NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

2017 WINNERS

 

 Artist of the Year

Josh Halverson

“Year of the Thunderbird”

 

 

Debut Artist of the Year

Lucas Ciliberti

“Rainmaker”

 

 

Debut Group of the Year

Black Bear Brothers

“Songs from Cheyenne Creek”

 

 

Best Female Artist

Kelly Derrickson

“I Am”

 

Flutist of the Year  

Randy McGinnis

“The Journey  - hi a vi si i”

 

 

Group of the Year

The Cody Blackbird Band

“Live From Chicago”

 

Best Male Artist

Conrad Benally

“Always And Forever”

 

Record of the Year

“Hoka”

Nahko and Medicine For The People

 

Song of the Year

“Shooting Blanks”

Mickie James

 

Best Music Video

“Indomitable”

DJ Shub  &  Northern Cree Singers

 

Best Music Video For A Performance

“Ascension”

Jan Michael Looking Wolf Band  

 

Best Music Video For A Narrative

“Never Give Up”

Artson, Supaman & Quese Imc 

 

Native Heart

Bearheart Kokopelli

Bernhard Mikuskovics (3rd from left)

“Native Heart” 

 

Best Country Recording

“You’ve Got to Go Back the Way That You Came”

Danielle Egnew

 

Best Folk Recording

“Year of the Thunderbird”

Josh Halverson

 

 

Best Gospel/Inspirational

“Awake, Arise and Shine”

Callie Bennett

 

Best Instrumental Recording

“Songs of the Earth”

Vince Redhouse

 

Best Native American Church Recording

“Simplicity”

Cheevers Toppah

 

Best Pop Recording

“Celebration”

Cherokee National Youth Choir

 

Best Pow Wow Recording

“It’s A Cree Thing”

Northern Cree

 

Best Rap/Hip Hop/R&B Recording

“The 7th Generation Prophecy”

Sten Joddi

 

Best Rock / Best Blues Recording

“Take Me Back”

Levi Platero

 

Best Traditional Recording

“Before America”

James Edmund Greeley  

 

Best Waila Recording

“Creed and Culture”

Native Creed

 

 Lifetime Achievement Award

Gary Farmer

 

Honorary Award of Excellence

Arthur Redcloud

 

Hall of Fame

Mickie James

Full Show of NAMA LIVE 17

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PERFORMANCES BY:

DJ Shub

Josh Halverson

Kelly Derrickson

Lil Mike & Funny Bone

Nahko Bear

Newtown Singers

Northern Cree

The Ed Koban Band

The Troublemakers

and

A Special Tribute to Joseph FireCrow

and

Hall of Fame Inductee & Single of the Year Winner

WWE® Superstar and SMG Recording Artist

Mickie James™

 

Special Guests:

Arthur Redcloud

Artson

B of Dakota South

David Rose

Jan Michael Looking Wolf

Jiinikwe

Joanne Shenandoah

Lester Greenwood

Lucas Ciliberti

Painted Raven

Peter Sachaney & Marcia Chum

Randy McGinnis

and

NIGA's Ernie Stevens

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Native American Music Awards

 

Ellen Bello, Producer & CEO

Donald Kelly, Director

Joseph Bello, Music Director

Geno Bishop, Stage Manager

Andy Anderson, Video Director

Rosemary Fernandez Armstrong, Assistant to Producer

Robin Comey, Teleprompter, Assistant to Director

Kae Kotarski, , Talent Coordinator

Sharyn Fogelman, Assistant Talent Coordinator

Keelynn Kelly, Production Assistant

Janelle Boucher, Photographer

Ed Koban, House Band,

VOG, Brett Maybe

Cassandra Artichoker, Awards Coordinator

Megan Torres, Award Presenter

Alyssa Snydee, Award Presenter

Destiny Sampson, Award Presenter

Adrianne Cook, Award Presenter

Red Carpet Host, Felipe Rose

Mike Kickingbear, Live Stream, Singlefeather Media

Carol Johnson, Photographer

 

Seneca Niagara Casino

Christian Printup, SGC Executive Director

Dave Holland, SGC House Production Manager

Ilene Miklos, SGC Hospitality & Transportation

David Urbaniak, SGC Shift Manager

Chris Gawron, A1 FOH

Kerry Brogan, A2 MON

Jared Pease, A3

Doug Landon, LD, Lighting Director

Jim Vesty, Shader

John Cotton, Playback

John Gober, Camera 1

Don Gould, Camera 2

Dee Jakel, Camera 3

Brian Krieb,, Hand Held Camera

Rob Raab II, Hand Held Camera

Bro Maiola, Cable Page

Pat Posey, Cable Page

Tom Angelo, Hand

 

 

 

Performers

Newtown Singers

Northern Cree

DJ Shub

Kelly Derrickson

Lil Mike & Funny Bone

Josh Halverson

Nahko Bear

Mickie James

Gary Farmer & The Troublemakers

 

copyright 2017 Native American Music Awards Inc.

