Native American Music Awards Honors New York's Corn-Bred, Tonemah, Peter Buffett and Joanne Shenandoah

Native American Music Awards Honors New York's Corn-Bred, Tonemah, Peter Buffett and Joanne Shenandoah

NEW YORK, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ninth Annual Native American Music Awards (N.A.M.A.) will be held on October 6th at the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara Falls, New York and will feature 180 nominees in 30 music categories with many prominent locally-based contenders.

Held for the first time in its native state since being founded in Manhattan in 1998, some of the year's leading nominees include; Syracuse-based Corn-Bred (Onondaga/Mohawk) nominated for Best Blues Recording and Debut Duo or Group of the Year for their recording, "Corn-Bred;" the Buffalo/Niagara- based group, Tonemah (Kiowa/Comanche/Tuscarora) receiving two nods for Best Folk Recording and Songwriter of the Year for their recording "Welcome To Your Rainy Day;" and Manhattan-based producer Peter Buffett (non native) for "Spirit: The Seventh Fire" nominated for Best Long Form Video/DVD and the Native Heart Award.

Two of the biggest names in the Native American music industry, Joanne Shenandoah (Oneida) and Bill Miller (Mohican), will be presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards, Joanne is the N.A.M.A.'s leading award recipient with nine awards and 14 albums to her credit. Residing in Syracuse, Joanne is also a GRAMMY winner and has become one of the most widely recognized Native recording artists today. Her legacy includes collaborations with; Bruce Cockburn and Neil Young and performances with; Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Robbie Robertson.

Bill Miller is one of the most admired figures in the Native American music arena. A GRAMMY award-winning recording artist, and six-time N.A.M.A. award winner, Bill has written songs with Nancy Griffith, Peter Rowan and Kim Carnes, and shared the stage with Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, the BoDeans, Richie Havens, Arlo Guthrie and Tori Amos.

The N.A.M.A.'s Lifetime Achievement Award is a highly prestigious award recognizing outstanding artistic contributions in the recording industry. Recipients of this award and nominees were elected by the N.A.M.A.'s Advisory membership, the country's largest membership of music professionals involved with recording, manufacturing, distributing and promoting Native American music. Winners are determined through a national voting campaign open to the general public.

The Awards have been acclaimed for having "all the professionalism and production values of much larger events like the Grammy Awards and the American Music Awards" (American Federation of Radio Television Artists).

Hosted by Steve Reevis (Fargo, Crazy Horse, Line of Fire), special guests include; the family of the late Link Wray (2006 Hall of Fame Inductee), and Buffalo's own Patti Novak from A&E's Confessions of a Matchmaker. This year's ceremony will feature over fifteen live music performances including; Joanne Shenandoah, Tonemah, Corn-Bred, and flutist Jan Michael Looking Wolf with George Noriega (Timbaland, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira) and will be broadcast nationally on MHZ Networks beginning this November. Tickets are available at all ticketmaster outlets.

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Source: Native American Music Awards

CONTACT: Ellen Bello of Ninth Annual Native American Music Awards,
+1-212-228-8300, Nammys@aol.com

Web site: http://www.nativeamericamusicawards.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment