Meet The Team
The BCMA is run by a group of music professionals and artists, hoping to support and nurture the very best of UK talent
B J Thomas – CEO
B J Thomas started his professional career at 16 as a guitar player in a Country Rock band and went on to tour extensively in the U.K. and continental Europe. B J went on to produce and promote the UKs most successful Country theatre shows which toured for over 15 years.
Having joined the board of the BCMA 18 years ago B J took over the helm as CEO in 2013 and is currently the longest serving director having been in the music business for over 50 years
Jeanne Jordan – BCMA Secretary
Jeanne got her first big break as a performer when she was spotted by Barbara Gibb at a show in Manchester UK and 2 weeks later she found herself recording with the Bee Gees in London and was soon touring extensively in UK theatres also performing tours of South Africa, Europe the USA and beyond. She’s performed in over 25 countries
Jeanne’s credits also include Artist Management, Vocal Coach and Concert Promoter. Jeanne is one of the longest serving members of the BCMA board notching up 7 years as a director after spending 55 years as a music industry professional
Wayne Hadlow – President
Wayne has worked in UK Country Music for 30 years after his father Tony Hadlow built Fort San Antone, which became the largest Honky Tonk venue in the world outside of the US. Having promoted artists such as Dr Hook, Bellamy Brothers, Ward Thomas and many more, once Fort San Antone closed in 2014, Wayne launched FSA Presents, a concert promotion company who promote and manage all aspects of national tours and standalone shows across the UK within the Country music genre. Wayne is also the founder of FSA Fest (now BCMA FanFest), a festival of UK country music which takes place each July at Newark Showground in Nottinghamshire.
Lee Williams – Director
Lee Williams is the founder and sole owner of ‘Europe’s #1 Country Music Radio Station CMR Nashville which is now in its 25th year of broadcasting with a monthly reach of around 500,000 around the world, based outside of London, England. Lee also owns Django Promotions an Artist Development/PR/Promotion company.
CMR Nashville now available on all PCs, Macs, Smart Phones, Internet Radios, PSPs, Smart TV, and available in cars via your smart phone. Now with Amazon Alexa speakers and other brands you can ask your smart speaker to Play CMR Nashville from Tunein. CMR Nashville was recently nominated as the Best Internet Station in the world by the USA based ICMA Awards. Lee Williams was honoured with the CMA International Broadcaster of the year 2013 at a ceremony at Disneyland Paris. Since then Lee, CMR Nashville and Django Promotions have won over 15 awards.
Ethan Allen – Director
Ethan Allen is the Liverpool Country Music Festival Director .He is also on the board of Directors at the British Country Music Association. He has spent the last 30 years in the music industry, from recording artist to show management, promoting hundreds of successful live concerts.
As an artist, Ethan achieved three number 1 videos on CMT and won CMT’s International Video Artist Of The Year Award twice. He also won BCMA Rising Star and Best Band. He has appeared on VH-1, CMT, MTV, TNN and performed live on The Jonathan Ross show.
Ethan has been at the front of the live music scene in Liverpool running venues and bands on the world famous Mathew Street for over a decade. He now hosts a hugely successful Country Music show on Liverpool’s newest commercial radio station LIVERPOOL LIVE and hosts a monthly Country night at the world famous Cavern Club.
Beau Fuller – Sponsorship Coordinator and Artist Development
Beau Fuller is a professional songwriter and producer based in Nashville Tennessee. He currently owns Next Big Thing Entertainment Nashville and has produced and written for artists from American Idol, The Voice as well as helping up and coming artists find their way in the music industry including some of the top British artists. Beau has over 2 decades of experience musically and professionally in Nashville and hopes to use his experience to help UK artists and songwriters be the best they can be and continue to help grow the BCMA events.
“I am honored to be a part of such an amazing music community and arguably some of the best talent on the planet. I look forward to creating unique musical opportunities for UK artists, raise awareness of the British country music scene and help obtain important funding to allow artists to be heard and follow their dreams and musical passions”.
Paul Taylor – Interviewer and Media Team
Paul has been involved with country music for over 25 yrs performing throughout the UK and Ireland. His wide range of knowledge on the Country music scene allowed him to develop a career in radio. With strong links with Nashville and Canada he has built strong connections with major PR companies that has lead to interviews with some of country musics biggest stars.
In 2021 Paul joined The BCMA as the official interviewer. Chatting to so many talented artists, seeing their careers develop year on year, the quality of the music produced and the amazing performances gives him immense pride in UK Country Music scene.