For Immediate Release                                                                                            NAMALIVE@aol.com

                                                                                                                                           (212) 228-8300

17th Annual Native American Music Awards

 INSPIRATION AND LOVE
CELEBRATED AT THE AWARDS
 
WWE's Mickie James Inducted Into The Hall of Fame
Josh Halverson and Northern Cree Take Two Awards Each
The Revenant's Arthur Redcloud Receives Honorary Award for Excellence
 
The 17th Annual Native American Music Awards was an evening filled with love and inspiration from some of the biggest celebrities, musicians and actors in the fields of music and entertainment.
 
Highly dynamic and energetic music performances along with encouraging words of inspiration  dominated the evening from; WWE Superstar and SMG Recording artist, Mickie James, Multiple Award winner and The Voice finalist, Josh Halverson, to Nahko Bear who is kicking off his international tour this week, among others. The awards were held on Saturday, October 14th at the Events Center at Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino in Niagara Falls, New York.

Opening the show was the Seneca Nation's traditional female vocal group, Newtown Singers followed by the award winning Powwow drum group, Northern Cree, who gave a powerful vocal and hand drum performance. The group was then joined by DJ Shub and his dubstep influenced dance and electronica which took the entire segment from traditional into the future.  Northern Cree won for Best Powwow Recording and shared their second win with DJ Shub for Best Music Video for the song, "Indomitable' which was presented remotely by MTV's Downtown Julie Brown.

Mickie James was inducted into the Native American Music Hall of Fame, by actor Arthur Redcloud who appeared in the movie, The Revenant, with Leonardo DiCaprio. James told the audience, "You don't come with your destiny....You earn it" as she shared her story of success.  She also won for Single of the Year for "Shooting Blanks" and performed live belting out three powerful songs including her hit song, "Somebody's Gonna Pay." James is up for a WWE Women's title this Sunday on Pay Per View and is working on a new album. Redcloud received an Honorary Award for Excellence for his role in The Revenant.
 
Presenting the Artist of the Year Award was Felipe Rose, original member of the Village People, who was joined by his group from a live remote, and presented Josh Halverson with the award. Halverson, a previous award winner from 2013, acknowledged the awards first supported him before anyone else including The Voice, and encouraged the audience to offer "love first."  Rose hosted the Awards' pre-show Red Carpet event. Halverson also took home Best Folk Recording.
 
Nahko, who gave a stellar and moving solo acoustic performance received Record of the Year for his recording, Hoka which he released with Medicine for the People.  He is about to release a new recording entitled, Nahko, My Name Is Bear on October 20th. 
 
Kelly Derrickson, took the evening's Best Female Artist award and performed two songs including the uplifting "Rise Up".
 
Brothers Lil Mike and Funny Bone who won Group of the Year in 2016 and were contestants on America's Got Talent, gave a special performance which included their hit single, "Do The Rain Dance".  The brothers later joined Lifetime Achievement recipient, Gary Farmer, and the Troublemakers featuring previous award winners, Marc Brown and Derek Miller,  for a closing performance. Former Mrs. Universe, Ashley Callingbull presented Farmer with his award who has over 100 movie and television credits.
 
A special video tribute was held in honor of the late flutist, Joseph Fire Crow.  House band, The Ed Koban band performed flawlessly and provided backing instrumentation for Josh Halverson with special guest Carsen Gray, Kelly Derrickson, as well as Mickie James.
 
Awarded for Debut Artist of the Year, was the incredibly talented, 17-year old Lucas Ciliberti. The drum group, Black Bear Brothers accepted Debut Group of the Year along with twelve young children from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. 
 
Other award winners in attendance include; Artson for Best Music Video Narrative, Conrad Benally for Best Male Artist, James Edmund Greeley for Best Traditional Recording, Jan Michael Looking Wolf for Best Music Video Performance, Randy McGinnis for Flutist of the Year, Sten Joddi for Best Rap Hip Hop Recording, Bearheart Kokopelli who came in from Austria to receive the Native Heart Recording.
 
Over 18,500 individual voters participated in the Award's national voting campaign. The awards were emceed by National Indian Gaming Association's Ernie Stevens Jr. and were broadcast live by WGWE radio and streamed live by Singlefeathermedia.com. Plans for rebroadcasts are underway.

 
The Native American Music Awards proudly congratulates all the Award winners.
 
NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

2017 WINNERS

 

 Artist of the Year

Josh Halverson

“Year of the Thunderbird”

 

 

Debut Artist of the Year

Lucas Ciliberti

“Rainmaker”

 

 

Debut Group of the Year

Black Bear Brothers

“Songs from Cheyenne Creek”

 

 

Best Female Artist

Kelly Derrickson

“I Am”

 

Flutist of the Year  

Randy McGinnis

“The Journey  - hi a vi si i”

 

 

Group of the Year

The Cody Blackbird Band

“Live From Chicago”

 

Best Male Artist

Conrad Benally

“Always And Forever”

 

Record of the Year

“Hoka”

Nahko and Medicine For The People

 

Song of the Year

“Shooting Blanks”

Mickie James

 

Best Music Video

“Indomitable”

DJ Shub  &  Northern Cree Singers

 

Best Music Video For A Performance

“Ascension”

Jan Michael Looking Wolf Band  

 

Best Music Video For A Narrative

“Never Give Up”

Artson, Supaman & Quese Imc 

 

Native Heart

Bearheart Kokopelli

Bernhard Mikuskovics (3rd from left)

“Native Heart” 

 

Best Country Recording

“You’ve Got to Go Back the Way That You Came”

Danielle Egnew

 

Best Folk Recording

“Year of the Thunderbird”

Josh Halverson

 

 

Best Gospel/Inspirational

“Awake, Arise and Shine”

Callie Bennett

 

Best Instrumental Recording

“Songs of the Earth”

Vince Redhouse

 

Best Native American Church Recording

“Simplicity”

Cheevers Toppah

 

Best Pop Recording

“Celebration”

Cherokee National Youth Choir

 

Best Pow Wow Recording

“It’s A Cree Thing”

Northern Cree

 

Best Rap/Hip Hop/R&B Recording

“The 7th Generation Prophecy”

Sten Joddi

 

Best Rock / Best Blues Recording

“Take Me Back”

Levi Platero

 

Best Traditional Recording

“Before America”

James Edmund Greeley  

 

Best Waila Recording

“Creed and Culture”

Native Creed

 Lifetime Achievement Award

Gary Farmer

 Honorary Award of Excellence

Arthur Redcloud

 

Hall of Fame

Mickie James




www.NAMALIVE.com

email: NAMALIVE@aol.com

 

 

 

 

WHO WAS THERE?

PERFORMED:

 

NAMA Hall of Fame Inductee WWE® Superstar & SMG Recording Artist  Mickie James™ or Mickie Laree James is a household name in professional wrestling and in the world of country music. Mickie, with her Powhatan heritage, was a tomboy who loved riding horses and the wrestling business growing up in Virginia. She dreamt of being in the ring performing for fans all over the world. In 2002, Mickie lived that dream when she debuted on the national stage for Total Nonstop Action (TNA) and that following year, signed a developmental deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In 2005, she made her on screen debut for WWE and would go on to win her first Women's Championship at WrestleMania 22 after a very memorable feud with Trish Stratus. She captured the Women's Title five times and the Divas Title once for a total of six championships in the WWE. Mickie’s next goal was to become the first woman to win WWE's Women's & Divas titles as well as TNA's Knockouts Title. She went on to win TNA's Knockouts Title three times.

Mickie has always had a passion for music as well. While on the road with WWE, Mickie would travel to Nashville on her days off to meet with producers, songwriters and vocal coaches to pursue her dream of recording a country music album. By the spring of 2010, Mickie released her first album entitled, Strangers and Angels. The first single released off the album is a fast paced, exciting track called "Are You With Me?" By the Fall, she released another single that became her entrance music: "Hardcore Country."  

In May 2013, Mickie released her second album titled, Somebody's Gonna Pay through Entertainment One Music. Three of the songs she wrote on the album are; “Best Damn Night,” “80 Proof” and the cover track, “Somebody's Gonna Pay” which co-starred fellow professional wrestlers Trish Stratus and husband, Nick Aldis (Magnus) in the music video. Mickie has been nominated by the Native American Music Awards for her latest country song, "Shooting Blanks" in the Song of the Year music category.

Mickie's albums have received positive reviews from publications such as Country Weekly, CMA Magazine and shared the stage with other country artists such as Rascal Flatts, Montgomery Gentry, Gretchen Wilson and Randy Houser  and has performed in concerts all over the world.  Mickie has served as an incredible inspiration and role model for many artists as well as Native youth.  Mickie’s world renowned reputation as a WWE Superstar, professional wrestler, entertainer and country singer undoubtedly warrants her place as an outstanding individual and honoree. The Native American Music Awards & Association, N.A.M.A. is proud to honor Mickie James, and induct her into the N.A.M.A. Hall of Fame.  

 

Josh Halverson grew up in Texas as the son of a cattle rancher and a Dakota Sioux Indian. He has played piano since the age of five and has grown into an adept songwriter, approaching time-honored topics like heartbreak and devotion with a sense of hard-won innocence. Josh’s  first album, One Shot, earned him the Songwriter of the Year Award at the Native American Music Awards in 2013., Josh has since become a nationally recognized singer and songwriter after appearing on  NBC’s The Voice 2016 Blind Auditions where he performed Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” in front of superstars Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and host Carson Daly. Once Miley, Alicia, and Blake hit their buttons, they all turned around to fight for Halverson. Although Blake brought out his best cattle talk, Halverson chose to join Team Alicia who called Josh’s voice “striking”. Later in the season, Josh was chosen to be on the team of Miley Cyrus. Josh has just released his second recording, Thunder Bird Sky which has earned him four Native American Music Awards nominations. Josh and his wife Rexana are currently expecting their second child.

 

Kelly Derrickson first became interested in music during her childhood, which led her to the very prestigious Victoria Conservatory of Music in British Columbia and the Berklee College of Music. Despite her lifelong musical training and deep love for every genre, country music has always held a soft-spot in her heart. Tracing her lineage back to the famous Indian leader Chief Joseph (Nez Perce), it’s no wonder how Kelly can embody everything you’d expect to find in a country artist — she’s strong, intuitive, spiritual, and impassioned. After six terms and 12 years as Chief, Kelly listened and witnessed first hand her father’s rise from being a poor kid born on the reservation, to a leader who always fought hard for his people’s rights. It’s some impassioned fight that is in their blood and in her music. With the release of “Warriors Of Love”, Kelly unleashes her strong vocal prowess and songwriting skills on an album that leaves the listener craving and chanting for more.

 

Lil Mike & Funny Bone aka MIKE BONE made their World debut with an unforgettable performance on NBC’s America's Got Talent. Members of the Pawnee Tribe, these  brothers, though they may look like twins, are not, nor are they midgets at 4 feet 8 inches tall. Mike and Bone have appeared on live television, DJ'd Night Clubs, played gigs throughout the US & Canada and opened for big-name acts such as Billy Ray Cyrus and T-Bone. Like their most popular single, Rain Dance, which wow’d the judges of America’s Got Talent, their songs have found radio play on Radio stations worldwide. Their full length recording Rain Dance The Album, earned them Group of the Year at last year’s Native American Music Awards. From homelessness to gang violence and discrimination, these two brothers have hustled and flowed their way from nothing to something through their extreme faith in GOD and have credited Christian Music for changing their life.

 

Northern Cree, also known as the Northern Cree Singers, is a powwow and Round Dance drum and singing group, based in Maskwacis, Alberta. The group has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, and have won three Native American Music Awards for Best Pow Wow Recording in 2001 and 2007 and Best Compilation Recording in 2004. In 2017, the Singers, along with founder Steve Wood and Tanya Tagaq, won a Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble for the album Going Home Star. Formed in 1980 by Steve Wood, with brothers Charlie and Earl, the group’s other members include Ferlin McGillvary, Randy Wood, Joel Wood, as well as Conan Yellowbird. The group is one of the most respected pow-wow groups in North America,. The group is featured in the song and music video "Indomitable" by DJ Shub, which was nominated for Best EDM/Dance Video in the 2017 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards and the Native American Music Awards. Their new album on Canyon Canyon Records entitled, “It’s A Cree Thing,”  has been nominated for Best Pow Wow Recording and earned them a nod for Group of the Year.

 

Nahko is a sixth generation Apache and Mohawk with a Puerto Rican Taino mother and a Filipino father, grew up with the family that adopted him.  Nahko and Medicine for the People is an American musical collective formed in 2008. The five member group is headed by frontman Nahko Bear and their music is a fusion of various cultural musical influences.  His creative inspiration is the desire to bridge cultural gaps. Nahko Bear has been musically inclined since the age of six when he started learning piano. As he grew older, Nahko remained tied to music as a piano teacher and casual songwriter. Nahko's songwriting became grassroots oriented around 2012 during which time he would travel around the US by van with his dog.  Nahko and Medicine for the People has toured with Michael Franti, Trevor Hall, Xavier Rudd, and SOJA ]Nahko Bear has also performed duos with Leah Song of Rising Appalachia.  His recording Dark As Night  released in 2013 reached No. 4 on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart; and went to  No. 6 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. His recording, Hoka  released last year,  went to No. 72 on the Billboard 200 charts and has earned Nahko and Medicine for the People several nominations at this year’s Native American Music Awards including  Record of the Year.


 

 

A Tribute To Joseph FireCrow  Joseph Fire Crow was a Cheyenne flutist and a Native American Music Awards multiple award winner who released albums from 1992 to 2017. Called a “National Treasure” by the media and “a cultural ambassador” by his hometown in Billings, Montana, Joseph was one of the most gifted players of the Native American Flute. Since 1992, he recorded and released eight solo albums, with six of them released internationally.  He was an eight time Native American Music Award winner for; Songwriter of the Year, Best Instrumental Recording, a three-time Flutist of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song/Single of the Year, and a NAMA Lifetime Achievement Award honoree as well as has won a Telly Award, and a  GRAMMY as a guest artist on David Darling’s “Prayer for Compassion” at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY awards. Some of Fire Crow's music was also included on the soundtrack of the documentary Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery. Joseph was a humble, caring, compassionate man, whose smile and laughter is what people remember most. Joseph’s life was dedicated to sharing the wonders of his homeland with others around the world. He died on July 11, 2017 at the age of 58 after battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Following word of his death, there was an outpouring of condolences and memories from other Native musicians across the country who found inspiration from him.

