Music awards for three Aboriginal acts from Manitoba

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October 11, 2011

Three Aboriginal recording acts from Manitoba landed awards at this year’s Native American Music Awards (NAMA). The NAMAs were handed out in Niagara Falls, New York on October 7, 2011.

Singer/songwriter Don Amero picked up hardware for Best Folk Recording for his latest, The Long Way Home. He also had a nod for Debut Artist of the Year. The album has already garnered several nominations this year, including four Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards and a Western Canadian Music Award.


Musician/composer/producer, Vince Fontaine, who is perhaps best known for his award-winning rock outfit Eagle & Hawk, won for Best Instrumental Recording for his album Songs for Turtle Island. He was also nominated for Best Producer for his work on the album.

Opera singer Rhonda Head won for Best World Music Recording for her debut, Kayas. Head also earned a nomination at the Indian Summer Music Award earlier this year.

Both Fontaine and Head were on hand to accept their awards in Niagara Falls.

Manitoba artists were nominated for a total of seven NAMAs this year, including two nods for country songstress Desiree Dorion.

The NAMAs feature a diverse group of over 125 nominees with origins as far as Alaska and Hawaii and New Zealand in 25 categories. NAMA is a leading membership-based association composed of artists, music industry professionals, and other professionals dedicated to promoting and preserving Aboriginal music through the United States and around the world.


For more information on the Native American Music Awards, please visit nativeamericanmusicawards.com