As we’ve previously mentioned, the 40th WAMI Award Show was postponed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After a lengthy delay, it was finally able to take place on Sunday, October 17, 2021 at Turner Hall Ballroom.
Beyond the awards portion of the event, the 40th WAMI Awards featured performances from Kevn Kinney, Semi-Twang, The Esquires II, Kim Zick’s A Salute To Viola Smith, Bad Boy, Betsy Ade & The Well-Known Strangers, The Docksiders, TAE, Almost Vinyl, and Big Spoon. Semi-Twang, Viola Smith, Kevn Kinney, and The Esquires were inducted into the WAMI Hall of Fame, while Eddie Butts, Vic Thomas, Marilynn Mee, Gary Shaw, and the Madison Area Music Association were added to the WAMI Wall of Honor.
As for the long-awaited WAMI Award winners, plaques were given to (or will be given to, if they weren’t in attendance) the likes of Buffalo Gospel, Klassik, IfIHadAHiFi, Rose Of The West, Something To Do, DJ Bizzon, The Saloon On Calhoun (of course), Marielle Allschwang & The Visitations, and many other musicians, venues, radio stations, and music fans from Milwaukee and various other parts of Wisconsin.
Here’s the full list of winners, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Artist of the year: Unity The Band
Album of the year: “Power Petting,” Black Belt Theatre
Song of the year: “Love Lies Bleeding,” Rose of the West
New artist of the year: 7000apart
Male vocalist of the year: Bobby Rouse
Female vocalist of the year: Jennifer Schafer
Singer-songwriter of the year: Kurt Gunn
Rising Star of the year: Lilie Fouts
Alternative rock artist: Marielle Allschwang & the Visitations
Bluegrass/Americana artist: Them Coulee Boys
Christian/gospel artist: Samuel Elias
Blues artist: The Jay Stulo Band
Country artist: Buffalo Gospel
Cover artist: Almighty Vinyl
Folk/Celtic artist: The Roving Scallywags
Hard Rock artist: Last Crack
Metal artist: Morta Skuld
Punk artist: IfIHadAHiFi
Jazz artist: Mr. Chair
Polka artist: Stas Venglevski
Pop-rock artist: Rose of the West
Hip-hop/rap artist: Klassik
R&B/soul artist: Bryon Cherry
World/reggae/ska/Latin: Something to Do
Club/DJ/dance/electronic artist: DJ Bizzon
Horn/big band artist: Stephen Cooper and the Nobody Famous
Tribute artist: The Docksiders
Bass: Cedric LeMoyne
Drummer: Mike Malone
Guitarist: Sean Williamson
Keyboard: Joe Hite
Reeds/brass: Matt Antoniewicz
Strings: Tim McIlere
Best studio engineer/producer: Eric LaBrosse
Best recording studio: Kneeverland Productions
Best live club/venue: The Saloon on Calhoun
Best live engineer sound/lights: Craig Vetrone
President’s Award: Geoff Landon
Artist of the year (People’s Choice Southeast Quadrant): Tangled Lines
Radio station (People’s Choice Southeast Quadrant): 102.9 The Hog
Fan of the year (People’s Choice Southeast Quadrant): Brenda Blackhalo
Music teacher of the year (People’s Choice Southeast Quadrant): Marty Morgan
Music venue of the year (People’s Choice Southeast Quadrant): The Saloon on Calhoun
Artist of the year (People’s Choice Northeast Quadrant): That ’90s Band
Radio station (People’s Choice Northeast Quadrant): 101 WIXX
Fan of the year (People’s Choice Northeast Quadrant): Doris Budwit
Music teacher of the year (People’s Choice Northeast Quadrant): Renee Millard
Music venue of the year (People’s Choice Northeast Quadrant): Stone Toad Bar & Grill
Artist of the year (People’s Choice Northwest Quadrant): The Dweebs
Radio station (People’s Choice Northwest Quadrant): 92.9 The X
Fan of the year (People’s Choice Northwest Quadrant): Chris Evanston
Music teacher of the year (People’s Choice Northwest Quadrant): Victoria Shoemaker
Music venue of the year (People’s Choice Northwest Quadrant): Schuggy’s
Artist of the year (People’s Choice Southwest Quadrant): Cherry Pie
Radio station (People’s Choice Southwest Quadrant): 101.5 WIBA
Fan of the year (People’s Choice Southwest Quadrant): Kati Schirmer
Music teacher of the year (People’s Choice Southwest Quadrant): Tara Imhof
Music venue of the year: Fawn Creek Winery
Hall of Fame: Viola Smith, Semi-Twang, The Esquires, Kevn Kinney
Wall of Honor: Madison Area Music Association, Eddie Butts, Bob Babisch, Vic Thomas, Marilynn Mee, Gary Shaw