The Favorite Musician award is awarded yearly in the Singing News Fan Awards ceremony to honor the musician Singing News magazine readers select as their favorite that year.
The award was instituted in the 1971 Fan Awards and included all musicians. It was renamed Favorite SG Instrumentalist in 1989, the tenth and final year Anthony Burger won the award. In 1990, the award was renamed in Burger's honor, as the Favorite Instrumentalist / Anthony Burger Award. As part of this change, Burger handed out but was no longer eligible to win the award.
In the 1997 awards, the category was split into two. Up until 1997, a pianist had virtually always taken home the award; in 1997, the Favorite Musician award was re-structured to be handed out to any musician other than a pianist, while the pianist award became a separate category. In the 2007 awards, the categories were again combined.
1971: Howard Goodman, The Happy Goodman Family
1972: Howard Goodman, The Happy Goodman Family
1973: Martin Cook, The Inspirations
1974: Jimmy Swaggart
1975: Darrell Stewart, Florida Boys
1976: Martin Cook, The Inspirations
1977: Darrell Stewart, Florida Boys
1978: Darrell Stewart, Florida Boys
1979: Tommy Fairchild, Blackwood Brothers
1980: Anthony Burger, The Kingsmen
1981: Anthony Burger, The Kingsmen
1982: Anthony Burger, The Kingsmen
1983: Anthony Burger, The Kingsmen
1984: Anthony Burger, The Kingsmen
1985: Anthony Burger, The Kingsmen
1986: Anthony Burger, The Kingsmen
1987: Anthony Burger, The Kingsmen
1988: Anthony Burger, The Kingsmen
1989: Anthony Burger, The Kingsmen
1990: Gary Jones, Gold City
1991: Gary Jones, Gold City
1992: Jeff Stice, Perfect Heart
1993: Roger Bennett, Cathedral Quartet
1994: Roger Bennett, Cathedral Quartet
1995: Roger Bennett, Cathedral Quartet
1996: Roger Bennett, Cathedral Quartet
1997: Steve "Rabbit" Easter (steel guitarist)
1998: Steve "Rabbit" Easter (steel guitarist)
1999: Steve "Rabbit" Easter (steel guitarist)
2000: Steve "Rabbit" Easter (steel guitarist)
2001: Mike Hopper, The Hoppers (drummer)
2002: Roger Fortner, The McKameys (lead guitarist)
2003: Tim Lovelace
2004: Tim Surrett, The Kingsmen
2005: Tim Surrett, The Kingsmen
2006: John Pfeifer, Pfeifers (trumpeter)
1997: Roger Bennett, Cathedral Quartet
1998: Roger Bennett, Cathedral Quartet
1999: Roger Bennett, Cathedral Quartet
2000: Roger Bennett, Legacy Five
2001: Roger Bennett, Legacy Five
2002: Roger Bennett, Legacy Five
2003: Roger Bennett, Legacy Five
2004: Roger Bennett, Legacy Five
2005: Roger Bennett, Legacy Five
2006: Roger Bennett, Legacy Five
2007: Roger Bennett, Legacy Five
2008: Jeff Stice, Triumphant Quartet
2009: Jeff Stice, Triumphant Quartet
2010: Jeff Stice, Triumphant Quartet
2011: Jeff Stice, Triumphant Quartet
2012: Jeff Stice, Triumphant Quartet
