Bob's cruise ship awaits him!
The hardest thing I do all year is to make the selections for the Chattanoogan.com music awards. I go out all year, listening to musicians play and studying their talents. I get all twisted up and anguish over the decisions I have to make to present Chattanooga with my idea of the Best of the Best. It is important that every musician know that if you didn’t receive an award this year, you only lost by one vote – mine. You were that close. I would like to add that my hat is off to every musician that plays out in town. It takes practice, skill and dedication. I for one, really appreciate the efforts. Now, on with the awards -
The Hall Of Fame Award, presented to a musician or band that has been playing live music in Chattanooga for at least three decades, was given previously to Overland Express, Jimmy Tawater, Roger Alan Wade, and Dennis Massengale. This year’s award goes to drummer extraordinaire Bill Brewer. Bill has been playing and teaching drums in Chattanooga for decades. Recognized by his peers as a superior drummer, he still pounds the skins with the best of them, most recently as the tour drummer for Cody McCarver. If you ever get a chance to watch him play, go for it. It’s truly a treat.
The second inductee into the Chattanooga Music Hall of Fame is my boss at Riverbend, Joe “Dixie” Fuller. As perhaps the only double platinum record recipient living in Chattanooga, “Dixie” is home grown and home-bred. He spent time with the Oak Ridge Boys, Clint Black and other stars. His eight year association with the super-band Alabama earned him some gold and platinum records, but he has meant so much more to Chattanooga than just that. His decades-long association with Riverbend has earned him the respect of the world’s best artists, booking agencies, music fans, and stagehands. He will do almost anything for anybody. He is quite extraordinary and I am proud to call him my friend.
Best Cover/Party Band – Bounty Hunter joins previous winners Bud Lightning and Crossfire as the 2011 winner. Their ability to market themselves is legendary – they bring a huge crowd of faithful fans with them wherever they play. They also have a drummer, Ashley Brandon Williams, who is on my short list for Drummer of the year. Congrats to the guys from Bounty Hunter, as all the hard work does pay off.
Best Country Act – The Robby Hopkins Band becomes this year’s recipient, joining last year winner Nathan Farrow as just the second winner ever in this category. He also has a lead guitar player, Tyler Southern, on my short list for Best Guitar Player award.
Best Blues Act – We have some great blues bands in Chattanooga, and I have heard many of them. Anyone that knows me knows I love the blues. This year’s winner is a relative newcomer in the local scene, but the WTM Blues Band has some established LOCAL artists playing in the group. Led by Thorpe McKenzie, he is joined by lead guitarist Ronnie Dickens (90 Proof), lap steel/fiddle, harmonica player Tim Starnes, drummer Johnny Smith (Cameo, Oak Ridge Boys, Nathan Farrow Band, Convertibull, etc.), bass player Preston Parris, and keyboard player Bernie Faulkner (Exile). They play some really neat stuff, much of it obscure old blues tunes from days gone by, brought up to date by a McKenzie’s unique ability to modernize the sound.
Best Rock Band – This was a toughie, as there are some really fine rock bands here in Chattanooga. I kind of narrowed it down to two…Glowing Bordis and the Jordan Hallquist Band. You pick em’. I picked Glowing Bordis, as they seem a bit more cutting edge.
Best Band I Can’t Put in a Genre – Gabe Newell and Muddy Soul are dynamite. I don’t know what genre they fit into, but they are the bomb. With Gabriel’s great vocals and their killer guitar player, they are one of my faves.
This year’s best venue (cover charge) – is again going to Rhythm & Brews. Track 29 gave them a run for the money, but they are new and are improving with each performance. I would imagine that they will be a real factor next year in their first full year. Rhythm & Brews has consistently brought in top touring acts and locally based acts, as well. Located in the heart of downtown, Rhythm & Brews has also been the site of several fund-raisers for those less fortunate.
The year’s best venue (no cover charge) – goes to Sugar’s BBQ Downtown. The owners there have made a huge commitment to live music, with a full stage, state-of-the art sound system, and sound engineer. They feature live music several nights per week and have featured some the best local dance bands, as well as singer-songwriters from Chattanooga and Nashville.
Best New Venue goes to Track 29. They have built a large venue, already sold out a few shows and have also shown a commitment to bring top quality acts, both locally based and nationally known ones.
Best food at a music venue is a simple one. Bud’s Sportsbar wins it hands down. Steaks, wings and everything in between, Bud’s is top notch all the way.
Most fun event for the year goes to the Mingo Fishtrap performance at Nightfall this past summer. A spectacular show, great crowd, and a fun band made for a great time.
The Best Riverbend Show (Non Coke Stage act) – I really liked JJ Grey and Mofro, so they win. Getting to see Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs perform the shortest number one song in history – Stay – was a thrill, also.
The Best Riverbend Show (Coke Stage) goes to Alan Jackson. He put on a great show, professional in every manner, capped off with a stirring video of local hot spots in Chattanooga. He even made mention of playing years ago at the Governors Lounge. The coolest show was the Machine, performing Pink Floyd with the CSO and the lasers.
Next week, stay tuned for part two of the awards, including Best Guitar Player, Best Bass Player, Best Drummer, Top Female Singer, Top Male Singer, Entertainer of the Year, and more!
Because of the length of this week’s column, please refer to one of the websites listed here for the schedule…Ditto for the next two weeks, as I will be on vacation. Schedules can be found at City Night Scope, or Chattanooga Entertainers. They both have great local music info and schedules. For local info on Country music, try Jim Boles’ site here.
Email Bob Payne at davrik2000@yahoo.com or click here for Facebook Page.