Minnesota Music Awards 1985

The nominees listed below came from a supplement of the City Pages, and the winners came from Jon Bream’s article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune dated May 21, 1985.

I apologize for any misspellings of anyone’s name; it could be from the source, or it could be from my typing. Please contact me if you need to have something corrected. Thanks!

For other years, see MINNESOTA MUSIC AWARDS.

DATE: May 20, 1985

PLACE: Carlton Celebrity Room, Bloomington

SPONSORS: City Pages, Stroh’s, Great American Music, Wax Museum, The Music Connection Inc., Yamaha Combo Products, Cities 97-FM

HOST:

NOTES:

In 1985 there were eight “public” categories, identified with an * below. Readers wrote in their nominations and the top nominees were submitted to a second vote to determine the winner.

An MMA Category Committee re-evaluated the categories between Academy and Public voting. “There was a tremendous effort to expand the categories to include all of the areas which are indigenous to Minnesota music.” The result was many, many categories and only three nominees per category. Also eliminated were the awards for the various instruments. On the Category Committee were:

- Jon Bream
- Bob Protzman
- Martin Keller
- Jeff Pike
- Reid McLean
- Jack Reuler
- Alan Freed
- Brian Allen
- Pete Rhodes
- Ed Garrett
- Paul Moe
- Suzanne Duran Roy Close

Jeff Pike described all the local musical successes in the City Pages, ending with:

What it all points up to, and what clearly separates Minnesota from, say, Nashville, Detroit, or Philadelphia, is the tremendous diversity to be had here in the land of the lakes. For every sensitive folksinger, there’s head-bangers cranking on amps that go to 11. For every crazed rock ‘n’ roll band wearing flannel shirts, there’s a synthesizer-obsessed proponent of the “Minneapolis sound” (that great fiction). And for every lowdown blues dive, there’s a Mozart connoisseur decked out in tux and tails. Tonight, we honor the best of them in the last year, and it all adds up to a whole lot of honoring going on. That’s all it takes to make a great music town.

Although Prince won nine awards, he was not there to receive them. He was in Boston at a benefit concert with Sheila E, and members of his band and his family accepted for him. When the show was done, he had a total of 20 Minnesota Music Awards.

PERFORMERS:

Leo Johnson Drum Corps
Jevetta Steele with the Mixed Blood Band and Marvette Knight Dancers
Spirit
J.D. Steele Singers
Melanie Rosales
Limited Warranty
The Jets
Alexander O’Neal
Husker Du
Bonnie Raitt

1985 NOMINEES AND WINNERS

*** For each category, the winner is at the top of the list in bold; the other two nominees follow. ***

NOTE: Nominees for the first categories are not on the documentation I got from the City Pages on file at the library. Can’t say if there were other nominations or not.

45/12 INCH RECORD *

Major Label:

When Doves Cry – Prince

Independent Label:

Totally Nude – The Wallets

ALBUM RELEASE *

Major Label:

Purple Rain – Prince Accepted by Revolution drummer Bobby Z

Independent Label:

Follow Her Home Tonight – Jumpstreet

EP OR CASSETTE *

When the Shit Hits the Fan – Replacements

BAND OF THE YEAR *

Prince and the Revolution

ARTIST OF THE YEAR *

Prince

NEW BAND *

Don’t Ask

VIDEO *

Alexander O’Neal – Innocent

COMEDIAN *

Scott Hanson

Musician of the Year

Prince Accepted by Prince’s sister, calling herself Eveene S. (aka Tyka Nelson) per Jon Bream
Jesse Johnson
Tom Riopelle

