The Ameripolitan Awards Announce 2017 Nominees
The 4th Annual Ameripolitan Awards will transpire at the Paramount Theatre in Austin TX on February 15th, 2017, and Tuesday morning the organization that looks to shine a spotlight on American music with a heavy roots influence announced the nominees for the 2017 awards. Awards are handed out in four primary categories, and given out to male, female, and group nominees. Venues, DJ’s, festivals, and musicians are also nominated.
Founded by Dale Watson after the “Old Farts & Jackasses” comments of Blake Shelton, the Ameripolitan Awards was Dale’s answer to the concern that so many artists doing their best to keep roots traditions alive were going unrecognized by the rest of the country music industry. Since the first year, the awards have grown from a ballroom in a hotel in Austin to the Paramount where people from around the country travel to take part in the festivities. The Ameripolitan Music Awards acknowledges “Artists whose music honors tradition while demonstrating exceptional originality, creativity, and musicianship,” and is a 501(c)3 organization.
The 2017 Ameripolitan Awards will be hosted by Western Swing legend Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel, and Dale Watson.
Voting for the nominees will commence on December 18th Sunday, January 8, 2017. Fans can vote using the ‘Ameripolitan’ app or online at Ameripolitan.com. Tickets for the 4th Annual Ameripolitan Music Awards start at $45 and are available now at www.austintheatre.org.
Honky Tonk Group
Country Side of Harmonica Sam – Sweden
Gary P Nunn and The Bunkhouse Band – Oklahoma
Jake Hooker & The Outsiders – Paradise, Texas
The Cactus Blossoms – Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Malpass Brothers – Goldsboro, NC
Honk Tonk Male
Jake Penrod – Austin, Texas
Artie Rodriguez – Defuniak Springs, Florida
Luke Bell – Nashville, TN
Jason James – Houston, Texas
Joshua Hedley – Nashville, TN
Honky Tonk Female
Lorraine Chavana – Austin, Texas
Brennen Leigh – Austin, Texas
Vanessa Niemann – New Orleans, LA
Leona Williams – Branson, Missouri
Karen Jonas – Fredericksburg, VA
Western Swing Group
Carolyn Sills Combo – Santa Cruz, CA
Western Flyers – Ft. Worth, TX
50 Shades of Hay – Nashville, TN
Western Swing Authority – Ontario, Canada
Shoot Low Sheriff – Dallas, TX
Western Swing Female
Stacey Lee Guse – Ontario, Canada
Carolyn Sills – Santa Cruz, CA
Kristyn Harris – McKinney, TX
Mikki Daniel – Richardson, TX
Wendy Newcomer – Nashville, TN
Western Swing Male
Billy Mata – San Antonio, TX
Jake Hooker – Ft. Worth, TX
Pokey LaFarge – St. Louis, Missouri
Dave Alexander – Dallas, Texas
Jody Nix –Big Spring, TX
Rockabilly Group
The Silvershakers – Fayetteville, Arkansas
The Doel Brothers – Hants, England
Jittery Jack – Boston, MA
Don Diego Trio – Italy
Nathan Belt and the Buckles – Nashville, TN
Rockabilly Male
Marcel Riesco – Los Angeles, CA
Adam Lopez – Denver, CO
Bloodshot Bill – Montreal, Canada
Babe Miller – Detroit, Michigan
Lance Lipinsky – Chicago, IL
Rockabilly Female
Lara Hope – Hudson Valley, NY
Bailey Dee – Chicago, IL
Rockin Bonnie – Italy
Fia Sco – Vienna, Austria
Cherry Divine – Melbourne, Australia
Outlaw Group
Dallas Moore Band – Cincinnati, OH
Barnyard Stompers – San Antonio, TX
The Ponderosa Aces – Long Beach, CA
Miss Lonely Hearts Band – Santa Cruz, CA
Tony Martinez Band – Phoenix, AZ
Outlaw Male
Dusty Rust – Kansas City, MO
Hank III – Nashville, TN
AJ Hobbs – Los Angeles, CA
Cash O’Riley – Flint, MI
Scott H. Biram – Austin, TX
Outlaw Female
Jenny Don’t – Portland, Oregon
Tommy Ash – Phoenix, AZ
Darci Carlson – Seattle, WA
Sissy Brown – Lawton, OK
Emily Nenni – Nashville, TN
ADDITIONAL CATEGORIES INCLUDE:
Venue
Rock’ N’ Bowl – New Orleans, LA
Don the Beachcomber – Huntington Beach CA
The Nashville Palace – Nashville TN
Lil’ Red’s Longhorn Saloon – Fort Worth TX
American Legion Post 82 – Nashville, TN
Sportsmen’s Tavern – Buffalo NY
Skinny Dennis – Brooklyn NY
The Four Corners Music Hall – Untermeitingen, Germany
Lee’s Liquor Lounge – Minneapolis, MN
Zoo Bar, Lincoln – NE
Festival
Nashville Boogie – Nashville, TN
New England Shake Up – Sturbridge, MA
Best Little Cowboy Gathering-La Grange, TX
Screamin’ Festival – Barcelona, Spain
West Port Roots Festival – Kansas City, MO
DJ
Jimi Palacios, WHIV 102.3 FM New Orleans, LA
Julea Thomerson, WMBLA 1690 Atlanta, GA
James Riley, SURF 97.3 FM Flager Beach FL
Woody Adkins, KOPN 89.5 FM Columbia MO
Chuck Ramsey, Texas Dance Hall Radio, Oklahoma
Marivi Yubero, Aventura Radio, Madrid, Spain
Eddie White, 2RRR 88.5 FM Sydney Australia
Ann Harwood Lucas, KCWM 1460 AM, Hondo, TX
Don Sticksel, Los Angeles, CA
Timothy Benton KSVY 91.3 FM Sonoma Valley, CA
Musician
Mike Bernal – Austin, TX
Clyde Mattocks – North Carolina
Joel Patterson – Chicago, IL
Chris Scruggs – Nashville, TN
Chris Casello – Nashville, TN
Ashley Kingman – Los Angeles, CA
Brett Resnick
Earl Pool Ball – Austin, TX
Rose Sinclair – Austin, TX
T Jarrod Bonta – Austin, TX
Michael
December 13, 2016 @ 10:27 am
Where is Jason Robert’s or whys he missing in some of the categories? Certainly should be up for Honky Tonk and Western Swing categories easily. He as well as his band epitomizes western swing.
