LINDEN, TX (Texas
Music Awards) - The 4th Annual
Texas Music Awards, presented by MyTexasMusic.com and hosted by singing legend Michael
Martin Murphey, were held at the historic
Music City
Texas Theater in Linden,
Texas this past weekend to a sold-out crowd.
USA Network's Nashville Star finalist John Arthur Martinez of Marble Falls, Texas, was named 2006 Entertainer of the Year, and was also on hand to present the Record of the Year award for which he was honored in 2005, to Mike Siler for his song "It's About To Get Western."
Coincidentally, Marble Falls is also home to the Dust Devils, a Roots Rock/Americana combo formed around the husband-and-wife team of Kevin Higgins and Barbara Malteze. The Dust Devils walked away with four out of the five award categories they were nominated in, including Female Vocalist of the Year (Malteze), Song of the Year ("Walk On" written by Higgins), Vocal Duo or Group of the Year, and Album of the Year (GATHERING DUST). They continued to stun spectators with their performance of "Walk On," which included a solo break by Malteze, who did a brief tribute to Janis Joplin, one of her major influences.
During her acceptance speech for receiving Female Vocalist of the Year, Malteze told a story about her grandfather pulling a coffee can out of his freezer so he could give her enough money to pursue her musical ambitions as a young woman in California. "My grandfather gave me his cold, hard cash - literally!" she exclaimed, to the delight of the crowd.
Other award recipients include Jimmy Kaiser for Male Vocalist of the Year, John Greenberg for Producer of the Year, Mike Siler for Record of the Year, Texas Renegade Band for Live Band of the Year, Hayes Carll for Singer/Songwriter of the Year, Big John Mills for Musician of the Year, Clay DuBose for Rising Star of the Year, and RadioFreeTexas.org for Radio Station of the Year.
The Live Band of the Year, Radio Station of the Year, and Disc Jockey of the Year awards are the only award categories voted on 100% by the listening public. Justin Frazell, of 99.5 The Wolf in Dallas, Texas, took home the Disc Jockey of the Year award for the second time in a row, a TMA first.
Founders awards are also given in three categories. The 2006 Musical Event of the Year was given to "A Texas Hill Country Christmas," produced by Stephen and Sue Ann Meyer of the Lodge Recording Studio and benefiting Candlelight Ranch. Two MyTexan awards were presented to MyTexasMusic.com members Grady Lee and Richard Bowden, and one Palmwood award was presented to Jackie Bryant.
The shows producers, Jinelle and Lucky Boyd, co-founders of MyTexasMusic.com, began show preparations in November of 2005, and enlisted the help and support of more than 80 volunteers and several businesses and organizations. "East Texas is such an untapped area full of Texas music lovers - we were thrilled to be able to bring this prestigious event to this neck of the woods. It was a great success," said Jinelle Boyd.
Prior to the show, the producers met with all of the nominees to brief them on the day's events. The Boyds are quick to point out that those receiving awards are "award recipients," and not "winners." "When you announce that someone is the "winner" of an award, that denotes that there must be a "loser," and there are none of those in this room today," declared Lucky Boyd, when addressing the nominees.
Immediately following their acceptance of their awards, each recipient filmed a television commercial with the Texas Farm Bureau for Murphey's upcoming benefit telethon and concert in Amarillo. The event will raise money for victims of the Texas panhandle graze land wildfires that have been ravaging that part of the state.
Murphey closed the show with an intimate performance of three of his most beloved songs. "He was one of my first musical influences. To see him perform "Wildfire" was just so incredible!" gushed Female vocalist nominee Anni Clark, who flew in from Maine to attend the show.
The Academy of Texas Music is the official sanctioning organization of music awards in Texas. In an effort to insure high standards for each awarding body, the award nomination, selection, and voting process must be approved by the Academy to receive an official sanctioned status. Presently, the Texas Music Awards presented by MyTexasMusic.com are the only awards fully sanctioned by the Academy.
More information about the show can be obtained at www.TexasMusicAwards.org or www.MyTexasMusic.com . Subscribers to the MyTexasMusic.com newsletter can get updates via email. Subscribe at www.mytexasmusic.com/maillist
For information on the Wildfire Relief Concert in Amarillo, or to donate to the cause, go to: www.helpyourstate.com.
A full list of the award recipients appears below.
Male Vocalist of the Year - Jimmy Kaiser
Female Vocalist of the Year - Barbara Malteze
Producer of the Year - John Greenberg (Pocketful - Jeff Posey)
Singer/Songwriter of the Year - Hayes Carll
Rising Star of the Year - Clay DuBose
Musician of the Year - Big John Mills (I'm Gone - Jimmy Kaiser)
Song of the Year - "Walk On" (Gathering Dust - Dust Devils - Kevin Higgins, songwriter
Album of the Year - "GATHERING DUST" - Dust Devils
Record of the Year - "It's About To Get Western" - Mike Siler
Vocal Duo or Group of the Year - Dust Devils
Live Band of the Year - Texas Renegade Band
Disc Jockey of the Year - Justin Frazell (KPLX FM 99.5 - Dallas
Radio Station of the Year - RadioFreeTexas.org (an Internet radio station)
Entertainer of the Year - John Arthur Martinez
Founder awards: Musical Event of the Year - "A Texas Hill Country Christmas' The Lodge Recording Studio, Stephen C. and Sue Ann Meyer, producers; Palmwood Award - Jackie Bryant; MyTexan Awards - Grady Lee, Richard Bowden
