Third annual Iowa Music Awards coming to Cedar Falls

A tradition that started in Cedar Rapids and moved to Riverside last year is now making its way to Cedar Falls. The third annual Iowa Music Awards will be held Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, at Bien VenU Event Center, 7400 Hudson Rd., Cedar Falls.

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Founder Antonio “Tone Da Boss” Chalmers said that holding the event in a new city each year allows the Iowa Music Awards to invest in different communities.

“The live music scene in our community has been growing, so when we came across the Iowa Music Awards we knew it was a must to bring to our city,” Adam Bolander of Cedar Falls Tourism told The Gazette via email. “ … We know that attendees are going to have a great time and will see some legendary entertainment throughout the night.”

Chalmers said this year’s awards program is bigger and better than ever, with performances from 2023 Country Artist of the Year Monica Austin, Cedar Falls rock band Grave Corps, and decorated Blues artist Kevin Burt.

Since its inception, the Iowa Music Awards has recognized more than 330 nominees, and about 1,000 artists have submitted their music for consideration.

A majority of nominees are from Iowa, although out-of-state artists have a few opportunities to qualify for the awards, including participating in showcase events like Iowa Summer Jam or collaborating with an Iowa-based artist. Chalmers said creating this incentive encourages out-of-state artists to collaborate with Iowa artists.

He said that putting on the Iowa Music Awards not only brings legitimacy toward Iowa’s music industry, but motivates artists, as well.

“We want to be not only a networking hub, we want to celebrate artists, but we want to uplift and make sure that everybody is collaborating and working as hard as they can, and harder than they did the year before,” Chalmers said.

Coralville blues artist Kevin Burt to be honored

One of the biggest honors of the Iowa Music Awards is the Lifetime Achievement Award. The inaugural winner was Troy Williams, aka DJ Commando of Cedar Rapids, well-known in and outside of Iowa as a radio personality, DJ and music producer.

“He’s been DJing for like 50 years, literally, and he’s helped so many artists get started, gave them their first time getting played on the radio, a lot of people’s first interviews,” Chalmers said.

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Last year the award honored Blues artist Ernie Peniston, who was raised in Muscatine. With more than 50 years in music industry, he has been with various bands, including Free Choice, Approaching Storm, Enterprise, and Chicago Rhythm & Blues Kings.

This year, Kevin Burt of Coralville will be honored. In 2018, Burt swept all three solo categories in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. He was awarded first place for best solo/duo act, the Lee Oskar Award for best harmonica player and the Cigar Box Guitar Award for best solo/duo guitarist. He was the first contestant to accomplish this feat and the first solo artist to be awarded a perfect score from a judge.

Earlier this year, Kevin Burt and Big Medicine’s album “Thank You Brother Bill: A Tribute to Bill Withers” rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Top U.S. Blues Albums chart.

“Music really found him and he’s got one of those great stories where music saves your life and you build a family from it and you building lifelong friendships,” Chalmers said. “You travel the world doing what you love.”

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Iowa Music Awards puts Iowa on the map

Chalmers dreamed of hosting Iowa’s take on the Grammy’s for years before he had built up the network and portfolio to put on an event of that size and caliber. The journey started with the creation of T1 Entertainment, which touts “Top Tier Entertainment,” with musician and entrepreneur Derek “Silence” Hennessey. This led to hosting the music festival Iowa Summer Jam, which celebrated its seventh year in July, and finally, the first Iowa Music Awards in 2022.

That year, Chalmers told The Gazette that he wanted to bust the stereotype of Iowa being just country music and cornfields. This year, the IMAs are taking another step toward defining Iowa’s sound by recognizing the genre “Adult Contemporary Hip-Hop.”

The award is the first of its kind, musician Klazik, aka Tyrone Thomas, told The Gazette, and will etch Iowa into the hip-hop history timeline forever.

“It’s an award that acknowledges the evolution of hip-hop,” Klazik said. “Being the youngest of the major genres of music, we’re witnessing the audience that grew up in the culture mature and form a new underserved demographic … those who have become the adults and need music that speaks to them and for them.”

Chalmers wants the Iowa Music Awards to be part of Iowa’s history and leave a legacy of good musicians.

“You know, as long as you’re in Iowa and doing music and doing what you love, you already won. If you participate in this event, you won again,” Chalmers said. “You show up, you win again. And it should be win, win, win for everybody. So we want you to show up, have a good time, have a reason to dress up and be celebrated and celebrate amongst your peers.”

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com