FALLS CHURCH, VA (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The 25th annual Wammies will honor Tom Paxton as well as The Stonemans as Hall of Fame inductees at the February 20th ceremony in at The State Theatre, Falls Church, VA.
Since moving to Alexandria, VA in 1996, folk legend Tom Paxton has received a 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy during the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, a Wammie Award for his album "Comedians and Angels" in 2008, a Lifetime Achievement Award from ASCAP, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC in London.
Ernest Van "Pop" Stoneman & The Stonemans ranked among the recording artists of country music's first commercial decade.
Living in the DC area in 1947, the Stoneman Family won a talent contest at Constitution Hall that gave them six months' exposure on local television. In 1956, Pop won $10,000 on the NBC-TV quiz show The Big Surprise and sang on the show as well.
That same year, the Blue Grass Champs, a group composed largely of his children, were winners on the CBS-TV program Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, and Mike Seeger recorded Pop and Hattie for Folkways.
Stoneman retired from labor and the Champs went full time to become the Stonemans. They received CMA's "Vocal Group of the Year" in 1967. Pop Stoneman died at age 75.
On February 12th, 2008, Ernest "Pop" Stoneman was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Three of his children, Patsy, Donna, and Roni (who also starred on Hew Haw) are still performing.
25th Wammies Onstage Performers Include:
Charm City Devils
Faycez U Know
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Hula Monsters (in tribute to Dave Giegerich,who passed away in December)
Julia Nixon
Rhianna LaRoque (2010 P.A.S.S. Grand Prize winner)
More TBA
Seth Kibel and the Wire Choir will be the pit band.
The pre-Wammies VIP Reception, sponsored by the Falls Church News-Press, will be held at Argia's, Falls Church, VA with Trio Calente performing. An After Event Party will be held at Bangkok Blues, Falls Church, VA with Lucky Dub performing.
Special Awards will be given to:
WHFS in Special Appreciation for years of support for local musicians; Special Recognition to musician Dave Giegerich; and Special Achievement to the WAMA Founders for 25 years of Wammies Award Shows celebrating the local music scene.
Check out the full list of this year's nominees.
— Crystal Lynn Huntoon