Dan General aka DJ Shub is a former member of A Tribe Called Red,  a Canadian electronic music group, who blend instrumental hip hop, reggae, moombahton and dubstep-influenced dance music with elements of First Nations music, particularly vocal chanting and drumming.  With Dan, the group won the 2014 Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year. A lifelong fan of hip hop, Shub has been a DJ for 15 years, originally inspired by the experience of his older brother, who would cross the border to DJ in Buffalo, New York. Equipped with DJ gear, Shub polished his skills in his parents’ basement, eventually winning the Canadian title at DJ competitions in 2007 and 2008. Family remains a huge part of this Mohawk father’s decision to remain in his hometown of Fort Erie, ON today. By combining electronic dance beats with samples of aboriginal singing and drumming, Dan is also credited for the creation of a new sub-genre of electronic music, dubbed ‘powwow step.’ At first, he didn’t want to limit himself to a sound pioneered by his former group but Powwow step is still in its infancy. He now loves the fact that he’s contributing to a whole wave of new contemporary indigenous music by creating his own tracks. DJ Shub along with the drum group Northern Cree have been nominated for Best Music Video for their collaborative effort entitled “Indomitable ft. Northern Cree.”

 

Carsen Lee Gray was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and is of First Nations Haida  and mixed descent.  Carsen Gray is no stranger to a life of art, music, and entertainment.  Being the oldest daughter of Robert Gray, who played along side Nick Gilder in the band "Sweeney Todd" and niece of Bobby Taylor, most noted for his discovery and mentoring of Michael Jackson - The King of Pop; Carsen comes by her love for music naturally and started performing and recording with her uncle Bobby Taylor at age eleven overseas. Now, Carsen has been living between Saskatoon and Vancouver and working with Independent heavy weight artist Joey Stylez since 2013. Carsen has been writing songs, recording, and touring across Canada.  In 2015, Carsen was a regional finalist in the CBC 2015 Searchlight contest, and her single "Supernatural" reached #1 on the National Aboriginal Music Countdown. This year, Carsen received three nominations for the Indigenous Music Awards in Canada and won Best New Artist. She has been nominated for Best Music Video and Song of the Year for “Wanna See You” with DJ Shub.

 

 

Lifetime Achievement Recipient Gary Dale Farmer was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, into the Cayuga nation and Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy/. Gary was the Founder and Publisher of Aboriginal Voices Magazine, a magazine  devoted to Native Canadian issues.  He has over 100 Film and TV appearances to his credit as an actor with early roles in Police Academy (1984), The Believers (1987) with Martin Sheen, and Renegades (1989) starring Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips. Gary starred as in the Robert Redford- produced thriller, The Dark Wind (1991); opposite Lou Diamond Phillips and Corey Feldman and Corey Haim in the drama Blown Away (1993). In Sioux City (1994) and  the first Tales from the Crypt (1989) horror movie: Demon Knight (1995). Gary was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his performance as Nobody in Dead Man (1995), in which he starred opposite Johnny Depp, and for his role in Smoke Signals (1998). He appeared alongside Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro in The Score (2001). Gary has also directed  a few projects and has his own blues band: 'Gary Farmer and the Troublemakers’ who have released two CDs, Lovesick Blues and Road Songs. The band features N.A.M.A. award winners, Derek Miller on guitar, and veteran bluesman Marc Brown on guitar, along with Jaime Bird Yellowhorse on bass, and Jme Russell on drums.


 

The Ed Koban Group  Like the waters that roar over the edge in his hometown of Niagara Falls, Ed Koban's House Band can be both beautiful and evocative, or raging and powerful. Edko, of Mohawk heritage, is an artist not quite like any other and defies categorization. The Ed Koban Group returns as our favorite house band for the sixth consecutive year and features some of the most respected musicians in the region. A multicultural brew of talent, this is a group capable of delivering any music genre, sound or style. They have performed on the NAMA stage with many respected artists including; Janice Marie Johnson, Joanne Shenandoah, Nokie Edwards, Gabriel Ayala, Tonemah, Cody Blackbird, Leanne Shenandoah, Keith Secola, and others. Ed Koban has shared the bill with groups such as; Foghat, Three Dog Night, Molly Hatchet, and Rusted Root, and has performed nationwide at venues such as the Kennedy Center and at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Armed with a group of experienced world-class musicians, Ed Koban brings talent, professionalism, and a drive that translates into a performance that people will remember and want to experience again and again.

 

Newtown Singers  Traditional from Seneca Territory

Since its inception, Ohwejagehka Hadegaenage has distributed Earth Songs, or Iroquois Social Songs, as an effort to preserve and promote Iroquoian culture.  All the members work hard to continue their traditional ways. In this new era, they believe, they must all continue to work together to carry on their culture for the generations yet to come.

