DATE: Thursday, October 2, 1997             TAG: 9710010118

SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 02   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: MR. ROBERT'S NEIGHBORHOOD 

SOURCE: Frank Roberts 

                                            LENGTH:   76 lines

COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS PARTY HEADY AS `STRAWBERRY WINE'

Let's drink to ``Strawberry Wine.''

The Country Music Association voted it Song of the Year, and the Deana Carter version was voted single of the year.

When her name was announced, during the 31st annual Country Music Association Awards show, she bounced onstage, and jumped up on Ricky Skaggs, who had made the announcement. Some may feel such overboard jollity was contrived. I don't. I spent some time with her and, believe me, that's the way she is - bubbly, bouncy - a fun person.

The envelopes were opened during the annual CMA awards telecast about a week ago, three hours of entertainment and name dropping on the show that is considered the most prestigious of all country music awards presentations.

There is, unfortunately, a lot of politics involved. If you do not play the Nashville game, you can find yourself in the wilderness.

The awards show is strictly a Top 40 event. You ain't on one, you ain't on the other.

This year, Lorrie Morgan wasn't even mentioned. People like Charlie Daniels and Ricky Van Shelton are seldom mentioned - and few sing better, or perform better, than those two.

Ricky Van was supposed to have been a surprise guest at a WCMS to-do at the Chesapeake Conference Center the night of the awards, but a heart attack, suffered that day by one of his brothers, meant a last-minute change.

The station had invited him to fly up - he now has his pilot's license and his own plane to go with it - and party with sponsors representatives, some radio station contest winners, and country music media folk like me.

His lovely, 13-year-old niece, Ashley Witt, who lives in Suffolk, and her friend, Jessica, came with me and my wife for a quickie family reunion. That didn't pan out, but we had a good time, anyway.

The food was good, the entertainment was excellent, the fellowship was fun, and we had the opportunity to make cheering and/or hissing noises to indicate approval or disapproval of the winners as we watched the show on one of several TV sets scattered around the room.

Garth Brooks won Entertainer of the Year - cheer, cheer - and justifiably so. He is, without doubt, the most exciting entertainer in the biz. Add to that, he has some of the best, most interesting songs.

He didn't show up for the thanks. He was serenading in Nebraska at the time.

The no-surprise award for duo of the year went to Brooks & Dunn. Their competition was nil - folks only the die-hard country fans recognize. John and Aubrey Wiggins ? ? ? Thrasher Shiver ? ? ? If that's the competition, drop the category.

The surprise award went to Trisha Yearwood as top female vocalist. Class won out - finally.

George Strait was male vocalist of the year which made a table full of fans at the party whoop with delight. One fan had a T-shirt proclaiming him a member of the singer's fan club.

The Horizon Award went to LeAnn Rimes. The competition was stiff there, but the recognition went in the right direction.

As emcee, Vince Gill was smooth and funny. He seldom stumbles and will probably have that job for years to come.

The highlight of the three-hour show, as far as I was concerned, was a few minutes few folks wrote about - a beautiful duet with Patty Loveless and George Jones.

Well, anything with Jones is notable.

Incidentally, if you were wondering why there was not more of Tanya Tucker - she was still trying to get rid of the throat problems that plagued her while she was in Virginia Beach.

Barbara Mandrell stepped in, where Tanya stepped out.

Everyone made nice speeches, several thanked God for their talent.

Most of those at the local party stayed to the end.

The whole `CMS gang was there, dressed in tux, etc., smiling valiantly through the uncomfortable outfits.

The ever amiable, Joe Hoppel, who is sweeter than strawberry wine, emceed the affair.

Just to break the monotony of amiability, he called on me for some opinions. I rattled on for a few minutes during a commercial break.

Love my country - but on the way home we listened to some `40s pop music.

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