MY STORY
"Texas Balladeer Of The Year"
East Texas Performing Arts, Inc., organizer of the "Texas Sounds International Country Music Awards" has awarded Catalan singer and songwriter Joe Fields as Texas Balladeer of the year.
The contest took place in Marshall (Texas, USA) between October 13 and 16 2022, and it was full of emerging country music artists from around the globe. With a multicultural and diverse atmosphere, the artists performed live at the prestigious Memorial City Hall Performance Center, a historic building in the city of Marshall.
The singer/songwriter took home the "Texas Balladeer Of The Year" award, which recognizes both his own musical creation and his live performance. The show aimed to reflect both his traditional country musical influences and his own originals. He covered the classics "Home On The Range" (Gene Autry) and "The Love Bug" (George Strait / George Jones) and he also premiered original songs from his upcoming second album “Find Your Path”: "My Heart Still Beats In Houston", "Tonight I Find Myself” or “Dreamin' About Texas”.
The competition has had other prize-winning artists, such as Pamela Rooney (Quebec, Canada), Cleopatra and Temlandvo Methule (Eswatini), Payton Pierce (USA), Lyia Meta (Malaysia), Sophie Hanson (Sweden), Ingvar Olsen (Norway) or A Nyughatatlan (Hungary), among others.
“I am very grateful to the East Texas Performing Arts for the opportunity they have given me to present my songs in such an iconic place as Texas. The hospitality of the city and the people of Marshall has been extraordinary”
"Competing internationally with outstanding artists from all over the globe has represented a major challenge and a sensational learning experience. And, even more important than the award received, I’m taking home the believe that music is a universal language that allows human beings to get along. We all need more music in this world”
For me, Country Music is a feeling; a flock of emotions flying free. It's in every lyric, every melody, each and every song. It's the simplicity of those who don't need big words to express their feelings, the honesty of those who value humility over pretense. No loudness, just a few instruments. Harlan Howard got it right: three chords and the truth.
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Country songs do not last long, but they last forever. They have the power to get inside of you and never leave again. Once you make them your own, they will never leave you alone.
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If you truly love country music, it’ll always be by your side. It’ll be there in those terrible moments, the saddest, the loneliest,… but do not expect her to smooth those moments for you. She’ll be fine just crying, next to you, every tear you cry. And she will also be there in those moments of uncontrolled happiness, the craziest, the funniest… And she will fall deep in love, just as much as you will, even if it’s with the wrong person. She will live with you.
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How lucky are those who hold Country Music deep inside their hearts; they will never be alone.
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Joe Fields