 

Special Guests:

 

Ernie Stevens, Jr. is the Chairman and national spokesperson for the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) in Washington, D.C.  Stevens is currently completing his seventh two-year term as the organization’s leader, which is a position elected by the member tribes of the National Indian Gaming Association. As Chairman of NIGA, Stevens represents the Indian gaming industry.  In this role, he has worked to educate Congress, the media and the public about the positive impacts of Indian gaming on tribal and nearby communities.  Stevens is also responsible for shaping policy initiatives that have the potential to impact the industry. Chairman Stevens is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin.

 

 

 

Ashley Callingbull, is the first Canadian, and the first First Nations woman to win the Mrs. Universe title, on 29 August 2015. Callingbull is from Alberta's Enoch Cree Nation, west of Edmonton. Callingbull says she was drawn to the Mrs. Universe competition because of its domestic violence theme. "I thought, this is a perfect platform for me because I'm relatable to people, I've experienced this myself and I'm able to speak about it," she said. "I'm glad I'm able to use this title as a way to speak for others that can't speak for themselves." Callingbull was chosen as Miss Canada for the Miss Friendship International Pageant held in Hubei, China in September, 2010, and represented Canada at the Queen of the World Final held in Germany 2010. She also represented Canada at Miss Humanity International in Barbados in October 2011. Ashley is also an actress and plays Sheila Delaronde in the series Blackstone.  

 

 

 

Felipe Rose is best known as the "Indian" Taino and Lakota singer and dancer in the Village People. Originally created by Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo to target disco's gay audience, the Village People quickly became popular and moved into the mainstream. The group scored several disco dance hits internationally, including three hits in the US, "Macho Man, "In the Navy", and their biggest hit, "Y.M.C.A.". Almost five decades later, Felipe and Village People remain a pop culture mainstay in music, sports arenas, commercials and television as they continue to tour the world. “Y.M.C.A” remains the group's biggest hit since it’s release in 1978. The song remains popular and is played throughout the  U.S. and Europe, with crowds using the dance in which the arms are used to spell out the four letters of the song's title. The song is number 7 on VH1's list of The 100 Greatest Dance Songs of the 20th Century. To date, Felipe and the Village People have sold over 100 million records and have won many international music awards and garnered over 30 Platinum and Gold records. Felipe's highest moment of achievement was receiving a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the being inducted into the NAMA Music Hall of Fame. He has also earned a multiple Native American Music Awards for his various solo recordings. In his 40th year in the entertainment industry, Felipe continues to use his influential position to highlight issues that are important to him and maintain his personal objective of helping and connecting with people throughout the world.

 

WHOSE BEEN NOMINATED?

17th ANNUAL NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

OFFICIAL LIST OF NOMINEES - published 6:00pm EST

Congratulations to All!

 

AND THE NOMINEES ARE....

 

Artist of the Year

C.C. Murdock “Resistance” (Shoshone/Piaute)

James Edmund Greeley “Before America” (Hopi, Nez Perce)

Josh Halverson “Year of the Thunderbird” (Mdewakanton Dakota)

Perry Cheevers Toppah “Sing To Your Lady” (Cool Runnings)

Randy McGinnis “The Journey  - hi a vi si i” (Cherokee)

Vince Redhouse  “Songs of the Earth” (Dine)

 

New Artist or Debut Artist of the Year

Billy Simard “Being Free”  (Ojibwe)

Jean Albert Renaud - JAR “I Ride Horses” (Cherokee/Blackfoot)

JuQ “Tempo: A Short Story by juQ” (Oglala Lakota/ Dakota South)

Kokopelli Girl “Ricochet” (Metis)

Lucas Ciliberti “Rainmaker” (Cherokee/MicMac)

Rose Angel  “Inner Voice Vol 1 & 2” (Tegua/Papago)

 

New or Debut Duo/Group of the Year

Black Bear Brothers (Emanuel & Tim Black Bear) “Songs from Cheyenne Creek” (Oglala Lakota/Rez West/KILI)

Craig Elkshoulder, Janelle Turtle, Nelson Turtle Jr.  “Cheyenne Peyote Songs” (Northern Cheyenne/Southern Cheyenne)

Crazy Flute  “Echos From The Mountain” (Cherokee)

Joanne Shenandoah & Bambi Niles “One World Christmas” (Oneida)

Shining Soul “Politics Aside” (Tohono O’odham/Dine’)

Steven Rushingwind & The Native Groove “Fuego” (Cahuilla, Taino)

 

Best Female Artist

Callie Bennett  “Awake, Arise and Shine” (Navajo/Diné)

Cindy Paul “The Flight” (Metis/Cree)

Danielle Egnew  “You’ve Got To Go Back The Way That You Came” (Cherokee)

Kelly Derrickson “I Am” (First Nation)

Radmilla Cody “Ke’ Hasin” (Navajo Dine/Canyon Records)’

Rhonda Head “Kisahkihitan (Cree)


 

Flutist of the Year  

Jan Michael Looking Wolf “Ascension” (Kalapuya)

Jonah Littlesunday “Gratitude” (Navajo Dine)

Matthew Tooni “Through Their Eyes Vol 1” (Eastern Band of Cherokee)

