ANNE HILLS WINS BEST OF BOUND FOR GLORY AWARD

Between sets of the October 18th live broadcast of WVBR’s  Bound For Glory, host and founder Phil Shapiro announced that the excellent Pennsylvania based singer, songwriter, and song sharer ANNE HILLS has won the Eleventh Annual Best of Bound for Glory Award.  The award recognizes fans’ favorite from the recently concluded 42nd season of this Sunday night Ithaca, NY staple.  Bound for Glory is North America’s longest running live folk concert broadcast.  It is broadcast live on WVBR-FM 93.5 and 105.5, on line at http://wvbr.com

The members of the Friends of Bound for Glory have honored a well beloved veteran of the North American folk scene this year.  Anne Hills’ career started in Chicago in 1976, and she never looked back.  Anne Hills couples a crystal clear voice with an ear for a great song.  She’s a fine writer as well, and a wonderful performer, with a great sparkle and smile.

Host Phil Shapiro says “Anne Hills has a subtle magic.  She grabs your attention completely, and a while later you’re amazed to find that a whole set has gone by.” She is widely recognized as a solo performer, and also as one third of the well known, occasional folk trio of Herdman, Hills, and Mangsen, three women of great skill and amazing harmonies. “Anne Hills has been on Bound for Glory several times over the decades, though it’s been a while”, Shapiro said.  “This past June 21st, I realized that Anne would be nearby, so I jumped at the opportunity to offer her a show, and was so please when she agreed to come back.”
Shapiro caught Hills on the road in Indiana.  She pulled over and talked to him by cell phone.  When told that she had won the Best of Bound for Glory award, she said “Oh that is so thrilling.  Thank you so muchŠ When you get weary on the road, knowing that people really appreciate what you do makes ALL the difference.  That’s why we do this music.”

Shapiro added that “we do 33 live folk concert broadcasts every year.  This year, 31 of the 33 shows got votes for the Best of Bound for Glory award.  I think that means that we’re doing something right.  The members of the Friends of Bound for Glory have excellent taste.  Every one of the 11 award winners is just remarkable.”

Phil Shapiro brought the concept of a live folk concert broadcast with him when he moved to Ithaca in 1967, putting folk and acoustic musicians on the air almost immediately.  The format, a folk concert in three sets with a live audience held on 33 Sundays every year, has been creating magic well into it’s 43rd year.  These concerts have featured some of the most renowned voices in American, Canadian, and European folk music.  This year’s Best of Bound for Glory winner joins the illustrious ranks of Jack Williams, Bill Staines, Garnet Rogers, Le Vent du Nord, Chris Smither, Y*ALL, Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, Tanglefoot, Mustard’s Retreat, and Small Potatoes.  Taken together the winners highlight the quality and diversity of top notch performers on the folk music scene.

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