At long last, the Black Country’s contribution to the music industry has been recognised and celebrated:

WELCOME TO THE HOME OF THE BLACK COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

Honouring all that the Black Country has to offer musically, the Black Country Music Awards (BCMAs) has been created to shine a light on the unrivalled venues, exceptional artists and songwriters, tireless promoters and producers as well as identifying the region’s best singles, albums, videos and much more.

June 21st 2019 saw the inaugural event take place to great effect and the evening was a huge success as a packed room saw great artists perform and also get rewarded and recognised for all their hard work.

Check out this year’s winners below:

THE JUDGES

Gavin Monaghan/Producer

We are very lucky to have acclaimed music producer, Gavin Monaghan as one of our judging panel. For the best part of thirty years Gavin has been producing and developing brand new and established artists alike, from all corners of the globe. Operating mostly from his sonic temple Magic Garden Recordings, based proudly in the West Midlands, he has had platinum and gold sales credits and chart success with musicians as diverse as Editors, The Blinders, Robert Plant, Scott Matthews, The Sherlocks, Grace Jones, Jimmy Somerville, JAWS, Ocean Colour Scene, The Twang, and Nizlopi.

Image courtesy of the very talented: Brandon Crook.

Jonn Penney

Born – Quarry Bank, West Midlands, United Kingdom. Lead singer with Neds Atomic Dustbin.

Jayne Burness

Born in Oldbury – Event Promoter/Organiser – Facebook ‘Where to be Seen’ Administrator. Currently promoting live music nights in Birmingham & The Black Country, Jayne brings years of knowledge from the local music scene and runs the very popular ‘Where to be Scene’ group on Facebook along with a wealth of festival organisation experience.

Pete Williams/RGG Magazine

Pete heads up RGG Magazine and though he originates from Scunthorpe, Pete has spent over half of his life in the Black Country. Decidedly non-mainstream and a general arty type (And not that one from Dexys!) Pete is the man with an ear to ground when it comes to the local music scene.

A singer/songwriter
too, he understands the pain of starting out as a musician. He Edits and produces Birmingham & The Black Country’s longest running local magazine – RGG (Ryan’s Gig Guide) – and is an all round good guy!

Brett Hall

Born in Bilston – Event Promoter/Organiser across the Black Country Promoter at Giffest and Mayorsfest. Currently promoting live music nights in Wolverhampton & Walsall, Brett is the man you go to if you want to know anyting about the local New Wave and Classic Rock scene. Brett has been promoting live local and national bands for many years and runs the very successful Giffard rock nights in Wolverhampton.

THE EVENT MC

Doreen – Queen of The Black Country – MC

We are very fortunate to have the wonderful Doreen, Queen of the Black Country as MC for the event.

Doreen is a legend in her own lifetime. The only person in the united Kingdom to be diagnosed with ‘Lazy Cow Syndrome’, this awful disability hasn’t stopped Doreen from becoming an icon, first in her beloved Black Country, and now on the way to conquering the world! Doreen hosts her own Radio show on the Interwebby thing, is a star of Pantomime and will bring her own brand of Black Country humour to the event.

THE PERFORMERS

Jonny Cole – Black Country Comedian & Singer

Champion of the Black Country, and unstoppable force in musical comedy with comparisons to Jasper Carrott and Tim Minchin (depending on the reviewers age) tell only half the story.

One of the freshest and funniest new comedians to hit the comedy circuit in the last few years. Jonny Cole is packing out comedy clubs everywhere.

With his individual patter and commentary on life, coupled with his original songs, he is being described as a ‘breath of fresh air’.

Never forgetting his ‘Black Country’ roots Jonny has written original songs about life, love and loss (his Xbox) with hilarious results. Delighting audiences of all ages.

His Youtube videos have been seen over a million times, he is a regular on local radio, has his own breakfast show on Black Country Radio and writes his take on the news in the form of a column for Native Monster.

