AWARDS GIVEN TO LOCAL MUSICIANS

The Acme Blues Band won group and individual honors Thursday night during presentation of the first Music Awards by the Cape Musicians Guild.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Vi Keys, a longtime Cape Girardeau keyboardist and music store owner whose grandson Billy also won an award.

The 1997 Music Awards were presented at the Show Me Center after a banquet that kicked off this weekend's first City of Roses Festival. The music gets under way at various downtown bars tonight and continues downtown Saturday with performances on two outdoor stages.

The Cape Girardeau-based Acme Blues Band won in the blues/R&B/jazz category. Two members of the band, bassist Tom Bloodworth and drummer Greg Shivelbine, also won awards on their individual instruments.

The band is preforming Saturday afternoon at the festival.

Keys and her late husband, Eddie, played music for 15 years in Kansas City before moving to Cape Girardeau, where they were featured at the Purple Crackle night club for a number of years. Keys quit playing immediately after her husband died, but has been performing solo at the Holiday Inn for a number of years.

Keys' son Eddie Ray has fronted the rock band TUFA for many years, and grandson Billy is the front man for the popular alternative band Papa Aborigine. He won the award for male vocalist.

Other instrumental winners of 1997 Music Awards were guitarist Bruce Zimmerman and jaw harp player Don Greenwood. Zimmerman leads the rock/blues band Bruce Zimmerman and the Shysters, which performs both Friday and Saturday at the festival.

Greenwood is a free-lancer often heard with the Water Street Blues Band.

The voters' favorite keyboardist was Bev Reese, who plays piano for both classical and jazz groups.

Winning the prizes as top female vocalist was Teresa Morrill, who sings solo but Friday night will appear with the Leiner Brothers.

The composer/songwriter of the year is Bob Camp, leader of the Bob Camp Project 2000. Camp is the chairman of the City of Roses Festival.

Recognized in the rock/pop/alternative category was Group Therapy, a Cape Girardeau band.

Another band winning a prize was Texas Storm, which took the country and western category. The band is from Chaffee.

The bluegrass or traditional performer favored by voters was Ken Martin, who has performed his comic musical act at many opry houses around the region.

In the classical category, the Southeast Baroque Trio was recognized.

Also honored at the banquet was the late Doyle Hendrix, a longtime Cape Girardeau singer/guitarist who died earlier this year. A portion of the proceeds from the City of Roses Festival will be used to create an endowment in his name at Southeast Missouri State University.

Musicians were nominated by the Cape Musicians Guild. Ballots appeared in the Southeast Missourian and Nightlife.