Every year SPAH bestows three awards on deserving recipients. If you’re a member, you can nominate candidates for any and all of these awards.
To get started, please download the 2017 SPAH awards packet. This will give you all all the rules, the history of past recipients, the nomination forms, and how to submit your nominations by mail or email.
NOTE: Check to make sure your candidate hasn’t already won that award; they can’t win it more than once.
You don’t have to attend the convention to nominate a candidate, but you do have to be a current SPAH member. Remember, all nominations must be received by June 30.
Briefly, the awards are:
Bernie Bray Harmonica Player of the Year Award • Candidates should be individuals (not organizations) who are harmonica players • Candidates’ proficiency should be a source of pride for the community – the award should be for excellence in actually playing the instrument. • Award should be for distinction demonstrated or attained recently, preferably during a twelve month period prior to the deadline for nominations. • Only one person may receive the Bernie Bray Award in any year.
Pete Pedersen Lifetime Achievement Award • Candidates should have a record of achievements over a long period of time that may reasonably be considered to be the virtual equivalent of a lifetime. • Candidates that have established themselves as outstanding harmonica players are preferred. • Candidates should be active in promoting the preservation and advancement of the harmonica and the positive and meaningful interaction of harmonica players and devotees. • Candidates should demonstrate generosity in sharing their talents and knowledge, and in remaining accessible to members of the harmonica community. • Only one person may receive the Pete Pedersen Lifetime Achievement Award in any one year unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise.
Stan Harper Award of Special Merit (formerly the SPAH Award of Special Merit) • Candidates must have benefited the harmonica community in a manner that is deserving of singular honor. • Candidates may be individuals who do not play the harmonica. • Candidates may be organizations.
We look forward to selecting a deserving recipient as a result of your participation. =========== Winslow
Meanwhile, actual nominations of worthy players are starting to show up in the spahawards email box. Keep 'em coming, folks. We want a rich field of candidates to choose from. (Makes for a long, contentious board meeting, but that's OK, I get to wear my lion tamer's hat.)
Adam Gussow would be a natural for the Stan Harper Special Merit Award, for his pioneering work in video instruction on YouTube. He seems to have revolutionized the way the blues harmonica is taught and passed on. ---------- Ted Burke tburke4@san.rr.com
I LIKE Ted's pick a lot! There wouldn't be a Moon Cat or a Brandon Bailey or a whole lot of other guys without the aid of Mr. Gussow!-Jason Ricci ---------- www.mooncat.org
Has James Cotton been nominated for player of the year? The rules say the player has to have been living in the last 12 months, so its now or never for the great James Cotton. I nominated someone before James passed.
I'm hearing some good suggestions for awards, but nominations are not arriving at the spahawards google email address.
Could it be that folks are not members of SPAH? If not, I'd suggest two possibilities:
1) JOIN - you really should. SPAH does amazing things for the harmonica community, such as:
Produces an annual convention for up to 500 attendees to gather, jam, give concerts, share knowledge casually and in seminars, meet with vendors and manufacturers.
Publishes a quarterly magazine, Harmonica Happenings, for its members, with famous player interviews, historical articles, recording reviews, and advertising by makers and sellers of harmonicas and related products.
Awards youth scholarships to aid in the musical development of young harmonica players 21 years old or younger, to cover registration and hotel accommodation at each annual SPAH convention. Funds for scholarships are raised both through private donations and through sales and raffles at each convention.
Conducts free learning events for local children at its annual convention.
Makes annual awards to honor excellence in musicianship and service to the harmonica community (they’re like the Oscars or Grammys of the harmonica world).
Helps local harmonica clubs get started, keep going, and help one another.
Fosters worldwide communication and exchanges with harmonica players and organizations in many nations.
2) If you know a SPAH member, talk to them about submitting a nomination. They may agree with your suggested candidate.
