Detroit Music Awards

31/08/2024

Two award recipients and Detroit music legends performed together Friday night when Suzi Quatro joined Alice Cooper for "School's Out" at Pine K**b Music Theatre

29/08/2024

Tickets are on sale now for the first event in our new Master Class series. Featuring Martin Kierszenbaum, the Grammy Award nominated founder of Cherrytree Music Company and longtime manager for Sting. Presented in partnership with the Wayne State University Department of Music, the public Q&A will take place Monday, September 16 at 7pm in the Schaver Music Recital Hall in Detroit.
Tickets & other info at: detroitmusicawards.net/event-tickets

06/08/2024

A double dose of Detroit rock n roll history; Jack White plays Iggy And The Stooges at Saint Andrew's Hall. He played a song by The Go, too.
Third Man Records Third Man Records Cass Corridor Live Nation Michigan

03/07/2024

Have a happy Fourth, everyone

15/06/2024

The Knight Foundation is currently accepting applications through July 12. Link for more information on the foundation and to see if you qualify.

https://knightfoundation.org/challenges/knight-new-work-2024-akron-detroit-and-south-florida

10/05/2024

It's hard to believe they're both gone, so close together -- along with John Sinclair. Here's how we're choosing to remember these MC5 brothers, from 2022 while they were working on the upcoming "Heavy Lifting" album......

10/05/2024

So sorry to hear that we’ve lost another of the MC5. Blessed we had both Wayne and Machine Gun, together, in 2022. May he rest in beats…

Drummer Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson, engine room of the MC5, died of heart failure this morning in Michigan. Rest in beats. 1948-2024.-wkHQs

📸: Leni Sinclair

26/04/2024

So sorry to hear of the passing of Robert Jr. Whitall, who we honored with a Special Achievement Award in 2019. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more passionate and committed supporter of blues and other American roots music coming out of Detroit -- and everywhere else for that matter. He touched many lives. Our condolences to his family and friends

Robert Whitall Jr.
April 14, 1948 - April 25, 2024
Acclaimed blues music magazine publisher, photographer, artist and historian Robert Wood Whitall, Jr. of Glen Arbor, MI passed away April 25, 2024 at the age of 76 in the hospice facility AccentCare of Dunedin, FL where he had been a resident for less than a day. Better known as Robert Jr. or Junior, he was born on April 14, 1948, in Ambler, Pennsylvania to Robert W. Sr. and Patricia Whitall. A direct descendent of the founders of Whitall Tatum, one of the first glass factories in the United States, Robert’s family relocated to Michigan during his high school years. During the Vietnam War he served in the Army then studied at Eastern Michigan University upon his discharge.

A videographer in Detroit during the early rock and roll and punk rock era, Whitall established Detroit Blues Magazine with former Creem Magazine founder Charles Auringer in 1995. At the urging of Buddy Guy, the scope was changed from regional to international and rebranded as Big City Rhythm & Blues Magazine. The magazine won the coveted Keeping the Blues Alive award from The Blues Foundation in 1988 and has been actively ‘keeping the blues alive’ to this day, with Whitall at its helm – and will continue with Auringer and Whitall’s wife, Shirley Mae Owens (aka Sugar), moving forward.

In 2017 Mr. Whitall was the recipient of a kidney donated by Sugar, whom he married at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park on 9/11/1999.

A lover of all things New Orleans, Whitall attended his first New Orleans Jazzfest as a driver for the late renowned activist John Sinclair, who at the time was managing recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees MC5. This will be the first time in 40 years that Junior will not be attending this greatest of all music festivals.

He and Sugar were also regulars on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, maintaining a Big City Magazine booth on over 40 cruises since its inception.

A champion of unknown and underappreciated musicians, he was friend, confidante, promoter and adviser to some of the greatest musicians and personalities who crossed his path within his lifetime, a list too numerous to mention. To this end, Junior and Sugar started a non-profit, Gimme Five, that assisted musicians and music-related individuals during times of need. He was also famous for his ‘intoxicatingly delicious’ cookies – Cooper Snaps – that were craved by his celebrity musical family.

In spite of declining health over the past decade and a half, Robert Jr. began work as an artist in 2010 during extended hospital stays in Detroit, influenced by Frida Kahlo. His first art exhibit was at the New Orleans Museum of Art during the 2011 Jazz & Heritage Festival. Since that honor, his unique, musician-inspired artwork has been exhibited at various museums and venues around the country.