Since giving up his job as a diesel salesman in Walsall Jonny has played to various sell out audiences, shared the stage with many TV comedy regulars such as Ross Noble, Mark Watson and Joe Lycett and taken his act to festivals all over Britain including a sell out show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the Fizzogs.

Jonny has been the headline act on the UK tour of ‘A Black Country Night Out’ for the last 4 years and was a finalist for ‘Best Midlands Comedian 2017 & 2018 by WHATS ON magazine, has had a local beer named after him and all this before before appearing on television.

His album “Still Loffin'” is also OUT NOW.

Bhangra Smash Up

The Bhangra Smash Up band is a 3 piece drumming band formed late 2018, inheriting the traditional Bhangra flavour, the band fuse this with mainstream hits guaranteed to get you all on your dancing feet!

They combine mainstream chart music and any other classic hits to create an English and Indian fusion!!!

Band members:

Ryan

Josh

Gurcharan Bhujhangy

#BhangraSmashUp

SkaBurst

Ska and 2Tone music at their core are about cultures colliding. From the original purveyors in Jamaica who took American Rhythm and Blues and fused it with Afro Caribbean beats. To the 2tone Revivalists of the late 70’s and early 80’s who promoted racial unity through the shared love of music.

SkaBurst are a band of 6 Working Class lads from the West Midlands who came together through a shared love of beer, Ska and performing to form one of the most exciting, fun loving bands in the new era of the 4th Wave of Ska revival. Blending original music with a mix of Ska Classics and Ska’d up covers. Let the good times roll. #wearethe4thwave

The Miss Fortunes

Miss Fortunes specialise in bringing you an eclectic array of songs, old and new, in a classic vocal harmony style!

Catering for a wide audience, the girls apply their harmonies to a wide range of genres – including Rock n Roll and Motown, as well as a cross section of modern music.

Dressing in their favourite retro style clothing reflecting the glamour of the golden age of Hollywood to hot-heeled Rockabilly sass with moves to match, Miss Fortunes put on a performance worthy of your attention.

Creating the perfect atmosphere for your event is their speciality, so please do not hesitate in asking them to organise a set list from their ever growing repertoire, ideally constructed for your needs.

Samantha-Jayne

Samantha-Jayne is a self-taught saxophonist who has toured the UK, Germany, and Miami with local Gospel bands. Samantha-Jayne combines warm sax tones and exceptional improvisational skills making her performance full of emotion and expression. She makes her saxophones sing and really speak to the listener and she is able to play almost any genre of music!

Samantha-Jayne has performed at hundreds of event types and past customers include: for the funeral of the late Cyrille Regis (working with singer Beverly Knight), Harry Potter Star James Phelps, Ex-Aston Villa Captain Stiliyan Petrov, Ex-footballer Dave Barnett, Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist Eboni Usoro-Brown, Four times Olympic Gold Medalist Equestrian rider Andrew Hoy and many more!

THE VIPs

Mark Stanway – Award presenter/VIP

Residing in Wolverhampton for over 40 years – Former long-time keyboard player of MAGNUM Current member of KINGDOM of MADNESS and GRAND SLAM.

Mark Stanway is best known for his 36 year tenure as keyboard player in British melodic rock band Magnum. Between 1980 and 2016 he played on 19 studio albums, plus numerous live and compilation albums.

Aside from his work with Magnum he has also performed or recorded with Phil Lynott’s Grand Slam, Robert Plant, Roy Wood, M3 Classic Whitesnake, the Quireboys and most recently the Sweden Rock Symphony Orchestra. Mark maintains an active career within music. Mark is presently touring the UK with his “Intimate Evening with Mark Stanway” show, which mixes music and conversation as he shares with audiences stories from behind the scenes gathered during his career to date. In addition 2018 will see him revisiting the classic Magnum period of 1978-1994, as well as Grand Slam favourites, with Kingdom of Madness, which also features Mickey Barker, Richard Bailey, Laurence Archer, Neil Murray, Chris Ousey and Mo Birch.

