FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The FRENCH HIGHWAY AWARDS 2009 have named DAVID and HOWARD BELLAMY, The BELLAMY BROTHERS, as the first recipients of the International Artist Achievement Award.

     PARIS, November 3, 2009 -- The 1st French Highway Awards are produced by HighwayFM.com, France's Internet leader for the latest news in new country music, and the winners in all categories will be revealed on november 18.

     Most of the award categories are dedicated to American country music artists. Board members of HighwayFM.com have created an International Artist Achievement Award to recognize and honor the American artists who play on the international scene. The choice has been determined  on artist longevity and popularity, and The Bellamy Brothers are the perfect example of the artists who give their time, humility and life to promote country music on the European scene and other parts of the world.

     HighwayFM.com and President/CEO Jean Agostini (Mr) are proud to honor the legendary duet. The Bellamy Brothers have enjoyed a career that has produced 14 No. 1 hits, international tours in 65 different countries, and commercial success on both the Country and Pop charts.

     Agostini launched HighwayFM.com in 1995, and has been working on the air playing country, pop and rock music since he began his career with pirate radio stations in Paris 31 yeas ago.

     "Our goal is to promote American country music artists in France and internationally, and that is the reason why the Internet site is in both language, French and English. It would be great if this event and the Achievement award to the Bellamy Brothers could strength relationships between Americans and the French," Agostini said.

     For more than 30 years, the Bellamy Brothers have been an unassuming picture of consistency in Country music, crafting honest, heartfelt songs that connect with millions of listeners around the world.  Even more remarkable is the fact that they’ve remained relevant in a genre that has become increasingly enamored with style over substance, glitz over grit, and fleeting celebrity over artistic vision.   Yet Howard and David Bellamy have weathered the trends admirably, enjoying enormous success throughout their career with numerous No. 1 hits on both the Pop and Country charts.
 
     Evidence of the Brothers’ continued popularity today isn’t hard to find.  In 2009 alone, “Let Your Love Flow” received the distinguished BMI Five Million Performance Award and was listed at No. 68 on their Top 100 Songs of the Century.  It was also prominently featured in the critically acclaimed AMC television series ‘Breaking Bad.’   The ‘70s smash even broke into the Top 20 on the UK Country charts again – 33 years after it was first released!

     “In 2008, Barclay Bank used ‘Let Your Love Flow’ for a television commercial in the UK,” Howard explains.  “It went Top 20 on the charts, then to No. 1 on the catalog download charts, and then eventually to No. 1 on a compilation album, too!  Not bad for a song we cut almost 35 years ago!”

     2009 also found the duo partnering with another set of famous siblings, the Bacon Brothers.   The unlikely pair teamed up in Memphis to shoot a video for the song “Guilty of the Crime,” the Brothers’ new single from their forthcoming 35-year anniversary collection, Anthology Vol. 1.  It’s yet another example of the forward thinking philosophy that helped the modest brothers from Darby, Florida, make the leap to legendary performers.

     Howard and David Bellamy were influenced early in their career while touring with R&B acts like Percy Sledge, Eddie Floyd and Little Anthony & the Imperials.  Later, the duo benefited from the blossoming Country/Rock scene in Atlanta, Ga.  After moving to the West Coast in the early ‘70s, however, the Brothers developed their own sound and scored perhaps the biggest hit of their career in 1976 with “Let Your Love Flow.”  The song was a smash in both the U.S. and Europe, shooting to the top of the Pop charts and helping establish an international fan base that still eagerly awaits the Bellamys’ annual pilgrimage overseas.

     The Brothers continued to produce No.1 hit after No. 1 hit in the years that followed, totaling 14 chart-topping singles in the U.S. and Europe to date.  “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me),” “Sugar Daddy,” “Dancin’ Cowboys,” “Do You Love As Good As You Look,” “Redneck Girl,” “When I’m Away From You,” “I Need More Of You,” “Old Hippie” “Kids of the Baby Boom,” “Too Much Is Not Enough,” “Crazy From the Heart,” “Santa Fe” and “I Could Be Persuaded” are just some of the Bellamys’ Top Ten hits that populated the Pop/Rock and Country charts from the ‘70s into the ‘90s.

