A few months ago, believing I was the guy to help him out, my good friend and local musician Ray West reached out, with what he thought was a great idea: Our very own Key West version of the Grammy Awards. Not only did I think it was a fantastic idea, but I believe it has been a long time coming. Thus, the Key West Music Awards (aka The Iggys) were born.
Ray and I began to brainstorm just how, when, where and why to put this event in motion. We are both enthusiastic about the local music scene in the Florida Keys. We believe it is high time to celebrate the hard-working musicians, songwriters, producers, facilitators and others who make the music scene here one of the best in the country.
We also agreed this needed to be something extra special for the community. So, we decided to make the event a fundraiser for the Bahama Village Music Program, which provides free music education to children ages 6 and up within our community.
They provide tutors, instruments, resources and so much more. The BVMP is in its 21st year of mentoring our young citizens through after-school classes, camps and other activities. They provide a service to our youngsters that enables and encourages leadership, responsibility, creativity and good, clean fun. It only made sense that we include BVMP in celebrating and rewarding the deep pool of talent in our local music scene.
Ray and I shared a similar vision for the event. We wanted it to be akin to the Grammy Awards. We decided that the majestic Key West Theater on Eaton Street would be the perfect venue for the awards show. We contacted them and booked Jan. 30, 2022, for the inaugural Key West Music Awards show. The show will start at 7 p.m. Like the Grammys, this will be a red-carpet event. We encourage those attending to dress in your finest clothes to celebrate our musicians. Ray and I will host the show. Tickets are currently on sale at keywestmusicawards.com.
The ceremony will include live performances and the presentation of Iggy Awards to the winners in 20 categories, including Best Original Song, Best Album, Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Best Entertainer and more. Anyone can make nomination suggestions for all 20 categories on our website, and we encourage you to do so up until Dec. 30. Please take a moment to review the “Criteria” tab on the website, which spells out the qualifying requirements for each category. There is also a place for musicians/artists to submit their work for nomination consideration. We encourage anyone who fits the criteria to submit your music via the website up until Dec. 30.
After that, the nomination committee will review the suggestions and narrow it down to three to five nominees per category. They will turn the nominees over to a panel of seven judges. The panel consists of six local dignitaries, all of whom engage in or support the local music scene. The seventh judge is a special celebrity judge. This year’s celebrity judge is national recording/touring artist and music award winner Rockin’ Jake. The judges will vote, and the winners will be celebrated on Jan. 30, 2022, at the awards show.
Again, this is a fundraiser, and of course there is a cost involved. The Key West Music Awards is an officially licensed nonprofit. We are currently accepting donations and looking for sponsors for the show. There is a donations tab on the website. If you are a business owner and would like to sponsor the show with your tax-deductible donation, you can read about our sponsorship packages on our website.
Ray and I are excited about this event, and we hope you are, too. We hope to see you all in your best outfits on the red carpet at the Key West Theater on Sunday, Jan. 30 as we celebrate the second-to-none music scene we have here in the Florida Keys. Again, check out our website at keywestmusicawards.com or contact us with questions at keywestmusicawards@gmail.com.
