Russell Leonce’s Album Culture of Love was one of the winners in the 9th Independent Music Awards announced on January 26. The Album won in the Gospel Category. The winners of the Awards were determined by a panel of 80 artists and industry pros which included Tom Waits, The Black Keys, Ricky Skaggs, Pete Wentz, Mark Hoppus, Aimee Mann, The Apples in Stereo, David Garrett, Suzanne Vega, Bettye LaVette, Judy Collins, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward .

The Independent Music Awards is the influential awards programme for independent bands and fans. According to Martin Folkman, the Executive Director of the Awards, the Awards “celebrate artists who follow their own muse and the true music fans who support them.” He adds that “the artists who’ve been honored by the IMAs create some of the best music you may never have heard” . As part of this Award, the music is featured on the Independent Music Awards page at the iTunes Store and on the iTunes Indie Spotlight page. In addition, year long marketing and sales support plus performance opportunities are available to the winners.

Russell released his debut album Culture of Love in March 2009, and continues to enjoy considerable support locally and internationally. In December 2009, he was one of the featured artistes in the Trinidad and Tobago Showcase at the Miami Music Festival.

Russell had this to say on the Award, “I was surprised. It is a good addition to all the accolades for the Album and it is a reminder that this is just the start, as we still have so much more to accomplish. I give thanks to God for the opportunities being created for this Album and for music from Trinidad, for my manager, Erica Ashton, the production team of Cleon Richardson and Keith Kirk and for the creativity and inspiration of Christophe Pierre”.

For additional information on Russell, check out his website at www.russellleonce.com , contact Erica M. B. Ashton at 1 868 468 0063 or email ash4464@gmail.com.