ELEVENTH
ANNUAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Jan
Michael Looking Wolf for Artist of the Year, Joanne Shenandoah &
Michael Bucher's Bitter Tears Sacred Ground for Best Compilation,
Jana's rendition of A Change Is Gonna Come for Song/Single of the
Year, Kevin Locke's Earth Gift for Record of the Year, and American
Idol Semi-finalist Charly Lowry for Best Video Among Those Honored
Niagara
Falls, NY On Saturday October 3, 2009 the Eleventh Annual
Native American Music Awards (N.A.M.A.) was held at the Seneca Niagara
Hotel & Casino in Niagara Falls infront of a packed house that
featured consistently outstanding live music performances along
with an emotionally charged Hall of Fame induction in honor of the
late Ritchie Valenz.
Taking
this year's top honors are; Joanne Shenandoah & Michael Bucher's
Bitter Tears Sacred Ground for Best Compilation, Jana Mashonee's
rendition of Sam Cooke's, A Change Is Gonna Come with Derek Miller
for Song/Single of the Year, Jan Michael Looking Wolf for Artist
of the Year, Skylar Wolf for Debut Artist of the Year, Will and
Lil Jess for Debut Duo/Group of the Year, Kevin Locke's Earth Gift
for Record of the Year, and American Idol Semi-finalist Charly Lowry
for Best Video for her long form video featuring her song, Movin
On.
Hosted
with grace, class, style, humor and even professional music talent
by actor Gil Birmingham, others on hand at the Awards ceremeony
included: Shane Yellowbird who won for Best Country Recording, Atsiaktonkie
who won for Best Folk Recording, Flutist of the Year JJ Kent, Wind
Spirit Drum whose recording Amazing Grace took Best Gospel Inspirational
Recording, Thunder Hawk Singers for Best Historical Recording, Gabriel
Ayala for Best Instrumental Recording, Bryan Akipa For Best Male
Artist, Eagle & Hawk for Best Rock Recording, Rezhogs for Best
Rap Hip Hop Recording, Oshkii Giizhik Singers for Best Traditional
Recording, Michael Searching Bear for Best World Music Recording,
and Michael Brant DeMaria for the Native Heart Award.
Other
nominees in attendance included; Benjamin Grimes, Kelly Montijo
Fink, Jackie Tice, Mike Serna, Pappy Johns Band, Jimmy Shendo, Augusta
Cecconi Bates, Douglas Blue Feather, Yvonne St Germaine and Donna
Kay who all participated in the program.
Capping
the evenings ceremonies were consistently transcendant and
flawless performances beginning with drum group Young Gunz, Dallas
Washkahat and Fawn Wood, classical guitarist Gabriel Ayala, Eagle
& Hawk, soprano opera singer Jennifer M Stevens accompanied
by composer Augusta Cecconi-Bates, Joanne Shenandoah and Michael
Bucher who performed material from their award-winning recording,
Lifetime Achievement Recipient Stevie Salas pumped it up with original
Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzesse and bass player TM Stevens of
Shocka Zooloo and the late James Brown, and a spectacular rendition
of Stevie Ray Vaughn's Pride & Joy by the show's host Gil Birmingham
and nominee Jimmy Wolf. Darryl Tonemah gave a rising performance
in his trademarked barefeet, Jana's riveting vocals were unmatched,
Shane Yellowbird showcased material for his upcoming Grand Ole Opry
appearance, and new artist Jace Martin captured the audience with
his Ritchie Valens tribute song, We Belong Together.
Tommy
Allsup, original guitarist of the Buddy Holly band who flipped a
coin with Ritchie Valens for the last seat on their ill-fated plane,
bought the audience to tears as Allsup, who became emotional and
choked up as he recapped and retold the story of his tour mate Ritchie
Valens and his tragic end.
Following
the Hall of Fame induction and Ritchie's sister, Irma's acceptance
speech, Tommy Allsup, who is an enrolled member of the Cherokee
Nation, joined Ritchie's little brother, Mario, and his group, The
Backyard Blues Band, who rocked the house and performed a special
extended rendition of La Bamba.
N.A.M.A.
and its Advisory Board contingency would like to congratulate all
the winners and nominees and proudly honors these legendary performers
and songwriters who have been leading forces in the Native American
music community.
The
Native American Music Awards & Association, founded in 1998,
is the worlds leading membership-based association consisting
of music industry professionals directly involved in the recording
and distribution of traditional and contemporary Native American
Music initiatives. The growing success of the Awards show now features
over one hundred and fifty nominees annually, with at least one
third of those nominees being new artists. For the past eleven years
the Awards has set industry standards for professional Native American
musicians who are gaining greater acceptance and exposure from both
national and international audiences.
ELEVENTH
ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS
ARTIST
OF THE YEAR
Jan Michael Looking Wolf
The Looking Wolf Project
|
BEST
FEMALE ARTIST
Joy Harjo
Winding Through The Milky Way
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BEST
MALE ARTIST
Bryan Akipa
Songs From The Black Hills
|
|
|
|
GROUP
OF THE YEAR
Brule
Lakota Piano II
|
DEBUT
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Skylar Wolf
Devils Son
|
DEBUT
DUO / GROUP OF THE YEAR
Will & Lil Jess
Reservation Nights
|
|
|
|
BEST
PRODUCER
Kelly Parker
Out Of The Blue
|
RECORD
OF THE YEAR
Earth Gift
Kevin Locke
|
SONGWRITER
OF THE YEAR
Samantha Crain
The Confiscation: A Musical Novella
|
|
|
|
LIVING
LEGEND
Tommy Allsup
|
SONG/SINGLE
OF THE YEAR
A Change Is Gonna Come
Jana Mashonee
|
FLUTIST
OF THE YEAR
JJ Kent
Ta Te Topa Win
|
|
|
|
|
HALL
OF FAME
Ritchie Valens
|
|
|
|
|
BEST
COUNTRY RECORDING
Life Is Calling My Name
Shane Yellowbird
|
BEST
GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL RECORDING
Amazing Grace
Lenape Spirits
Wind Spirit Drum
|
BEST
HISTORICAL RECORDING
Native Pride
Thunder Hawk Singers
|
|
|
|
BEST
INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING
Tango!
Gabriel Ayala
|
BEST
COMPILATION RECORDING
Bitter Tears Sacred Ground
Joanne Shenandoah & Michael Bucher
|
BEST
NATIVE AMERICAN CHURCH RECORDING
Peyote Ways
Primeaux & Mike
|
|
|
|
BEST
NEW AGE RECORDING
Deep Within
Tony Redhouse
|
BEST
POP RECORDING
Na Unu Nahai (Shape Shifter)
Apryl Allen
|
BEST
POW WOW RECORDING
Band of Brothers
Midnite Express
|
|
|
|
BEST
BLUES RECORDING
Dancing In The Rain
Graywolf Blues Band
|
BEST
RAP / HIP HOP RECORDING
All Day All Night
Rezhogs
|
BEST
FOLK RECORDING
Four Wolves Prophecy
Atsiaktonkie
|
|
|
|
BEST
ROCK RECORDING
Sirensong
Eagle & Hawk
|
BEST
SPOKEN WORD RECORDING
The Great Story From The Sacred Book
Rain Song/Terry & Darlene Wildman
|
BEST
WORLD MUSIC RECORDING
Ceremony
Michael Searching Bear
|
|
|
|
NATIVE
HEART
Michael Brant DeMaria
Siyotanka
|
BEST
TRADITIONAL RECORDING
It Is A New Day
Oshkii Giizhik Singers
|
BEST
VIDEO
Movin On
Charly Lowry & Aaron Locklear
|
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