task - the Grand Final is going to be extraordinary."

The Telstra Road to Tamworth competition is a national program that aims to unearth Australia’s aspiring country music artists and launch their professional careers. It is widely regarded as the premier program of its kind in Australia and sees artists vying for a total prize package worth $140,000. This year, almost 1,000 country music hopefuls from across the nation competed for the 20 spots at the finals series.

Three American-based record company executives – Kent Earls, Vice President of Creative, Universal Music Publishing group Nashville, Mark Moffatt, award winning expatriate producer based in Nashville and Arthur Buenahora, Senior Director Artist & Repertoire, Capitol Nashville, will join local industry officials via live webcast at www.beinvolved.com.au/countrymusic to judge the Telstra Road to Tamworth Grand Final tomorrow night from 7.30.

The 2008 Grand Final winner will receive a full album deal, including the opportunity to record in Nashville with ABC Music and distributed by Warner Music Australia.
 
A second prize, the Telstra Road to Tamworth Songwriters Award, is also on offer, with the winner receiving a return trip to Nashville to work with Universal Music Publishing.

Previous Grand Final winners include Jessica Mauboy, the inaugural competition winner in 2004 and runner up in the 2006 Australian Idol competition, Tamworth local Aleyce Simmonds in 2005, Nick Kingswell in 2006 and Morgan Evans last year.

Morgan will take to the stage tonight for a guest performance along with 2008 Telstra Road to Tamworth Ambassador Adam Harvey and Australian country songstress Catherine Britt.