OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Grand Ole Opry Guest Artist, Kyle Dillingham, took home his first Indie Music Channel Award presented at the iconic Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood, September 5th. The Indie Music Channel celebrates independent musicians from all genres across the globe, supporting excellence in recording and performing arts and providing opportunities to showcase and celebrate the unsigned artists and the immense pool of talented musicians on the international music scene. The project was created by Emmy Award-winning media entrepreneur and television host, Christopher Ewing.
Dillingham’s original song, “Four in the Morning”, won for Best Contemporary Christian Song at the 10th annual event. It was also number one for three consecutive weeks on The Radio Cafe’s Top 10 Countdown live from Hollywood. “I receive over 20,000 song submissions a year from all around the world, so just making it onto my show is hard enough. Reaching number one is even harder!” said Ewing. “Way to go! Keep making great music! You are, truly, one of the best indie artists in the world!”
Another one of Dillingham’s songs, “Homa”, was also nominated for Best Americana Song, which will be the title track off of his upcoming album to be released in 2022.
The Indie Music Channel Awards are judged by a panel of experts from across the industry–production & engineering, artist management, mainstream radio and television, and Grammy-winning artists and producers.
“What an honor!” said Dillingham. “I hope this song speaks to everyone the way it speaks to me.”
About Kyle Dillingham:
History was made in 2019 at the Grand Ole Opry with an unprecedented debut performance by Kyle Dillingham on a Dolly Parton skateboard.
“Kyle Dillingham has made Opry history. His debut tonight, and the first ever to enter and exit on a skateboard. It is my thought that the fiddler blew the roof off the Grand Ole Opry house tonight!” -Bill Cody, Grand Ole Opry Announcer/Host
“Proud of you brother…you play violin/fiddle with more passion than anyone in history…and the skateboard? Wow!!!” -The Oak Ridge Boys
“I’ve never seen anything like this before!” -Roy Clark.
“Ken Burns and I travel all over the United States. After hearing your performance, we turned to each other and agreed that we had witnessed something amazing.” -Paula Kerger, President of PBS.
“Hell of a musician, that’s for sure.” -Charley Pride.
Dillingham, an Oklahoma native, has electrified and energized audiences in 41 countries and he and his band, Horseshoe Road, are scheduled for a performance tour in Dubai spring 2022. He picked up the violin when he was nine, and eight years later, he gave two featured performances at the Grand Ole Opry.
Presented by the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Dillingham was awarded with the prestigious honor of Oklahoma Ambassador of Goodwill in 2020. Previously honored Ambassadors of Goodwill include Toby Keith, Kristin Chenoweth, Roger Miller, Reba McEntire, Jimmy Webb, and Hank Thompson, to name a few.
Dillingham is also the winner of the 2020 and 2011 International Acoustic Music Awards.
He and his band participated in the 2018-2019 American Music Abroad season, organized by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and The Association of American Voices, with a tour through Kosovo and Kuwait.
That same year, they completed their third Silk Road and the Fiddle Tour through China representing Oklahoma and the United States with a musical celebration of cultural relations and performances.
“We were the first ever Americana/Country band to perform in the region of Gansu Province where we toured,” said Dillingham. “During one of our tours, we were also one of only four to be granted a meeting with Gansu Governor, Tang Renjian, representing our state with a letter from Governor Mary Fallin. Governor Tang gave us a hearty two thumbs up for his first-ever personal serenade we gave him during our official meeting!
In 2018, they were one of the featured performers at the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows Concert in Washington, DC, to honor their good friend and Fellow recipient, Manuel Cuevas. Cuevas has been attributed as being the man who put Johnny Cash in black.
“We were also selected for a coveted performance at the 2018 CMA Fest in Nashville, which was another highlight of our career”, Dillingham said. “After our performance, we had the chance to play for Charley Pride in his dressing room at the Grand Ole Opry and hang out with Blake Shelton and others backstage! What an incredible experience.”
Also that year, they opened for Grammy Award-winner, Lee Greenwood, at the renowned Neewollah Festival in Independence, Kansas.
Their 2008 Thailand tour commemorated the 175th anniversary of relations between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Thailand, and their 2013 tour of Korea celebrated the 60th anniversary of Partnership and Shared Prosperity between Korea and the U.S.
Kyle Dillingham & Horseshoe Road have also taken the stage with The Charlie Daniels Band, The Oak Ridge Boys, Roy Clark, Hank Thompson, Lisa Ling, Vince Gill, Jimmy Webb, Toby Keith, Hanson, Leona Mitchell and Thailand’s Pop Superstar, Tik Shiro, and have performed with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, China’s Lanzhou Symphony Orchestra and the Amici Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Honored by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, Dillingham was selected as a recipient of the 2009 Governor’s Arts Award, acknowledging his life’s work as a violinist, vocalist, musical ambassador for the state of Oklahoma and for his gift to connect with people throughout the world.
Dillingham is now managed by legendary impresario, Jim Halsey, who has guided the careers of many great performers including Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Clint Black, James Brown and many others.
He has performed for the King of Malaysia, the Princess of Thailand, Beijing Central Conservatory (broadcast on Chinese national television) and Singapore’s National Day Celebration. Dillingham has also performed for many government leaders including the Japanese, Thai and Saudi Arabian Ambassadors as well as for many US Ambassadors while abroad.
Dillingham has also championed the commissions and performed the premieres of eight new works for solo violin and symphony orchestra – collaborating with many orchestras worldwide.
For more information about Kyle Dillingham, visit his website, KyleDillingham.us.
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