Washington, DC. (Top40 Charts/ Alliance For Community Media) - The Alliance for Community Media presented their Hometown Video Awards (the Emmy of public access channels) for 2008 July 9th in Washington, DC at the ACM annual conference. Advocates for grassroots media for over thirty years, the ACM promotes excellence in local broadcasting and maximum public access to the airwaves.
Winning an award in the music video category was the 30-minute The Black Man Clay Show, produced in Tucson, Arizona by Eric Heithaus
Together for five years, "The Black Man Clay Show" band is an unusual collection of musicians, remarkable for their talent and diversity.
Lead vocalist, flutist and co-composer Black Man Clay (born Clarence Adams), is a 73-year-old Vietnam veteran who has been playing music since he was four years old.
Guitarist, co-composer and producer Eric Heithaus first met Black Man Clay at the age of 13 when Clay took him under his musical wing for a time. "He was a wonderful mentor," says Heithaus, "but we lost touch."
Almost twenty years later, Eric ran into Clay at a Halloween party and by that time the young man had his own recording studio. And it was there after that fateful reintroduction, where the duo soon began producing Black Man Clay's debut CD "Trippin' Through the Universe."
Creating music together was such an agreeable experience they added Dante Perna (drums), Zona Del Castillo (keyboards), Memphis Max (bass), Bubba Fass (congas), and Laura Ward (vocals), to the mix and began to perform all over southern Arizona. The group has recently added more members, Ada "Bootsie" Austin (vocals), Angel Diamond (vocals) Shawn Fratis (lead guitar) and Anthony "All-Star" Adams (Black Man Clay's son).
Videotaping every show, Eric had a trove of material which became the basis for the award-winning video created during the last two years with the help of videographer Mark Jordan, photographer Kathleen Dreier, lighting director Emily Belleranti and the excellent training and technical advice from the staff at Access Tuscon. "We just couldn't have done it without them," enthuses Eric.
As "The Black Man Clay Show" is broadcast in the Metropolitan New York and other areas around the country, the website www.blackmanclay.com attracts more and more fans. They eagerly await Black Man Clay's second CD "The Origin of Black Man Clay" to be released soon.
A concept album, it tells the story of Clarence Adams' transformation into Black Man Clay, as well as the beliefs and principles which guide his peaceful, joyful life and music for all ages.
