CHICAGO, IL. (Chicago
Music Awards Website) - On February 5th Martins-Intercultural International gave their annual
Chicago Music Awards at the Museum of Science and Industry. Since 1983 former photojournalist Ephraim
Martin has headed the ceremony to fete homegrown artists. Finding artists to nominate and win each year is not difficult in the city that has produced The Smashing Pumpkins,
Buddy Guy, Chaka Khan, Curtis Mayfield, The Staples Singers and the list gets longer. This year the nominees and winners upheld the quality of artistry people expect from Chicago. Nominees and winners included a sundry of musical categories from best polka to most talented kid. As important as winning is to any competitive artist the night's honors really took a second place to the tight survey of
Chicago talent. Mr.
Martin hosted the evening generously applauding the performances given by all the entertainers.
Best Female Vocalist winner Syleena Johnson came to the podium with modesty and gratitude. She acknowledged the uniqueness of the honor because it was her first award ever. The world knows Ms. Johnson because of her Grammy nominated song with fellow Chicago musician and producer Kanye West "All Falls Down." Hardcore R and B lovers own her Chapter 1:Love, Pain and Forgiveness. Modestly black slacks, stack heels, velvet jacket and her hair pulled back into a classy "ballet braid" she sang in a ripened voice with the quality of dark chocolate. And it is not surprising because her father Syl Johnson is a blues and soul ("Take Me To The River") veteran star that among others produced recently passed Tyrone Davis. Buddy Guy also worked with Mr. Johnson and took home the award for Best Blues Artist. Unfortunately Mr. Guy, a legend of the blues known for his mastery of the guitar could not make the ceremony. Best Rock Album winners Punsapaya enlivened the audience with their spirited performance. Kanye West won three awards for his high-profile achievements. He sent his thanks in the form of a video played early in the night.
R and B for the under 20 set was represented by young singer Lil' Man. Visually he looked like a miniature R. Kelly (past winner) and he sang with the same confidence. But the ultimate meaning of the awards revealed itself with the entrance of Linda Clifford.
Her music has always been a mainstay with soul purists and dance music fans. The first albums she recorded are classics as well as tunes such as "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Past work with the legendary Curtis Mayfield also stands out in her body of work. On this night though, it was the dancers she catered to with her performance of "Runaway Love" a select piece of jazzy funk infused disco spirited by Ms. Clifford's soulful vocals. Those who knew the song as well as those who did not know were forced out of their seats to dance during her show. And her acceptance speech and overall demeanor was down-to-earth yet dignified enough to keep her diva status in place. When the night's awards were all handed out Darius Brooks, his band and choir brought greater light to the place with gospel electricity. Chicago's talent coffers are exploding and thanks to people like Mr. Martin nights like this can expose, celebrate and nurture them. For all the winners see below:
WINNERS- 24th ANNUAL CHICAGO MUSIC AWARDS Saturday, February 5, 2005 Museum of Science and Industry, Lakeshore Drive and 57th Street, Chicago, IL
CATEGORIES & WINNERS: 01.Pop Entertainer of the Year- Kanye West 02.R&B Entertainer of the Year:- R. Kelly 03. Best New Entertainer- Sin 04. Best Female Vocalist- Syleena Johnson 05. Best Male Vocalist- R. Kelly 06. Best Opera Entertainer- Susan Graham 07. Best Classical Entertainer- Daniel Barenboim 08. Best Reggae Entertainer- D. Brown & Dub Dis 9. Most Popular Reggae Club- Wild Hare 10. Best Calypso/Soca Entertainer- Belize Vibes 11. Best Blues Entertainer- Buddy Guy 12. Best Blues Album/CD- " Tuesday Morning"-Artie "Blues Boy" White 13. Most Popular Blues Club- Kingston Mines 14. Best Rock Entertainer- Umpheys McGee 15. Best Rock Album/CD- "Prepare to Qualify"- Punsapaya 16. Most Popular Rock Club- Empty Bottle 17. Best Jazz Entertainer-Ramsey Lewis 18. Best Jazz Album/CD- "The Boss"- Michael Ross 19. Most Popular Jazz Club- Hot House 20. Best Spoken Word/Poet- Malik Yusef 21. Best African Entertainer- Zeleke 22. Comedian of the Year- Leon Rogers 23. Best Latin Entertainer- Angel Melendez & the 911 Mambo Orchestra 24. Best Gospel Entertainer- Darius Brooks 25. Best Gospel Album/CD- "D'Andre Patterson 26. Best Country/Western Entertainer- Steve Sharp 27. Most Outstanding Dance Group- Mantu Dance Company 28. Best Hip Hop/Rap Entertainer- Twista 29. Best Hip Hop/Rap Album/CD- Kanye West 30. Award of Honor for Contrib. to World Beat Music- Funkadasi 31. Best Polka Entertainer-Eddie Blazonczyk 32. Most Talented Kid(s) - Apostolic Church of God Youth Choir 33. Most Talented Teen- White Boy 34. Record Producer of the Year- Kanye West 35. Song Writer of the Year- Kanye West 36. Record Label of the Year- Icee Records 37. Most Popular Entertainment Club- The Lick 38. Best Music Video Show- Check It Out 39. Most Outstanding Band or Group- Do or Die
(1)Martin's Inter-Culture, Ltd. Special Lifetime AwardTo Linda Clifford (2) Martin's Inter-Culture, Ltd. Award of Honor to Elroy Smith (3) Martin's Inter-Culture, Ltd. Award of Honor to Regina Daniels (4) Martin's Inter-Culture, Ltd. Award of Honor to Robert Pruter (5) Martin's Inter-Culture, Ltd. Award of Honor to Harry Porterfield (6) Martin's Inter-Culture, Ltd. Award of Honor to Toni Marie-Montgomery (7) Martin's Inter-Culture, Ltd. Award of Honor to Orchestra Hall For 100 Years of Musical Excellence