Royston Blythe & Nick Malenko/Celebrities

An award ceremony wouldn’t be complete without celebrities, and Roston & Nick certainly fit the bill! Royston Blythe himself is one of the UK’s most in-demand hairdressers from clients, celebrities, and the media alike. After making a name for himself for his stunning work in areas including fashion shows, wedding hair, education and stage work, Royston established the salon under his own name in 1989.

Partner Nick Malenko makes up the other half of the renowned Royston Blythe brand, and together they have led the salon to international acclaim. Royston and Nick are international guest artists for industry leaders L’Oreal, giving them the opportunity to travel the globe as educators, advisors, competition judges, and spokespersons for the brand. They are in constant demand from the UK and international media, and have worked with GMTV, Wedding TV, Sky One, and Fashion TV, as well as with the leading consumer magazine titles including OK!, Tatler, Hello, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire. Their work has also been seen on the London catwalks alongside top designer Christian Lacroix, at the Monte Carlo Grand Prix, and of course on a host of well-known stars of film and television.

THE VENUE

We are excited to be holding the inaugural BCMA at the fantastic ICB in Wolverhampton.

We will be holding the event in The Balcony Suite on the first floor which has a 650 split level capacity. Free parking is available, and the venue is a short taxi ride from Wolverhampton Train Station. The Bars and dance floor are easily accessible and viewing to the main stage is uninterrupted.

Food and drinks service is second to none, and guests will be enjoying a 2 course Desi-Fusion meal prepared in their own state of the art kitchen and served by friendly and helpful staff.

Outside features a Canalside decked area with a branded bar and smoking areas.

You can find out much more at the ICB website: http://www.icbcentre.co.uk

International Conference & Banqueting, 5 Fox’s Lane, Wolverhampton, WV1 1PA.

Feel free to call us on: 01902 351100 or email us at: info@icbcentre.co.uk

TICKETS AND TABLES

Book Online Now

Tables and tickets can also be booked direct by contacting Shaun Ryan at 07930 371887 or via blackcountrymusicawards@yahoo.com

Single Ticket £50

2 course desi-fusion meal included.

Standard Table £450

For 10 people, 2 course desi-fusion meal included.

VIP Area Table £550

For 10 people, 2 course desi-fusion meal included.

THE SPONSORS

THE ORGANISER

SHAUN ‘RECKLESS’ RYAN

The event is the brainchild of Shaun ‘Reckless’ Ryan. Shaun has spent the last 23 years publishing, promoting and advertising live music across Birmingham & The Black Country as editor and publisher of RGG Magazine – which he founded in 1995. The magazine is still going strong under its new ownership and RGG will be providing one of the judges in the form of PTR Williams – a man with his nose to the ground and an ear to the stages across the region.

“I have seen a few award events take pace over the years, and one thing that struck me was that some didn’t appear to be very open or transparent. I want the public to be the ones who nominate in each category and also choose the winner in each category. Our judges will be there as a guiding hand to whittle down the nominations to 3 in each category. I have carefully chosen judges who in all likelihood, will not be in a position to be nominated themselves. I am super excited to see what the students at Wolverhampton University design as our actual award and feel proud to be able to raise some funds and awareness for our chosen charity – Compton Care.” Shaun Ryan

On this website you can find out more about the BCMA and its aims as well as being able to cast a vote in many music categories for your favourite bands, musicians, promoters, venues and events.

Tickets to purchase for this event will be limited to 500 on general release with a further 250 allocated to VIPs and category finalists. The event will include Live Music, Local VIPs, many guest artists, stage entertainment, a 2 course ‘Desi Fusion’ dinner, and of course the awards themselves. This event will very likely sell out! – so if you want to be part of this wonderful night, don’t delay, book your tickets or table today!

Becuz yamWerth it!