Trigger
December 13, 2016 @ 10:43 am
Jason Roberts absolutely cleaned up at Ameripolitan last year. Perhaps they didn’t nominate him so someone else could win this year 🙂
I miss Stevie Gaines
December 13, 2016 @ 1:23 pm
Lee’s Liquor Lounge – Minneapolis, MN, I love this website!
Corncaster
December 13, 2016 @ 2:49 pm
so, so frickin important to mah MUST BUY list
thank you Dale!
Corncaster
December 13, 2016 @ 2:53 pm
wait a sec … some of these “Ameripolitan” acts are from Sweden? Australia? Madrid?
global music? .. that’s .. well, dad blummed Blake said this music was for old farts and jackasses!
could it actually be … good?
Steve RAT Silvas
December 13, 2016 @ 4:03 pm
Please let us know when we’ll be able to vote on catagories.Looking forward in being part of this
process.
Andrew
December 13, 2016 @ 5:42 pm
Why was Hank 3 nominated? He hasn’t done anything in a while(at least not to my knowledge).
Trigger
December 13, 2016 @ 7:56 pm
I think Dale Watson and the Ameripolitan folks are doing a great thing by creating this new organization from which to shine a spotlight on artists that regularly get overlooked. One of by concerns though is it is done through promoting artists as opposed to albums and songs. This makes it even more of a popularity and “get out the vote” contest than rewarding music, while not giving fans an actionable way to consume the music of the winners.
That said, I’m glad Hank3 was nominated, if for no other reason than maybe getting nominated and possibly winning might be a way to coax him out of the rabbit hole he appears to have fallen in. I don’t have confidence it will be effective, but I appreciate the effort. And I think when taking a long perspective, he deserves it.
Andrew
December 13, 2016 @ 8:01 pm
I’m glad too, it would be great for him to get out performing again! I agree that he would deserve the award, if it’s more of a popularity contest like you said.
Kevin
December 13, 2016 @ 7:01 pm
Awesome to see Luke bell and Josh hedley!
EK
December 14, 2016 @ 6:00 am
From a discovery perspective, it would have been nice to see a live link to each artist’s web page after their respective listing . . . if they have one.
Trigger
December 14, 2016 @ 9:11 am
The list of nominees actually came with hyperlinks already embedded in the names to websites and Facebook pages, and I 86’d them. The reason is because that level of excessive hyperlinking is severely frowned upon by Google and other search engines. It would not only hurt this particular article, but could hurt the entire website in search results. Lists of hyperlinks are immediately seen by Google as spam/Malware traps. It is assumed in 2016 that web users know how to search for information themselves, and it’s actually better for the exposure for the artists if people search for them as opposed to clicking on a hyperlink when it is included with dozens of other hyperlinks. One or two hyperlinks are great. 90 hyperlinks in a row is madness.
Charlie
December 14, 2016 @ 6:04 am
Agree in part on the H III nod, however I believe the category he should be nominated in is ‘Future Comeback Award’.
#NoMoreLameHashtagsIPromise
Berni
December 14, 2016 @ 7:17 am
What? How have I never heard of the New England Shake Up in Sturbridge, MA? I live 20 miles from there! One more reason I love this site – now I know. Have any of you guys ever attended? Anyone going to this years Joe Val Festival? Bueller? Bueller?
Kevin Smith
December 19, 2016 @ 7:20 am
Hi Berni, I attended the Shake Up in Sturbridge this year. I wrote an article on it and did a 20 picture spread in the current issue of Blue Suede News. Great festival, a lot of rockabilly and some country. Folks like Deke Dickerson, Bloodshot Bill, Marti Brom, The B Stars and others. Very retro kind of fest, many fans dress rockabilly.
Fish Camp Barbie
December 26, 2016 @ 7:01 pm
I went to the first one and am going to this one. I hate I missed the last two years, as there are so many other cool shows, venues to attend centered around the awards. And I hear lots of late night jam sessions in the hotel lobbies.
scottinnj
December 18, 2016 @ 8:10 am
spotify:user:scottinnj124:playlist:4OvqhPJUxy336lEfyrrhVr
Put in a Spotify List (hope the links above work)
Jacob Ware
December 20, 2016 @ 7:09 am
They should have an excellence in music journalism award. I know who I would vote for…. Marissa….. just kidding SCM all the way. Maybe hank 3 will at least perform?
Berni
December 20, 2016 @ 9:02 am
Thanks, Kevin. Looks like a fun time. I’ll have to check out the next one!
Ian
November 12, 2021 @ 9:52 pm
Amazon played Jake Hooker after my Merle Haggard ended tonight. I was tearing out a structural wall in my house and discovered I had to demo concrete in addition to the other horseshit. Let me tell you, Jake Hooker was an awesome surprise! I immediately checked here to see if you had reviewed his albums but this is the only mention. He plays bass so all the songs have a groove. Pedal steel, great voice. Good writing. Nine thumbs up as Homer Simpson says. Hey Jake, keep pickin’!