The 2011 Big Easy Music Awards
The winners and the photos from a night celebrating the best in New Orleans music
by Kevin Allman @NOLAKevinJazz and electronica. Rap and gospel. Harmonica and heavy metal. At the 2011 Big Easy Music Awards ceremony, held April 25 at Harrah's New Orleans, every genre and sub-genre of Louisiana music was represented as Gambit and the Big Easy Foundation saluted the city's best of the best. Many of the nominated artists performed as well.
John Boutte received the Entertainer of the Year award, and jammed with honorary music awards chairman Kermit Ruffins. The Radiators received the Lifetime Achievement Award (the band is hanging it up next month after more than 30 years). Joseph "Smokey" Johnson took the Music Heritage Award for his contributions to New Orleans music from the 1950s to the 1990s, while attorney Chip Forstall (who often uses New Orleans musicians in his TV ads) received the Business Recognition Award. Mayor Mitch Landrieu presented Treme creators David Simon and Eric Overmyer with the Ambassadors of New Orleans Music Award.
The other winners:
BEST MALE PERFORMER
Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews
BEST FEMALE PERFORMER
Meschiya Lake
BEST ALBUM OF 2010
Galactic, Ya-Ka-May
BEST TRADITIONAL JAZZ
Kermit Ruffins
BEST CONTEMPORARY JAZZ
Terence Blanchard
BEST TRADITIONAL BRASS BAND
Treme Brass Band
BEST CONTEMPORARY BRASS BAND
Stooges Brass Band
BEST GOSPEL CHOIR
First Emanuel Baptist Church
BEST GOSPEL GROUP/INDIVIDUAL
Aaron Neville
BEST FUNK BAND
Galactic
BEST R&B
Dr. John
BEST RAP/HIP HOP
Curren$y
BEST BLUES
Little Freddie King
BEST HARD ROCK/HEAVY METAL
Goatwhore
BEST ROCK
The Radiators
BEST ROOTS ROCK
Honey Island Swamp Band
BEST COUNTRY/FOLK
Hurray for the Riff Raff
BEST ZYDECO
Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band
BEST CAJUN
Feufollet
BEST LATIN
Los Po-Boy-Citos
BEST WORLD/REGGAE
Panorama Jazz Band
BEST MIXED BAG
Matt Perrine and Sunflower City
BEST EMERGING BAND
Revivalists
BEST DJ/ELECTRONICA
Gypsyphonic Disko
