BRANT MILLER: Blog

It's Monday night, January 25, 2010, and I was just informed that I won New Music Weekly's New Music Award for "AC/Hot AC Breakthrough Artist" which means in the category of Adult Contemporary/Hot Adult Contemporary Artist. This is a great honor and very exciting! Naturally when I was nominated a couple of months ago, I was very excited and felt honored about that. And then, in addition, to win, is just wonderful and a very good feeling.

This award, however, in no way belongs to just me. It belongs to the friends who responded to the announcement that I was nominated which Nanjo and I sent out a few weeks ago as well. To those who took the time to go to the NMA website and vote for me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You share in this victory every bit as much as I do.

Years ago Nanjo and I formed a professional alliance in the Arts which took us to Arizona and New Mexico and then to Nashville - where, over the course of a decade, working with her dear friend, the great Col. Buster Doss, we recorded three distinct cds of original music. Later it took us to Hollywood, where we attended the New Music Awards (a year I did not win but was nominated). Now, with Nanjo in New Mexico and I in San Antonio, we continue to produce music and are developing original screenplays, and other creative works, as united as ever for the sake of having a positive impact in this world.

During the first few years in Nashville we received a lot of support - as we do now - from disc jockeys and station managers around the world. But there was one instance where a dj resisted my sound, feeling it didn't fit his country format. Nanjo, as always in such situations, encouraged me to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and put to work this fantastic practice that she introduced me to back in 1985, in order to make possible something that seemed impossible to the eye and ear. She told me that this gentleman's feeling about the music would change, AND IT DID! He became a great supporter of our music and gave it generous airplay.

Something else Nanjo always said was that we would eventually have a "breakthrough" and the music would crossover from Country into other genres. And now, here we are, in 2010, and I've just won a NMW Award for being a "Breakthrough Artist" in the genre of "Adult Contemporary"! So, Nanjo, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR STRONG FAITH, YOUR CONSISTENCY, TENACITY, INTEGRITY and GUIDANCE! I have learned SO MUCH from you and I have MUCH MORE TO LEARN! I have the deepest appreciation for Nancy Jo Glasgow! This AWARD is YOURS as much as anybody's, and that's a FACT!

I also want to thank all the DJs, station managers, and fans and friends who have made calls to request the playing of my music through the years as well as recently. There are so many of you! We will continue to challenge ourselves to bring music to you that gives something of value to your heart, soul, and mind as well as something you feel really good moving your body to.

I Send My Love and Appreciation to you all!

-Branto

I would love to hear from you if you feel like saying hello - please sign the guest book if you have a moment so I know you've been here.

You can see the entire list of NMW's 2009 Winners and read more about the New Music Awards at

http://www.newmusicweekly.com/news2.php?a=3571