In addition to his loving wife Sugar and her mother Patricia M. Owens (who Junior cherished), he is survived by siblings Susan, Scott, Kevin (Emily), nephew Kyle and niece Lauren.
Robert Jr. Whitall’s celebration of life memorial will be held Up North at his art barn on Saturday, July 20th, 2024 from 2 pm - 6 pm. For more information: [email protected]. Also, friends and fans can reminisce by visiting his pages, Robert Jr Whitall, and Big City Rhythm & Blues Magazine or his art, photos and publications at The ArtRoom .bigcitybluesmag.com

22/04/2024

Congratulations to Detroit music's latest Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honorees -- MC5 and Motown luminaries Suzanne de Passe and Norman Whitfield. See you in Cleveland on Oct. 19, and on Disney+

03/04/2024

Mourning, with the rest of the world, the passing of the remarkable John Sinclair — poet, recording artist, activist, scholar, author, raconteur, provocateur, iconoclast. A multiple DMA winner and Distinguished Achievement Award recipient who we werehonored to have on stage more than once RIP

12/03/2024

23/02/2024

02/02/2024

We're so sorry to learn of Brother Wayne Kramer's passing today. We were fortunate enough to have him participate, both in person and virtually, in several of our awards ceremonies. Wayne represented the best of what the Motor City has given to the music world over the years and truly kicked out the jams. Our deepest condolences to his family.

Wayne S. Kramer
"PEACE BE WITH YOU" 🕊️
April 30, 1948 - February 2, 2024

Photo: Jim Newberry Photography

30/01/2024

Looking forward to seeing the story behind the story about multiple Detroit Music Awards winners Detroit Youth Choir. Streaming begins Wednesday on Disney+.

27/01/2024

Our friends over at Broadway In Detroit - The Fisher Theatre and more! are going all out to support the Detroit Lions! Bring on the Ghirardelli and sourdough! ROAR!

15/01/2024

Nice to see our own Chad Smith bring some extra Honolulu Boom to the Detroit Lions playoff game tonight at Ford Field.

01/01/2024

Welcome 2024! Wishing everyone a healthy, happy, peaceful and propserous new year

21/12/2023

We were saddened to learn of Ken Calvert's passing. Hats off to an iconic career behind the mic -- in the studio and at the Palace. We enjoyed having him as part of Detroit Music Awards ceremonies over the years, and as part of the opening montage at this year's event. Our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

18/12/2023

We are extremely saddened by the news that Detroit's own multi-talented Amp Fiddler has passed. Our condolences go out to his family and the many people he touched through his music.

12/09/2023

We are saddened to hear about the passing of longtime Detroit Music Awards supporter and multiple award winning artist Bugs Beddow. Our sincere condolences to his family and colleagues. It makes this video of bugs Beddow & the Good STuFF performing "Detroit Guy" for the 32nd Annual DMAs even more poignant and we wanted to share it as a tribute.

Filmed & produced by our friends at: KLA Laboratories, Inc.

24/06/2023

In honor of National Patch Day - post your best rock & roll patches and share the stories behind them if you like.

21/06/2023

Get out and support Make Music Detroit today, June 21st!

Come check out the wide variety of Make Music Day events! At Wayne State’s Old Main, there will be a synthesizer petting zoo in room 1388 as well as a youth-oriented ORFF workshop in the front lawn!

On the East Side’s Chandler Park there will be a wide variety of performers and DJ’s performing throughout the day. A great outdoors event!

Also on the East Side, the East Side Community Studio will be hosting another wide variety of musicians, with even more musicians randomly dropping in throughout the day!

makemusicdetroit.org

19/06/2023

Happy Juneteenth! Celebrate the day of freedom.

15/05/2023

For the 2023 Detroit Music Awards winners who did not attend the in person event on April 23 to receive their awards, we will distribute the trophies at a later date. You will be notified of the details once we have confirmed a date and location. Please watch your email and the DMA social media pages.

14/05/2023

We love a good theme and a chance to celebrate. Continuing our Mother's Day tradition... Celebrating all the mothers this weekend. Those who invented us, raised us, and rocked us. Happy Mother's Day.

12/05/2023

Congratulations to a multiple-time Detroit Music Awards winner over the years on her latest honor. The Blues Foundation recently named Detroit's own Thornetta Davis "Soul Blues Female of the Year" at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis.

03/05/2023

Congratulations to Detroit's own The Spinners on being an official inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2023!

29/04/2023

Alice Cooper accepted his latest Detroit Music Awards for Outstanding Anthology/Compilation Friday night after kicking off his Too Close For Comfort Tour at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort.

26/04/2023

For those of you who missed out on the glitz and glamour of the Detroit Music Awards Premiere Event on Sunday, the Red Carpet photos are now available for public viewing. Thank you again to the fabulous Ferdinande Fotography LLC for being our official photographer for the night, and a special thanks to 313 Presents & Fender Premium Audio for sponsoring the red carpet.

Detroit Music Awards Foundation photos. 2019 Red Carpet, 2019 DMA Stage, MusicTown & More, 2023 Red Carpet

24/04/2023

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2023 Detroit Music Awards. And special thanks to everyone who came out to support our Premiere Event at Emagine Royal Oak. Red carpet photos by Ferdinande Fotography LLC. We were glad to bring an in-person party back to the music community.

A complete list of this year's winners can be found at: https://detroitmusicawards.org/2023-winners