Rock/Pop Group

Metro All Stars
Jumpstreet
King’s English

Rock/Pop Vocalist

Jody Hanks – Metro All Stars
Brian Kinney – Fairchild
James Walsh – Jumpstreet

Rock/Pop Instrumentalist

Dusty Cox – Sax
Tom Riopelle – Guitar
Pat Mackin – Sax

Heavy Metal Group

Obsession
Husker Du
Dare Force

Heavy Metal Vocalist

Neal Sundet – Obsession
Bill Lindsey – Impaler
Bruce Naumann – Employers

Heavy Metal Instrumentalist

Brian Bart – Dare Force
Brynn Arens – Obsession
Grant Hart – Husker Du

Rock Show/Variety Group

Wallets
Hitz
Fairchild

Rock Show/Variety Vocalist

Steve Kramer – Wallets
Colleen Wold – Water and Wine
Debbie Duncan – Ruperts

Rock Show/Variety Instrumentalist

Gregg Inhofer
Dale Strength
Randy Rosenberry – City Beat

Gospel Group

J.D. Steele Singers
Spirit
Sam Davis Group

Gospel Vocalist

J.D. Steele
Jevetta Stelle
Roberta Davis

Gospel Instrumentalist

Fred Steele – Keyboards
Gary Hines – Keyboards
Sanford Moore – Keyboards

Funk/Dance Group

T.C. Jammers
Westside
Mazarati

Funk/Dance Vocalist

Melanie Rosales
Alexander O’Neal
David Rodriguez – Westside

Funk/Dance Instrumentalist

Ricky Peterson – Keyboards
Bobby Vandell – Drums
David Eiland – Sax

Blues Group

Bingham-McCabe
Minnesota Barking Ducks
Lynwood Slim

Blues Vocalist

Doug Maynard
Lynwood Slim
Willie Murphy

Blues Instrumentalist

Charlie Bingham
Willie Murphy
Lynwood Slim

Folk Group

Paul Metsa
Larry Long
Leo Kottke

Folk Vocalist

Michael Johnson
Paul Metsa
Greg Brown

Folk Instrumentalist

Leo Kottke – Guitar
Paul Metsa – Guitar
Stevie Beck – Autoharp

Bluegrass Group

Middle Spunk Creek Boys
Hardly Herd
Stoney Lonesome

Bluegrass Vocalist

Bruce Jaeger – Middle Spunk Creek Boys
Brian Barnes – Stoney Lonesome
R.W. Johnson – Hardly Herd

Bluegrass Instrumentalist

Peter Ostroushko
Bruce Jaeger
Bill Hinkley

Ethnic Group

Ipso Facto
Boiled in Lead
Shangoya

Ethnic Vocalist

Wain McFarlane – Ipso Facto
Drew Miller – Boiled in Lead
Peter Nelson – Shangoya

Ethnic Instrumentalist

Mitch Griffin – Drums
Todd Menton
Lance Polonaise – Steel Pan

Country Group

Mary Jane Alm Band
Nevada
Steamboat Willie

Country Vocalist

Mary Jane Alm
Johnny Holm
Donna Proctor – Steamboat Willie

Country Instrumentalist

Lonnie Knight – Guitar
Cal Hand – Pedal Steel
Dan Lund – Guitar

Jazz Modern/Mainstream Group

Patty Peterson Group
Rio Nido
Eddie Berger Jazz All Stars

Jazz Modern/Mainstream Vocalist

Patty Peterson
Shirley Witherspoon
Prudence Johnson

Jazz Modern/Mainstream Instrumentalist

Billy Peterson
Irv Williams
Dave Karr

Jazz Fusion Group

Samoa
Dreamscape
Sumner-McCray

Jazz Fusion Vocalist

Ricky Peterson – Samoa
Steve Faison – Samoa
Patty Peterson

Jazz Fusion Instrumentalist

Ricky Peterson
Will Sumner
Billy Peterson

Traditional Classical Group

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
The Dale Warland Singers
Minneapolis Artist Ensemble

Traditional Classical Vocalist

Janis Hardy
Oksana Bryn
Vern Sutton

Traditional Classical Instrumentalist

Pinchas Zucherman – Violin
Robert Levine – Viola
Romauld Tecco – Violin

Contemporary Classical Performer

Richard Dworsky
Pat Moriarty
Zeitgeist

Contemporary Classical Composer

Herb Pilhofer
Libby Larson
Dominick Argento

Female Vocalist

Melanie Rosales
Patty Peterson
Mary Jane Alm

Male Vocalist

Prince Accepted by Revolution keyboardist Matt Fink
J.D. Steele
Alexander O’Neal

Record Producer

Prince – Purple Rain
Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis – Flyte Time Productions
Steve Raitt, Ricky Peterson, Steve Wiese – What You Really Want, Melanie Rosales

Recording Engineer