(12/8/2005)

Lemmon Man Wins CCMA Musician of the Year 2005 Award

Honor received in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium

BY BOB ELLIS
DAKOTA VOICE

Rory Hoffman with his Musician of the Year 2005 Award

Rory Hoffman of Lemmon, South Dakota beat out such highly acclaimed competition as Dennis Agajanian and Charlie Daniels to take the coveted Musician of the Year award at the 11th Annual Inspirational/Christian Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee on November 10.

Hoffman was an “Entertainer of the Year” and “New Artist of the Year” nominee in 2003, and has now managed to win Musician of the Year for two years running!

Contestants from across the country were up for the award this year, with Hoffman among the other finalists: Angel White, Charlie Daniels, Dennis Agajanian, and Lawrence Bishop.

“You feel proud and humbled all at the same time.” Rory said of his win. “You feel proud that people would actually vote for you in a national association like this, yet humbled that they would trust you as an ambassador of Christian country music.”

Hoffman got to wrap up the awards night by performing a hot instrumental with other award winners. This performance, along with his award acceptance, can be viewed at www.roryhoffman.com.

Hoffman has been making music since the age of four, when he created his own playing style. Since his hands were too small to fit around the neck of a guitar, he learned to play it by laying it across his lap, and he’s been doing it that way ever since.

Hoffman says this unique facet of his performance may have helped his success. “People remember me as the guy who plays the guitar laying on his lap.” He said it also helps that he works hard to keep himself in profile at events and has worked with a number of people in the industry. Rory also suspects his showcasing multiple instruments such as the sax and keyboards helped, too.

Rory grew up performing with the family’s country gospel band, Roland Hoffman and the Believers, recording six albums.
 

Rory Hoffman has since gone on to master a confirmed 14 musical instruments, but the total for his talents is rumored to be over 20! And if this accomplishment wasn’t remarkable enough in it’s own right, Rory has been blind since birth!

Hoffman attended college and then set off to follow the call of his music. He recorded his first album, “Blind Faith,” in the fall of 2000. His second album, “Fishin’,” was released in 2003 and he will soon begin work on his third.

Songs planned for the latest CD include “Fast Lane,” “The Price is Right,” and “I’m Giving Up My Day Job.” Rory says it should be a nice blend of Christian country and positive secular country music.

Some of his releases this past year include “Weight of the World,” “I Am a Soldier,” “Take my Hand,” and a song written by his sister Konnie Ellis, “My Humble Prayer.” Hoffman has a DVD featuring four of his music videos and a 25-minute concert with the country band County Line in Colorado; the DVD will soon be available for purchase on his website, www.roryhoffman.com.

In addition to making his own music, Rory is very active in the studio, helping other artists. He has done some work in the SMS Studio in Nashville, but does most of his work at the Depot Music Productions studio in Mobridge, South Dakota. He has done studio work with the Potter Sisters of Sturgis, who were in the top five nominees for “Duo of the Year,” and is currently working on projects with people from Ohio, Oklahoma, Maryland, South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska.

Hoffman says he plans to stay busy, keep the new material flowing and give his fans plenty of motivation to bring him back to the awards next year.

The awards show will be rebroadcast on December 22 (8-10 pm) ; December 22 (11pm-1am); and December 25  (4-6 pm). More information is available at www.ccma.cc TBN and PAX will also rebroadcast at some point in the future.