The Billy Kelly Songwriting Awards Launch

Tuesday 20th March sees the launch of the fourth Billy Kelly Songwriting Award at Oran Mor a prize worth £5000.

All unsigned songwriters, regardless of whether they are solo performers or in bands, are invited to take part.


Thursday 22nd March
The 2010 Billy Kelly Songwriting Award winners, The Sunshine Social celebrate the launch of their debut EP.
Support comes from The Dirty Beggars.

Info and application forms for the 2012 award will also be available.

Doors: 7pm
Tickets: £4

For more information on the award visit www.oran-mor.co.uk or www.theskinny.co.uk




Background on The Billy Kelly Awards

Billy Kelly was one of Scotlands best known music visionaries and a major promoter of international live roots music at Scottish venues for many years, however he is probably best known for his Big Big World and Big Big Country Showcases, introducing Mayfest arts festival and he was also one of the driving forces behind Celtic Connections. His energy drive and enthusiasm for international music has been sorely missed since his death from cancer in early 2007.

The award is the brainchild of Oran Mor owner, Colin Beattie who was a great friend and business associate of Kellys both Yoker natives.

In December 2008, following multiple heats, a top panel of experts, including Peter McDougall, Ken McCluskey, Donald Shaw, Bobby Bluebell and John McLaughlin convinced to judge the finalists at a live gig. The 2008/9 final held at Oran Mor featured a very strong line-up which included Tommy Reilly, winner of Orange Unsigned, Martin Jones, Joe Gallagher and The Tracks and was eventually won by Robin Adams, son of Chris and Pauline Adams, core members of of seventies prog rock band String Driven Thing. Adams received £5000 worth of support promotion, production and recording time, including studio recording time with with Glasvegas producer John McLaughlin to create his debut solo album Down To Reverie which was officially released on Monday 19th October 2009 on Eye Dog Eye Records.

Today

The award is now organised and overseen by Jamie Webster, bookings manager at Oran Mor and Creon Brock, music and theatre programmer.

"The basic idea of the process is we help the act get it together and help them get a record out, then we get them on tour and get them in the press" says Webster. "We give them a good start, its not a like a five year process, they get a year of our time to help them shape their careers and get them in the right places. But after the course of that record, its back over to them to use that help in a positive way".

"Its important to stress that this is less a competition and more an award. Its simply breaking the song down. We look at the lyrics and the songs arrangement and often give credit just for ideas and the musicianship".

All unsigned songwriters, regardless of whether they are solo performers or in bands, are invited to take part.

Heats

The four heats will take place in July and August. Each act will be required to perform a set of three original songs. Then the panel of judges will select one winner from each heat, who will be guaranteed a place in Novembers final. Each heat runner-up will still have a chance to make it through. They will be invited to take part in a semi-final, along with two wild cards chosen by the judges.

"We try to get as big a variety of acts as we can. We do get a lot of acoustic singer-songwriters, so we try our best to encourage people from others genres. No one should be put off by it" says Webster.

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