Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) is an American volunteer organization founded in 1980, and based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its stated purpose is "to educate and recognize the achievements and accomplishments of individuals in the Wisconsin music industry." [1] The organization is best known for its annual awards for Wisconsin musicians from various genres of music. It also hosts seminars and workshops on subjects related to music and the music industry, such as performing, recording and marketing.
The WAMI works with several organizations within the local music industry. These groups include:
WAMI began presenting awards in 1980. [2] It held its award ceremony in Milwaukee until switching to Appleton. [2]
Notable artists who have won the WAMI Artist of the Year award include The Gufs (1998) [3] and Bon Iver (2009). [4]
Members of WAMI's hall of fame include the diverse artists Butch Vig, Al Jarreau, Bob Kames, Liberace, Les Paul, Violent Femmes, and BoDeans. [5]
Other notable artists to receive awards include alternative rock group Garbage, rockers Fever Marlene and Verona Grove, hip hop/rap group Rusty Ps, power pop rock band Yipes! [6] and polka artists Verne Meisner and Louis Bashell. Nominees have included 2009 American Idol contestant Danny Gokey who didn't win that year but won the Male Vocalist the following year. [7] [2]
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General Board:
Summerfest is an annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First held in 1968, Summerfest is located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee's central business district. Summerfest attracts approximately 800,000 people each year, promoting itself as "The World's Largest Music Festival", a title certified by Guinness World Records in 1999, but has been surpassed in attendance by Donauinselfest with over three million in 2015. While Summerfest has one of the highest aggregate attendances in the world, the daily attendance of Summerfest is lower than other major American music festivals. In 2022, the daily attendance of Summerfest was 49,500.
Wisconsin was settled largely by European immigrants in the late 19th century. This immigration led to the popularization of galops, schottisches, waltzes, and, especially, polkas. Classical composers and conductors from Wisconsin include Hans Balatka, Hugo Kaun, Eugene Luening, and Theodore Steinmetz. Among Wisconsin's contributions to rock music were Les Paul, an electric guitar pioneer known as the "Wizard of Waukesha". The Steve Miller Band, with Milwaukee's Steve Miller, had three #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 from 1973 to 1982. The Chordettes from Sheboygan, Bon Iver from Eau Claire, and Garbage from Madison all had albums on the Billboard 200.
Pat McCurdy is a singer-songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Willy Porter is a contemporary American rock musician and singer-songwriter from Mequon, Wisconsin. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. In April 2023 The Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) announced that Porter would be inducted into the WAMI Hall of Fame.
The Gufs are an American pop and rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band's latest album A Different Sea was released on October 17, 2006. Their first single from the album was "Beautiful Disaster", which was the #2 unsigned artist download in October 2006 at the website www.purevolume.com.
The Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM). The WAMi Awards are Western Australia Music's night of nights, bringing together local music fans and members of local, national and international industry to acknowledge and celebrate another year of achievements for Western Australia.
IfIHadAHiFi is a noise rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The group originally formed in Central Wisconsin in 2000, following the breakup of the band The Pop Machine. Following the style of the band's name, each member took a palindrome as a pseudonym: DrAwkward (drums), MrAlarm and YaleDelay (guitar). All three founding members share vocals.
The Mike Schneider Polka Band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a Slovenian-style polka group that performs at approximately 100 events annually in Wisconsin and throughout the United States. Founded in 1996 by Mike Schneider, the band is a four-time award winner and 16-time nominee from such organizations as the National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame, the Wisconsin Polka Boosters, the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame, the Wisconsin Polka Music Awards, and the Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI).
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Daniel Jay Gokey is an American singer and former church music director. He was the third-place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. After his placing on the show, Gokey signed to 19 Recordings and RCA Nashville at the beginning of a career in country music, releasing the single "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me." His debut album, My Best Days, was released in March 2010.
Verona Grove was an American pop punk band from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The band is signed to Pat's Record Company, a subsidiary of Universal Records. Members include singer/guitarist Tony Anders, bass guitar/background singer Charlie Wilhelm, and drummer Josh Helm. The Wisconsin Area Music Industry Awards nominated Verona Grove for their 2009 artist of the year, and it won the 2009 Rock Artist of the Year.
Louis Bashell was an American polka musician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was known for playing the Slovenian-style polka. He was nicknamed "Milwaukee's polka king".
LaVerne Donald "Verne" Meisner was an American polka musician born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and raised in Whitewater, Wisconsin. He was inducted into five halls of fame, including the International Polka Association Hall of Fame as a "Living Legend" in 1989. He is best known for the songs "Memories of Vienna" and "El Rio Drive."
Hope in Front of Me is the second studio album from the Christian musician Danny Gokey. It was released on June 23, 2014, by BMG Records. The album was produced by Josh Crosby, Bernie Herms, Aaron Sprinkle, Keith Thomas.
Present Music is a contemporary nonprofit music organization and ensemble based in Milwaukee, WI. It was founded in 1982, and is currently led by founder and Artistic Director Kevin Stalheim. Present Music has put on shows in many venues around the world, but primarily performs in Milwaukee.
Yipes! is an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Sam Ahmed, professionally known as WebsterX, is an American alt-rap singer and songwriter. The Fader speaks to his work as a "personal dive into the rapper's psyche", as he wrestles with his "doubts and fears but ultimately provides glimmers of hope throughout." In 2016, WebsterX was awarded 'Solo Artist of the Year' by the Radio Milwaukee Music Awards, sponsored by Koss. In 2016, WebsterX signed to Chicago-based label Closed Sessions until September 2019, whose alumni include Jamila Woods, Noname (rapper), Freddie Gibbs, Raekwon, Action Bronson and many more. His song "Intuition" was featured in a Super Bowl ad for the Microsoft Surface, starring Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. WebsterX was set to perform alongside Bon Iver for his Wisconsin Get Out the Vote tour in October 2020 but has since been cancelled due to COVID-19. His music has been featured in The Fader, NPR, Complex, PBS, Paper Magazine, Vice, Bonafide Magazine, Hypebeast, Koss, TimeOut, and Pitchfork.
John Calarco is an American musician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Calarco was drummer for many Milwaukee area bands. He also co-wrote and performed in several songs on the very successful Willy Porter album Dog Eared Dream and toured with Porter as his drummer. He has made an impact as a touring performer, band member, recording artist, session musician and song writer/producer.
Mike Hoffmann was an American guitarist and record producer. He is known for performing with the band Yipes! and as a producer with The Verve Pipe, Willy Porter, Paul Cebar and Violent Femmes co-founder Victor DeLorenzo.
Official website:https://wami.org/