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For other years, see MINNESOTA MUSIC AWARDS.

Whether or not it was intended, the 1981 Yammies turned out to be the first year of the Minnesota Music Awards.

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DATE:   April 6, 1981

PLACE:  Sam’s (Now First Avenue)

SPONSOR:  Sweet Potato Magazine (the precursor to City Pages)

HOST:  Peter Lang

NOTE:  Nominations were made by about 200 people in the music industry, including writers, booking agents, engineers, and club owners.  There were 22 categories.  Nominees were printed in two consecutive issues of Sweet Potato Magazine and readers sent in 1,400 votes.

ENTERTAINMENT:

• Doug Maynard Band and Shangoya in the Main Room

 

• Curtiss A and the Hypsterz in the 7th Street Entry

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1981 NOMINEES AND WINNERS

*** For each category, the winner is at the top of the list in bold; runners-up are in italics; the other nominees follow. ***

MAJOR AWARDS

Best 45 or EP

• Funkytown – Lipps, Inc./ Souvenirs – Jesse Brady (tie)
• I’m so Neat – The Phones 
  
• I Remember Romance – Flamin’ Oh’s 
• You’re No Good (You’re Funky) – Willie & the Bees 
  
• I Don’t Want to be President – Curtiss A
• You & Me – Rocky Robbins
• She Said Goodbye – The Phones
• Emergency One – Ice Stars
• Calhoun Surf EP – The Overtones
• Lycanthropy – Curtiss A
• Hypsterz – Live EP
• Seven Inch Love – Cindy Cancer  (This record didn’t actually exist – it was a hoax fueled by too many Heinekens.)
• Chronic Alkie – Wilma and the Wilbers
• Time to Become Robots – Danger Roads
• Sven Ivan – Arne Fogel
• Uptown – Prince
• Land of the Free – Curtiss A

Best LP

• Up From the Alley – Lamont Cranston
• Flamin’ Oh’s – Flamin’ Oh’s 
• Hometown Album – KDWB & Various Artists 
• The Lullabye – Doug Maynard Band 
• Mouth to Mouth – Lipps, Inc. 
• Songwriter’s Album – KQRS & Various Artists 
• Hypsterization – Hypsterz
• Spaces – Herb Pilhofer
• Courtesy – Curtiss A
• Yr – Steve Tibbets
• Hail to the Modern Hero – Sussman Lawrence
• River of Swing – Hull and Blackburn
• Nutz & Buttz – Raggs
• Artesian Dreams – Artesian Dreams
• Later Years – Explodo Boys
• Dirty Mind – Prince
• Rockin’ Hollywoods – Rockin’ Hollywoods
• In Combo – Suburbs
• Point of Refuge – Mark Gaddis
• Living in a Rich Man’s World – Larry Long
• The Prairie Home Companion Anniversary Album – Garrison Keillor and Various Artists

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MUSICIANS

Best New Act

• Doug Maynard Band
• Metro All Stars
• Phones
• Safety Last
• Wallets
• Ben Day Dots
• Mark Gaddis Group
• Expose
• White Raven
• Jim Ghiloni Band
• Replacements
• Johnny Rey
• North
• Warheads
• Hit Squad
• Dale Dahlquist
• Cats Under the Stars
• Tom Wiggins
• Sentimentals
• Michael Monroe Group
• Behringer
• Snaps

 

 

Best Horn Player

• Larry McCabe – Lamont Cranston
• Bruce Allard – Bruce Allard Trio & the Upper Mississippi Jazz Band
• Billy Schiell – John Erikson & the Nightriders
• Paul Sheer – Explodo Boys
• Red Wolfe – Port of Dixie Jazz Band
• Homer Lambrecht
• Scott Huestis
• Eddie Berger
• Vern Mooney
• Dave Marden
• Rick O’Dell
• Bill Glaskill
• Gene Adams

Best Reed Player/Wind Instrument

• Eddie Berger – Jazz All Stars (tie)
• Pat Moriarty – Pat Moriarity Quartet (tie)
• Rick O’Dell – Lamont Cranston (tie)
• Larry McDonald – Raggs
• Butch Thompson – Butch Thompson Trio
• Tim O’Keefe
• Maurice Jacox
• Dave Karr
• Dick Perna
• Denny Landeen
• Gene Hoffman
• Larry Ankorum
• Joe Smith
• Tom Burnevik
• Jean Decker
• Morris Wilson