Randy McGinnis “The Journey  - hi a vi si i” (Cherokee)

Steven Rushingwind & The Native Groove “Fuego” (Cahuilla, Taino)

Vince Redhouse  “Songs of the Earth” (Dine)


 

Duo/Group of the Year

Cherokee National Youth Choir “Celebration” (Cherokee Nation)

Jan Michael Looking Wolf Band “Ascension” (Kalapuya)

Northern Cree “It’s A Cree Thing” (Cree)

R. Carlos Nakai Quartet  “What Lies Beyond” (Navajo Ute / Canyon)

Broken Walls “The Path"  (Mohawk/Tlingit)

The Cody Blackbird Band “Live From Chicago” (Eastern Band Cherokee & Dakota/Redi Records)

 

Best Male Artist

Artson “E.A.R.T.H.” (Raramuri/Tarahumara)

Anthony Benally “Humble Expressions” (Navajo / Cool Runnings)

Clark Tenakhongva “Su’Vu’Yo’ Yungw” “Long And Steady Drizzle” (Hopi/ Canyon)

Conrad Benally “Always And Forever” (Shoshone Bannock)

Jonah Littlesunday “Gratitude” (Navajo Dine/Canyon)

Levi Platero “Take Me Back” (Navajo)

 

Record of the Year

“Celebration” Cherokee National Youth Choir (Cherokee Nation)

“Hoka” Nahko and Medicine For The People  (Apache)

“Music From Turtle Island: Songs of Freedom” Various Artists (Metis/Cree)

“One World Many Voices” Various Artists (Ed Lee Natay, R. Carlos Nakai, Xavier Quijas Yxayotl, Earl Ray, Aaron White, Jonah Littlesunday)

“Sacred Inspirations” Various Artists (Spiritwind Records)

“Year of the Thunderbird” Josh Halverson (Mdewakanton Dakota)


 

Song/Single of the Year

“Alcatraz” Calina Lawrence  (Suquamish)

“Bullet Dress” Melissa Doud with the Mambo Surfers (Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)

"Father" Spencer "Lightfoot" Wiley Wizick (Colville)

”If Only” Marcia Chum-Sackaney (Cree)

“Red Dust On Route 66”  Wolfsheart, Roy Pete, Jose Feliciano (Navajo)

“Shooting Blanks” Mickie James (Powhatan)

“Urban Nativez” Joey Stylez & Sten Joddi (Mvskoke Creek)

“Wake Up” Kelly Jackson  (Lac du Flambeau/Chippewa)

“Wanna See You” Carsen Gray featuring DJ Shub  (Haida)


 

Best Music Video -Best Conceptual

“Come and Get Your Love” B. of Dakota South Records (Yankton Sioux/Oglala Lakota/Knudsen)

“Indomitable” ft DJ Shub  Northern Cree Singers

“Lady of the Lake” Painted Raven (Cherokee/Sioux)

“Me & The 99” Son of Hweeldi (Navajo)

“Springfields” Lucas Ciliberti (Cherokee/MicMac)


“Wanna See You” Carsen Gray & DJ Shub  (Haida)

 

Best Music Video -Best Performance

“All Day” Shining Soul (Tohono O’odham/Dine’)

“Ascension” Jan Michael Looking Wolf Band  (Kalapuya)

“Just Enough” Josh Halverson” (Mdewakanton Dakota)

“Promised Land” The Cody Blackbird Band (Eastern Band of Cherokee & Dakota)

“Suicide Song” Kelly Derrickson (First Nation)

“Wake Up” Kelly Jackson (Lac du Flambeau/Chippewa)

 

Best Music Video- Best Narrative

“Black Snakes” Prolific The Rapper w/ A Tribe Called Red - Black Snakes 

“Love Letters To God” Nahko and Medicine For The People  (Apache)

“Never Give Up”  Artson featuring Supaman & Quese Imc (Raramuri)(Tarahumara)

“Rise Up” Komplex Kai (Tulalip)

“Stand Up / Stand N Rock #NoDAPL” Taboo & Various Artists

“The Hour” (Mamas song) Rellik (Metis/New Leaf)


 

Native Heart (Non Native)

Bearheart Kokopelli (Bernhard Mikuskovics) “Native Heart” (Namaste Music)

Jefferson Svengsouk “Peaceful Journey” (Celestial Light Show)

Jonny Lipford “Waves of Serenity”

Lex Nichols “Songs of the Plains”

Peter Phippen “Solace” (Promotion Music Records)

Timothy J.P. Gomez “The Awakening” (Wandering Trail Records)


 

Best Country Recording

“Being Free” Billy Simard (Ojibwe)

“I Am” Kelly Derrickson (First Nation)

“I Ride Horses” Jean Albert Renaud-JAR (Cherokee/Blackfoot)

“Native Americana Volume 1” Rob Saw  (Rob Saw/Mohawk)

“Rainmaker” Lucas Ciliberti  (Cherokee/MicMac)

“You’ve Got to Go Back the Way That You Came” Danielle Egnew  (Cherokee)


