Avion Blackman Creates Upset with Album of the Year Win

Several Bahamian artists were also first time winners including singer/songwriter Mizpah Bethel who won the Contemporary Recording of the Year award for her heart touching single “Down to the River”. Seventh Day Adventist vocal ensemble Harmonious Praise took home their first Marlin Award for Contemporary Vocal Performance of the Year Duo/Group and local choir Adrian Edgecombe and the Bahamas Harvest Praise Team won the Praise and Worship Recording of the Year award for their original single “We Lift Our Hands”.

Bahamian Reggae/Soca duo Christian Massive won their second Marlin Award, this time for Rake & Scrape Recording of the Year for their runaway smash “I Come Here to Worship”. The group won their first award ten years ago for Reggae Recording of the Year. Rounding out the list of first time winners is Talbert Williams, a fifteen year old high school student who won the 2004 Marlin Talent Search Competition. Talbert won the Marlin Award this year for Inspirational Recording of the Year for his single “Living the Dream” which was written and produced by past Marlin winner Terneille “Ta Da” Burrows.

There were over one (100) hundred artists representing eighteen countries involved in this year’s Marlin Awards. The Marlin Awards was broadcast live on radio stations in over ten (10) countries in the Caribbean including St.Vincent (Cross Country Radio), St.Lucia (Praise FM), Jamaica (Love FM), St.Kitts (Goodwill Radio), Dominica (KAIRI FM), Belize (My Refuge), Cayman Islands (Heaven 97.97 and Gospel 98 ), Trinidad (I 95FM) and several others. This marked an historic moment for the awards and was coordinated by Arnold Kelly, top announcer at Love FM (Jamaica) and producer of the Caribbean Hour syndicated radio show.

Stitchie Performs

No Marlin Awards is complete without show stopping performances and this year did not disappoint. Performers included Stitchie (Jamaica) / Mr.Lynx (Bahamas) / Avion Blackman (Trinidad) / Mizpah Bethel featuring Sharmond Smith & Vision (Bahamas) / Judah Praise (Virgin Islands) / Manifest (Bahamas) DJ Nicholas & Kerron Ennis (Jamaica) / Landlord feat Solo (Bahamas) / Paul Flemming (St.Maarten) / Tabernacle Concert Choir (Bahamas)/ Cora Williamson (Guyana) / Shaback feat Vanessa Rolle and Talbert Williams (Bahamas) / Jah Pickney (Canada) and Adrian Edgecombe & The Bahamas Harvest Church Choir (Bahamas).