Honoring Nashville’s Jeff Walker

Forty-five members of Australia’s country music fraternity, visiting Nashville for the Americana Festival, gathered to honor Jeff Walker, president and owner of publicity and promotions company Aristomedia.

Bob Saporiti of the American Music Project, CMAA President Dobe Newton, Jeff Walker, John Lomax (Sister Cities Nashville) and Mark Moffatt (Americana Music Association president).

The Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA) presented him with its first lifetime achievement award and honorary life membership.

The award was presented by CMAA president Dobe Newton and Americana Music Association president Mark Moffatt for Walker’s longtime support for Australian music.

Australian country music broadcaster Nick Erby, who initiated the honor, pointed out, “Over the last 30-plus years there’s hardly an Australian performer, writer or music business person who hasn’t had the benefit of Jeff’s advice, industry contacts and professional generosity.”

Walker was instrumental in formalizing a Sister City agreement between Nashville and Australia’s country music capital, Tamworth. In 2009, when the Government-run Sounds Australia – which promotes Australian music abroad – struck a formal deal with the Americana Music Association, “Jeff was the obvious choice to help promote Australian involvement in the rapidly growing Americana fest each September,” CMAA’s Newton said.

The award ceremony was part of the final event in Sounds Australia’s program at the Americana festival – “The Sister City Jam,” presented by the Tamworth Regional Council and Sister Cities of Nashville. Attending the event were Sister Cities of Nashville executive director Heather Cochran Cunningham, and Garry Jackson and John Lomax of the Sister Cities Tamworth committee.