A SINGER from Ludgershall has received international acclaim for his recent album, And on with the Show.

Songwriter Alan Garmonsway was honoured at the International Singer Songwriters Association (ISSA) awards ceremony in Atlanta, USA after he received the Gold Award.

Alan previously received a Silver Award by the ISSA for his previous album Stories in Time.

“To have my new album this year recognised as top of an impressive list of indie artists from around the world is absolutely amazing, he said.

“Especially so as I played all the instruments, did vocals, mixed and produced it all myself, with the help of some additional vocals from my wife, Sue.”

Alan said this wasn’t the original plan however, as he had to step in to make the project a reality following the death of his band mate Drew Thomas.

“The songs were written a while back with my good friend and bandmate Drew Thomas writing the lyrics and myself the music, melodies and arrangements,” Alan said.

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“Drew sadly passed away before we could get down to recording the album in earnest, so I decided to take on the whole project myself. Singing his parts was a challenging and sometimes emotional experience, but it all came together in the end.”

The ISSA said: “These outstanding artists and members have not only met all the required criteria for the rigorous nomination process, but have also received enough fan support to reach the prestigious finalist level—an impressive feat with over fifty thousand votes cast.

“Following fan voting, the albums and songs were then assessed by teams of music professionals and previous gold winners.

“The Sandy Springs Performing Arts Centre [in Atlanta, US], home to the BMI Awards, was alive with music, laughter, and an incredible gathering of talent from across the globe.”

The Gold Award offers Alan the opportunity to now become a judge for next year’s competition.

The ISSA has just received official recognition as a registered media company with the Recording Academy, which allows them to submit entries on behalf of Gold Award winners directly to the highly prestigious GRAMMYs.

Alan has also achieved fifteen top ten listings over the past three years with another prestigious organisation, World Songwriting Awards. His songs have also featured on many radio stations including BBC Introducing.

The songs on the album all have strong storylines, partly because Drew was also a talented actor and theatre producer, hence the album title.

And on with the Show can be found on major streaming and download sites like Spotify, Amazon Music, Bandcamp, along with Alan’s other songs and albums.