Song of Toledo: Buck69 wins People’s Choice Award

Written by Julie Ryan | | news@toledofreepress.com

FOX Toledo profile of Purpose here.

FOX Toledo profile of Kyle White here.

FOX Toledo profile of Empire Drift here.

FOX Toledo profile of Wanna Bees here.

With more than 305,000 votes cast in the “Song of Toledo People’s Choice Award” voting, “I Am Toledo” by Buck69 has won the People’s Choice Award. Voting ended April 30. Prizes for Buck69 will be announced May 20.

The top 10 finalists are: “A Good Place To Call Home” by Empire Drift, “Black Swamp Heartland” by Dirt Sayers, “City on the Miami” by Candice Coleman, “Frogtown Stomp” by Highbinder, “Glass Cities” by Kyle White, “Glass City (Kiss It)” by Randy Hiser, “I Am Toledo” by Buck69, “Oh, Toledo,” by Purpose, “Time Has Come” by THC & Quarter, and “You’re In Toledo Baby!” by Wanna Bees

The top five choices were revealed on the FOX Toledo “Rant and Rave” segment on the 4p.m. April 9 newscast; alphabetically, they are: “A Good Place To Call Home” Empire Drift; “Frogtown Stomp” Highbinder; “Glass Cities” Kyle White; “Oh, Toledo” Purpose; and “You’re In Toledo Baby!” Wanna Bees.

Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop, one of nine judges, said he enjoyed listening to the entries.

“It was the best part of my day listening to them on Monday,” he said. “Not only was there a lot of musical talents on display, but there was a sense of pride that came through in the songs and was really inspiring to me. It showed that even though we are in tough times now, there are people that care deeply about the community.”

Tracy Montri, audio visual library manager at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, also a judge, said all the songs were great.

“It seemed like people really put a lot of effort and I think the whole contest really made people think about what the city means to them and about their family and history here,” Montri said.

“I picked my top five but I could have picked 10 or 20 that could have represented the community well,” Konop said.

The top 10 songs are posted below, in alphabetical order:

“A Good Place to Call Home” by Empire Drift