Nashville, Tennessee – Award-winning artist, highly regarded guitarist, and hit songwriter, Steve Wariner was honored with the 2018 CRB Artist Career Achievement Award during the Country Radio Hall of Fame awards and induction ceremony held at the Vanderbilt Marriott in Nashville, Tennessee on June 20, 2018.
CRB Executive Director Bill Mayne presented Wariner with the award, which is given to an individual artist or act that, through their creativity, vision, performance or leadership has made a significant contribution to the development and promotion of Country music and Country radio. Country superstars and friends of Wariner’s, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood made a surprise appearance to honor Wariner on his special night.
Wariner commented, saying “What an honor it was to receive the Career Achievement Award last night. I’m incredibly grateful to all of Country Radio for supporting me throughout my career, Bill Mayne, R.J. Curtis, and Kurt Johnson for thinking of me for such an honor, and to Garth and Trisha for surprising me with their attendance. Them being there was truly the cherry on top of a very special evening.”
Twenty albums into his five-decade career, Steve Wariner has become a modern-day multi-genre icon earning fourteen #1 hits, over 30 Top 10 hits, three Gold albums, four GRAMMY Awards, three CMA Awards, one ACM Award, a Christian Country Music Association Award, a TNN/Music City News Award, a CMA Triple Play award, and 15 BMI Million-Air Awards. He is a member of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, the National Thumbpickers Hall of Fame, the Music City Walk of Fame, and one of only five guitar players in the world to be given the “Certified Guitar Player” (CGP) award by Chet Atkins. The now Grand Ole Opry member was discovered by the legendary Dottie West at just 17 years old as he played a set in an Indiana club. West hired him on the spot to be her bass player. Upon accepting the offer, Wariner played bass for three years with her before his next gig playing in Grand Ole Opry member, Bob Luman’s band, where he was a featured musician on Luman’s Alive and Well record that was produced by Johnny Cash. Working with Luman’s band led to Wariner being commissioned by his idol Chet Atkins to play bass in his band. It was Atkins that eventually signed Wariner to his first recording contract at RCA in 1977 and produced Wariner’s first recording session at the historic RCA Studio B.
The honor follows Wariner’s recent appearance at the 49th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame induction and awards dinner held Thursday, June 14th at the Marriot Marquis Hotel in New York City. During the event, Wariner performed his rendition of “The Tips Of My Fingers” before Bill Anderson’s induction. The Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame induction and awards celebrates songwriters, educates the public with regard to their achievements, and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases, scholarships and more.
For more information and a list of upcoming shows, please visit www.stevewariner.com.