Keith Urban and Beccy Cole are the big winners at country music's night of nights, each taking home two Golden Guitars at the 40th Country Music Awards of Australia.
Country superstar Urban won Male Artist of the Year and Sanity Top Selling Album of the Year for his album Get Closer. Local songstress Cole took out took out Female Artist of the Year for her album Waitress, as well as Vocal Collaboration of the Year with Kasey Chambers for their duet Millionaires. Speaking via video link from the US, Urban thanked Aussie fans for making his album the highest selling in the country.
"Thank you so much," Urban told a capacity crowd at Tamworth's Regional Entertainment Centre.
"The biggest thank you to all you guys out there who bought this record I appreciate that so much. "Have a blast in Tamworth."
For international chart-topper Urban, whose hits include You Look Good in My Shirt, Making Memories of Us and Somebody Like You, the wins take his Golden Guitar tally to 11. Cole, meanwhile, has now bagged nine of the coveted country gongs.
"I can hardly speak I'm just blow away," said the country chanteuse backstage. "It's a thrill for me, it's great. It feels fantastic.
"To receive an award for a project that you've put your heart and soul into it is such a reward, it really is."
Country star Adam Harvey was up for eight awards on the night and snared the prestigious Album of the Year for Falling Into Place.
Other winners included Melbourne foursome Jetty Road who took out Group or Duo of the Year, while husband and wife act Mark and Jay O'Shea claimed the Telstra New Talent of the Year award.
Shane Nicholson won APRA Song of the Year for Bad Machines, with Catherine Britt picking up Single of the Year for her song Sweet Emmylou.
Britt said the win was a surprise given the strong field which included Urban and country music legend Lee Kernaghan.
"I thought I was no chance, I was sitting there going it's Keith Urban, it's Lee Kernaghan," she told AAP.
"I did sit there in shock for a moment after I won it, but I'm completely over the moon."
The gala awards ceremony, which showcased performances by Harvey, Troy Cassar-Daley and Cole marks the culmination of the 2012 Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Around 50,000 music fans have visited the regional NSW centre over the course of the 10-day event, which is expected to net the town around $40 million.
The awards were first held in 1973 in Tamworth, with more than 500 Golden Guitars being handed out since.
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