More woes for the CMAA as three board members quit

The Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA) board has been hit with three resignations. Chairman Jeff Chandler and Director Graham Thompson have bowed out, effective immediately.

Treasurer Marius Els also tendered his resignation but will remain until a replacement is found. President Dobe Newton will take over Chandler’s role for the time being, and says that the association is currently in negotiations with various bodies to revitalise it.

It hasn’t been the smoothest few months for the CMAA. In December, former CMAA President John Williamson quit, citing his dissatisfaction with the “Americanisation” of the Golden Guitars. He singled out Troy Cassar-Daley and Adam Harvey’s The Great Country Songbook – a collection of American covers – while questioning why Keith Urban wasn’t nominated for Best Male.

Cassar-Daley and Harvey pulled their album out of the nominations, stating, “the conversations and debates about the album over the past few days have fragmented an already fragile music community. We are very proud of the achievements of the project, however we wish to not have the album as part of the awards.”

Former Tamworth Mayor James Treloar also expressed “serious concern” about the integrity of the awards in Tamworth’s Northern Daily Leader, urging the council to take over its running, stating “It’s got to that stage that we’re no longer capable of running the awards the way it should be run.”