Best Electric Guitar

• Gene Wilhelmi – Metro All Stars
• Ernie Batson – Hypsterz
• Charlie Bingham – Lamont Cranston
• John Donaldson – Chameleon
• Willie Murphy – Willie & the Bees
• Bob Bingham
• John Evans
• Bobby Schnitzer
• John de la Salvo
• Jeff Christensen
• Bob Dunlap
• Curtiss Almsted
• Steve Tibbets
• Marc Partridge
• Jeff Bouchier
• Terry Gardner
• Jim Waldbillig
• Dan Lund
• Robb Van Vranken
• Bruce Kuman
• Rick Cerant
• Bill Dicky
• Tom Williams
• Steve Solomonson
• Steve Brantseg
• Chris Osgood
• Bob Dunlop
• Mark Orion
• Tony Ghiloni
• Johnny Rey
• Jeff Waryan
• Tim Holmes
• Frank Berry
• Jim Behringer
• Larry Hayes

Best Acoustic Guitar

• Peter Lang
• Sean Blackburn
• Dave Hull
• Papa John Kolstad
• Michael Monroe
• Paul Metsa
• Bob Bovee
• Bob Douglas
• Bill Hinkley
• Terry Gardner

Best Bass

• Willie Murphy
• Steve Fjelstad – L73
• Mick Mazoff – Lamont Cranston
• Billy Peterson
• Larry Stock – Metro All Stars
• Rick Houle
• Terry Grant
• Jody Ray
• Dan Conroy
• Jim Reilly
• Dick Shegstean
• Jim Edwards
• John Welluang
• Mark Jones
• Jerome Braughton
• Chris Hinding
• Paul Manske
• Greg Hippen
• Slats Campbell
• Dugan McNeill
• Steve Almaas
• Joe Demko
• Barb Montoro
• Larry Weigand

Best Keyboard Player

• Butch Thompson – Butch Thompson Trio
• Andy Bailey – Metro All Stars
• Bruce McCabe – Lamont Cranston
• Ricky Peterson – Class Action
• Chan Poling – Suburbs
• Bill Barber
• Robyn Lee
• Rod Gordan
• Jeff Victor
• Jim Walsh
• Dale Haesier
• Steve Kramer
• John McKenzie
• Mark Goldstein
• Roger Dumas
• Dale Menten
• Mark Anthony
• Joe Behrend
• Gregg Inhofer
• Bobby Peterson
• John  Rivers

Best Fiddler

• Mary DuShane – Cadillac Sally
• Pat Frederic – Daisy Dillman Band
• Bill Hinkley – Bill Hinkley & Judy Larson
• Peter Ostroushko – New Prairie Ramblers
• Jim Price – Artesian Dreams

Best Drummer

• Dan Flaherty – Dillman Band
• Charlie Adams – Chameleon
• Eric Gravatt – Mystic Harbor Bridge
• Gordon Knutson – Studio Musician
• Bob Meide – Flamin’ Oh’s
• Dave Ahl
• Jay Mattes
• Robby Belleville
• Glenn Swanson
• Bobby Vandell
• Howard Merriweather
• Milo Fine
• Tom Graham
• Bruce Browning
• Phil Hey
• Rich Urbaniak
• Jim Monsendrider
• Michael Mozahn

Best Misc. Instrument

• Steve Kimmel – Vibes, Percussion – Artesian Dreams
• Stevie Beck – Autoharp
• Cal Hand – Dobro, Hoofbeats, Pedal Steel
• Peter Nelson – Steel Drum – Shangoya
• Peter Ostroushko – Mandolin – New Prairie Ramblers
• Chuck Smith – Vibes
• John Beach – Melodica

Best Male Vocalist

• Doug Maynard – Doug Maynard Band
• Curt Almsted – Curtiss A
• Mark Anthony – Chameleon
• Jeff Cerise – The Phones
• Prince
• Mark Gaddis
• Baby Doo Caston
• Rick Hutsell
• Xeno
• Pat Hayes
• Chad Magnuson
• Willie Murphy
• Don Holschuh
• Dave Ahl
• Tom Baden
• Yata Peinovich
• Tom Lieberman
• Barry Goldberg
• Rockie Robbins
• Dugan McNeill
• Bruce McCabe
• Dave Wagner
• Tom Fender
• Alexander O’Neal
• Melvin Peterson

