(CelebrityAccess News Service) – The Sixth Annual Native American Music Awards will be held on November 15 at the Isleta Casino Resort Showroom in Albuquerque, NM. Tickets are priced at $50-$25; VIP tickets are $100, which provide preferred seating and admittance into the post show VIP Party at Isleta's Tiwa Steakhouse.
Since 1999, the Native American Music Awards has previously held three highly successful awards ceremonies in Albuquerque, including at the Popejoy Hall and the Sandia Casino's outdoor amphitheater.
Isleta Pueblo Governor Alvino Lucero states," It's an honor and privilege to host an event of this magnitude here at Isleta Casino Resort and the Pueblo of Isleta. The national recognition of hosting such an event is an example of how Native American Music is now being recognized around the world and is a true statement for Native American entrepreneurship across the country."
Over 145 national music recordings were submitted for nomination consideration for the Sixth Annual Native American Music Awards making this year's tally a new record high for the organization's six-year history. Nominee submissions were made by the Native American Music Awards (NAMA) Advisory/Industry membership. Eligible recordings must have been commercially released from April 1, 2002 thru March 31, 2003 and have national distribution by a domestic record company and/or an authorized distributor. Winners of the Sixth Annual Native American Music Awards will be determined through national membership mail-in ballots and a national voting campaign open to the general public at www.nammys.com.
Previous honorees have included; Crystal Gayle, Bill Miller, Joanne Shenandoah, R. Carlos Nakai, Robert Mirabal, Indigenous, Litefoot, Robbie Robertson, Rita Coolidge, Tom Bee, John Trudell, the Navajo Codetalkers (Living Legend), the late Jimi Hendrix and Hank Williams, and Notah Begaye III (Thorpe Sports Award).
National average of national native American music recordings released per year:
1994-96 55 releases
1997 64 releases increase of 11.5%
1998 144 releases increase of 116%
1999 97 releases decrease of 33%
2000 130 releases increase of 32%
2001 140 releases increase of 8%
Annual average: 105 releases per year
Annual average since 1998: 127 releases per year
–Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
