Local Rock Band Trucker Is Top 50 Qualifier For The Third Annual American Music Awards® Presents The Coca-Cola New Music Award

Winner of National Contest Performs Live on the 31st Annual American Music Awards® on ABC TV

(PRWEB) August 15, 2003 -- The Coca-Cola Company, The American Music Awards (AMAs), dick clark communications (DCC) and The CMJ Network (CMJ) today announced on www.newmusicaward.com the names of the 50 qualifying bands and artists for the third annual American Music Awards® Presents The Coca-Cola New Music Award" Competition.

Trucker, the Lawrence, Kansas-based rock sensation, has been selected by a panel of CMJ writers and editors from thousands of entries of unsigned acts from across the nation. Trucker is the only band from Kansas to ever qualify for the competition and has now made it to the top 50 two years running.

Dick Clark and CMJ founder and CEO Robert Haber will next choose 10 semi-finalists to perform live at a playoff event on September 12, 2003, at the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles. Three finalists will be chosen that evening to compete in the final playoff event during the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City on October 23, 2003.

The winner of the finalist event will go on to perform live on the 31st Annual American Music Awards telecast on ABC-TV, November 16, 2003.

One of the new features of this years Competition is the opportunity for the public to help pick the 2003 winner. Once the field has been narrowed to three finalists, www.newmusicaward.com will allow music fans to listen to the finalists music and choose their favorites. The final online votes will be tallied along with those of the judges at the finalist showdown to decide the winner.

For additional information on Trucker and to hear more of their music, visit truckerrocks.com, towerrecords.com, cdbaby.com, cdstreet.com and mp3.com/trucker. To find out more about the 50 qualifiers and to hear their music, visit www.newmusicaward.com.

About Trucker:
Trucker, formed in 1995, is a three piece rock band based in Lawrence, Kansas. Their style and approach to music follows the dying breed of modern rock pioneers of the late 80s and early 90s that isnt trying to sell soda and sneakers with every song. Trucker wants to break through the manufactured sugar pop and rap rock to revive this rock genre.

They recently released their first full-length LP entitled "Nothing To See Here." It was mastered by Brad Blackwood of Ardent Studios whose accolades include 3 Doors Down and ZZ Top. Each track has a unique feel allowing the album to strike individual listeners in different ways.

Trucker has garnered national attention and airplay including:
- National television appearance on USA Networks Farmclub, hosted by former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield
- Awarded B.E.A.M. Grant from Jim Beam as an up and coming Midwest artist to watch, interviewed by Pat Dinizio of the Smithereens
- Named one of the Top 50 unsigned bands in America by the College Media Journal (CMJ) and the American Music Awards (AMA) 2002 and 2003
- Trucker frontman, Todd Johnson, was selected by Rolling Stone Magazine to attend the David Fishof Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp

About The American Music Awards:
The American Music Awards® is a landmark television special celebrating its 31st year on ABC-TV. There are 20 award winners, spanning eight musical categories, who are selected by the American record-buying public. The show is one of the highest-rated awards specials on television each year.

About The CMJ Network:
The CMJ Network connects music fans and music industry professionals with the best in new music through print, interactive media and live events. CMJ New Music Monthly, launched in 1993, was the first consumer magazine to include a bound-in CD sampler. CMJ New Music Report, a weekly trade magazine launched in 1978, is the source for proprietary charts of non-commercial and college radio airplay and independent retail sales. CMJ.com harnesses the interactive and multimedia capabilities of the Internet to offer a rich music-discovery service, information resources, and community to new music fans, professionals, and artists. CMJ Events produces live music events and conferences, including CMJ Music Marathon, the largest music industry event of its kind, which celebrates its 23rd anniversary in New York on October 22, 2003.