 

Best Folk Recording

“Desert Wind” Sayani (Cherokee/Choctaw/Creek)

“Keeper of the Family” Shining Woman & Otsigeya (Cherokee)

“One World Christmas” Joanne Shenandoah & Bambi Niles  (Oneida-Iroquois)

“The Flight” Cindy Paul (Metis/Cree)

“Year of the Thunderbird” Josh Halverson (Mdewakanton Dakota)

 

Best Gospel/Inspirational

“Always And Forever” Conrad Benally (Shoshone Bannock)

“Awake, Arise and Shine” Callie Bennett (Navajo/Diné)

“Embraced By The Light” Richard Redleaf, Ruby Redleaf, Lydia Redleaf (Rosebud Sioux)

“Kisahkihitan” Rhonda Head (Cree)

“Victory Road” Elvis Ballantyne  (Cree)

“The Storm Awakens” Verdell Primeaux and Leon Skyhorse (Yankton Sioux/Ponca/Navajo)

 

Best Instrumental Recording

“Crossroads” Painted Raven (Cherokee/Sioux)

“Empty Cradle” Michael Longrider and Lester “Seven Star” Greenwood (Mi’kmaq/Metis)

“Fuego” Steven Rushingwind & The Native Groove (Cahuilla, Taino)

“Songs of the Earth” Vince Redhouse   (Dine)

“The Journey  - hi a vi si i” Randy McGinnis (Cherokee)

“What Lies Beyond” R. Carlos Nakai Quartet   (Navajo Ute/ Canyon)

 

Best Native American Church Recording

“Cheyenne Peyote Songs” Craig Elkshoulder, Janelle Turtle, Nelson Turtle Jr.  (Northern Cheyenne/Southern Cheyenne/Cool Runnings)

“”Family Tradition” Jarvis Hunter (Navajo)

“Maskiki Awasis” Kelly Daniels (Cree /Cool Runnings)

“New Beginning” DonJay Nelson (Navajo / Cool Runnings)

“Simplicity” Cheevers Toppah  (Kiowa/Navajo / Cool Runnings)

“Songs of the Good Way of Life” Irvin Bahe (Navajo / Cool Runnings)

 

Best Pop Recording

“Celebration” Cherokee National Youth Choir (Cherokee Nation)

“Doing It All” Irv Lyons Jr (Oneida)

“Give It My All” NDN Soul (Chickasaw/Cherokee)

“Tempo: A Short Story by juQ” JuQ  (Oglala Lakota/ Dakota South)

“The Path” Broken Walls (Mohawk/Tlingit)

 

Best Pow Wow Recording

“Belongs To The People” Young Bear (Canyon)

“Blacked Out” Southern Style (Navajo/Hopi/ Cool Runnings)

“It’s A Cree Thing” Northern Cree (Cree/Canyon)

“Sing To Your Lady” Perry Cheevers Toppah (Cool Runnings)

“Songs from Cheyenne Creek” Black Bear Brothers (Emanuel & Tim Black Bear) (Oglala Lakota/Rez West/KILI)

 

Best Rap/Hip Hop/R&B Recording

“Politics Aside” Shining Soul (Tohono O’odham/Dine’)

“Reverse Through Time.” Artson (Raramuri/Tarahumara)

“The 7th Generation Prophecy” Sten Joddi  (Mvskoke Creek Nation of OK/Tattoo Muzik)

“The Dream” Rellik (Metis)

“Vision” Gabriel Yaiva and DJ Soe (Navajo/Hopi/Yaqui/Cree)

 

Best Rock / Best Blues Recording

“019910” Son of Hweeldi (Navajo)

“Live From Chicago” The Cody Blackbird Band   (Eastern Band Cherokee & Dakota/Redi Records)

“Red-White & Blues” Bluedog (Ponca/Dakota)

“Resistance” C.C. Murdock (Shoshone/Piaute)

“Saddle Mountain Blues” Cecil Gray Native Blues (Kiowa)

“Take Me Back” Levi Platero (Navajo)

 

Best Traditional Recording

“Before America” James Edmund Greeley  (Hopi, Nez Perce)

“Humble Expressions” Anthony Benally (Navajo /Cool Runnings)

“Joyful” Jiiniikwe  (Bay Mills Michigan Ojibwe)

“Ke’ Hasin” Radmilla Cody  (Navajo Dine /Canyon)

“Sing To Your Lady” Perry Cheevers Toppah (Cool Runnings)

“Su’Vu’Yo’ Yungw” -“Long And Steady Drizzle” Clark Tenakhongva (Hopi / Canyon)


 

Best Waila Recording

“10 Years of  P-Dub’n” Papago Warrior (Tohono O’odham)

“Creed and Culture” Native Creed (Tohono O’odham)

“From Us To You” Pick-Up Kings (Tohono O’odham)

“Otra” Native Creed (Tohono O’odham)

“Versatile Music 2” Famous Ones (Tohono O’odham)