 

 

Best Female Vocalist

• Mary Jane Alm – Mary Jane Alm Band
• Margaret Cox – Doug Maynard Band
• Roberta Davis – Roberta Davis Group
• Cynthia Johnson – Lipps, Inc.
• Prudence Johnson – Rio Nido
• Sue Ann Carwell
• Melanie Rosales
• Madeline Hart
• Jan King
• Cindy Franzen
• Sandy Sherman
• Christine Hoffman
• Cindy Cancer
• Cathy Mason (Wilma)
• Jane Henderson
• Kate Chenoweth
• Danielle Zenner
• Sandy Bonham
• Terry Paul
• Sherry Carr
• Kristin Erickson
• Barb With
• Shirley Witherspoon
• Patty Peterson

Best Rock Band

• Lamont Cranston
• Chameleon
• Flamin’ Oh’s
• Jesse Brady
• Metro All Stars
• d.b. Cooper
• Dare Force
• Pistons
• Sentimentals
• Warheads
• Replacements
• Fine Art
• Husker Du
• Phones
• Safety Last
• Hypstrz
• Tropics
• Fairchild
• Raggs
• Sharks
• Speedwiener
• Dame
• The News
• Magic
• Wilma  the Wilbers
• Whitesidewalls
• Crow
• Suburbs
• NNB
• Snaps

Best Country/Country Rock Band

• Dillman Band
• Both Barrels Band
• Johnny Holm Band
• Sky Blue Water Boys
• Whiskey River
• Steamboat Willie
• Moonshine
• Hull & Blackburn
• Sagebrush
• Salt Creek
• Bandolero
• Cadillac Sally
• Bill Hinkley & Judy Larson
• City Mouse
• F Troop
• Double Nickels

Best Show Band

• Wallets
• Class Action
• Lipps, Inc.
• Prince
• Whitesidewalls
• Gangbusters
• Take Five
• Sister Max
• Free & Easy

Best Jazz Band

• Rio Nido
• Artesian Dreams
• Eddie Berger & the Jazz All Stars
• Cats Under the Stars
• Wolverines
• Mystic Harbour Bridge
• Steve Clifford Trio
• Marv’s Rhythm Kings
• Butch Thompson Trio
• Roberta Davis Group
• Pat Moriarty Quartet
• Export
• Hall Brothers Dixieland Band
• Peter Barbeau Quintet
• Morris Wilson Fusion

Best R&B Band

• Willie & the Bees
• Flyte Time
• Inside Straight
• Lamont Cranston
• Doug Maynard Band
• Fatt City
• Bees Knees
• Larry Hayes and the Tonearms
• Red Ryder
• Lynwood Slim and the Shuffles

Best Folk Musician or Group

• Artesian Dreams
• Red Gallagher
• Robert “One Man” Johnson
• Michael Monroe
• New Prairie Ramblers
• Steve Tibbets
• Blackburn & Hull
• Jerry Rau
• Zeitgeist
• John Bailey
• John Koerner
• Tom Lieberman
• Winners and Losers
• Larry Long
• Madeline Hart

Musician of the Year

• Mary Jane Alm/Prince  (tie)
• Pat Frederic – Dillman Band
• Willie Murphy – Willie & the Bees
• Steve Tibbets
• Bruce “Creeper” Kurnow
• Bill Barber
• Mark Orion
• Gene Wilhelmi
• Steve Kramer
• Jeff Cenise
• Chad Magnuson
• Ricky Peterson
• Dave Ahl
• Steve Fjelstad
• Johnny Holm
• Dale Dahlquist
• Peter Ostroushko
• Vern Mooney
• Charlie Adams
• John Donaldson
• Bruce McCabe
• Lonnie Knight
• Butch Thompson
• Steve Greenberg
• Milo Fine

Best Overall Band

• Dillman Band
• Chameleon
• Lamont Cranston
• Doug Maynard Band
• Willie & the Bees
• Artesian Dreams
• Crow
• Shangoya
• Flamin’ Oh’s
• Moonshine
• Jesse Brady
• Metro All Stars
• Phones
• Wallets
• Sharks
• Fairchild
• Jim Ghiloni Band
• Fine Art
• Hypstrz
• Suburbs
• Wolverines

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