     As the last decade of the millennium gathered steam, so did the Brothers’ creativity.  They started their own label (Bellamy Brothers Records) in 1992, producing six independent albums throughout the ‘90s and several more for exclusive release in Europe on Jupiter Records.  It was also a period that produced a record number of nominations at the CMA and ACM Awards in the Duo category since 2000 – another highlight in a career that has unmistakably influenced many of today’s most successful duo acts, including Montgomery Gentry, Big & Rich and Brooks & Dunn, to name just a few.

     Today, the Bellamys’ healthy domestic and international fan base continues to allow the legendary brothers to tour around the globe at their leisure, having performed for fans and military personnel in just about every country imaginable.  It’s a routine that has yet to get old for the pair.

     “Touring has always been the lifeblood of our career,” says David.  “We’re very fortunate in that a lot of our songs were hits around the world, and we’ve played shows in roughly 60 different countries.  Or, as Howard likes to say, ‘From Texas to Tanganyika.’  We’ve always enjoyed the instant, honest feedback of the audiences’ response to our songs, so touring for us continues to be the most basic, grassroots connection with the people who like our music.”
 
     The Bellamy Brothers’ success and longevity in the Country and Pop genres is a feat that few acts have duplicated, though one many have envied.  What began as an unlikely duo from Darby, Florida has emerged 35 years later as one of the most successful and respected groups in Country music history.  And they’re still going strong…

     The Bellamy Brothers – november 2009

Names:  Howard Bellamy (b. 2/2/46) and David Bellamy (b. 9/16/50)
Born:  Darby, Florida (near Tampa)
Currently Reside:  Darby, Florida
 
o     Celebrating 35th anniversary in 2010
O    Received International Artist Achievement Award at French Highway Awards in november 2009. These music awards are produced by HighwayFM.com.   
o     The Anthology, Vol. 1 2009 release date - Aug. 1 (digital), Sept. 30 (physical)
o     New single and video, “Guilty of the Crime” with the Bacon Brothers (2009)
o     Received BMI’s Five Million Performance Award in 2009 for “Let Your Love Flow,”
o     ‘’Let Your Love Flow’’ named No. 68 on BMI’s ‘’Top 100 Songs of the Century’’
o     “Let Your Love Flow” goes No. 1 in the UK in 2009 after being used in Barclay ad and featured on compilation album, 101 Housework Songs
o     “Let Your Love Flow” featured in AMC’s critically-acclaimed drama series, Breaking Bad
o     ‘’Let Your Love Flow’’ featured in Toyoto Prius National Television Ad. 2009
o     Currently play 180+ shows per year,  have Toured  65 different countries during career
o     Bellamy Brothers career retrospective book to be released in 2010
o     Total albums released to date: 52
o     Signed to Curb Records in 1975, first single “Let Your Love Flow” went to No. 1 in 1976 in U.S. and Europe (# 1 in 15 Countries World Wide)
o     Fourteen No. 1 singles between Country and Pop Charts, including: “If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me),” “Sugar Daddy,” “Dancin’ Cowboys,” “For All the Wrong Reasons,” “Old Hippie,” “Kids of the Baby Boom,” Etc.
o     Started own record label in 1992, Bellamy Brothers Records.  Released six independent albums and several exclusive European releases.
o     Nominated for record number of Duo nominations at the Academy of Country Awards (ACMs) and Country Music Association Awards (CMAs)
o     Named Top Country Duo by Billboard
o     Grammy nomination for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group
o     Own a working cattle ranch in Darby, Fla. – Bellamy Brothers Ranch

Contacts:
Website:  www.BellamyBrothers.com <http://www.BellamyBrothers.com>
Myspace: www.myspace.com/BellamyBrothers <http://www.myspace.com/BellamyBrothers>
 
Publicity:  AristoMedia – Christy Watkins – christy@aristomedia.com 615.269.7071
Domestic Booking:  APA Agency – Rob Battle – rbattle@apanashville.com 615.297.0100
International Booking:  JSI, Inc. – Judy Seale – jsrefugee@aol.com 615.872.2122
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HighwayFM.com
French Highway Awards 2009
Jean Agostini
CMA Sterling member
<http://www.highwayfm.com>
<jagostini@highwayfm.com>
33-14565 16 53
33-95450 51 81