The proceeds from the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards (coming up this Sunday at Covington's Madison Theater) have been donated to various music-affiliated charities over the years. For the 2011 edition, money from the show will again be given to the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation. The non-profit organization has spent the past few years shining the spotlight on Cincinnati’s rich, often-overlooked musical past, reiterating the Queen City’s vital role in the development of so much popular music. CUSAMHF launches its inaugural membership drive with this year’s CEAs. VIP tickets for the CEA ceremony this year are $50 (click here to purchase) and include membership in the CUSAMHF’s Funky Drummer Society, named for the beat of James Brown’s “The Funky Drummer,” one of the most used drum samples in music history. —-
VIP ticket-holders gets some cool perks Sunday, including admission to the pre-party, where locals DJs Pillo and Apryl Reign will riff on the "Funky Drummer" beat, free food and drinks, an advance copy of The Dallas Moore Band's Hank to Thank tribute album with Jody Payne (recorded at the site of Herzog studio, where Hank Williams recorded "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and other classics) and a card honoring the 60th anniversary of Tiny Bradshaw's historic song "Train Kept a-Rollin,'" autographed by King session drummer Philip Paul.
VIPers also receive a one-year membership to The Funky Drummer Society, which includes access to special, free music downloads and streams, invites and discounts for CUSAMHF (and other) events and much more. (If you can't make the CEAs but would still look to join, click here for details).
CUSAMHF’s latest activities offer a great example of the organization’s mission of bridging local music’s past, present and future, a goal shared by the CEAs and CityBeat. In a collaborative effort with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a special interactive educational program was developed, aiming to teach young students just how important Cincinnati’s musical history is in relation to the music they know and love today. The unique class (the first such program from the curators of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, who'll participate remotely) will be presented for the first time this Friday at the WCET studios for an invite-only audience, including students from SCPA and Cincinnati State.
If you purchase a CEA VIP ticket by this Wednesday, you'll be entered into a raffle for a seat at the Rock Hall's King Records presentation.
More and more locals (and non-locals) are becoming aware of the city's rich heritage thanks to CUSAMHF’s work to honor such iconic musical institutions as King Records (the local facility that released seminal recordings by many R&B and Country/Roots legends) and Herzog recording studios. CUSAMHF (which counts the legendary Bootsy Collins among its board members) is now headquartered downtown at the site of the former Herzog facilities and the group was instrumental in having an historical marker placed in front of the building where Hank Williams and countless others recorded some of the music world’s most important tracks.
