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Best Live Solo Act 21.51% Kenny Taylor*, Mike Conley*
Others with Votes (more than one):
Amanda Miller, Brian Lemert, Diamond Lil, Duane Eby, Francie Zucco, Laura Marenco
* On the ballot
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MIKE CONLEY “I got the double Whammy,” Mike Conley said after winning his second award for the night. “It feels good.” Conley, who shares the Best Live Solo Artist with Kenny Taylor, also won for Best Live Duo, with fellow guitarist John Forbing. And like Taylor, Conley is ubiquitous. Ubiquitous Mike. He plays seemingly constantly at venues throughout northern Indiana. He hosts open mic night at Mad Anthony Brewery on Thursdays and every Friday he and Forbing play for the after work crowd at Columbia Street West. For his solo shows, Conley plays an eclectic mix of covers or obscure Dave Matthews, some Police and Peter Gabriel and the Beatles, to name a few, as well as numerous self-penned tunes. He says he likes to get out of town frequently to play because he’s worried about driving his solo act into the ground. “That’s a worry of mine,” he says. “When I was asked to play happy hour at Columbia Street, I decided I had to bring in John to mix it up a bit.” A relative newcomer to the guitar (he’s been playing just six years, and Forbing is his teacher) Conley has been singing most of his life. “I love music,” he says. “I really consider myself a singer first and a guitarist second.” Conley says he’s surprised by the award, especially considering the competition. “I’m just very humbled,” he says.
Kenny Taylor Kenny Taylor gets around. The guitar player extraordinaire not only performs as a solo artist, he does guest appearances on other people’s records, including Chris Shaffer’s recent release and the Dive Bomberz new CD, keeps his longtime band, the Blue Moon Boys, running on all cylinders and hosts the American Roots night at Ernie’s Hideaway on Sundays. Taylor’s already got a slew of Whammys from his work with the Blue Moon Boys. Now he’s got one for Best Live Solo Artist, an honor he shares with Mike Conley. Taylor has been a fixture on the Fort Wayne scene for as long as anyone can remember. He has a near encyclopedic knowledge of country and rockabilly music, both of which his father played. Talking with Taylor about his exploits as a musician is endlessly fascinating. He drops names of legendary performers with authority, probably because he’s played with most of them and considers them friends. With the Blue Moon Boys, he’s made numerous trips to Europe to play festivals and to tour. He always comes back with new stories of who he played with and the friends he made. “It’s an honor to receive this award,” he said. “It feels pretty darn good. I’d like to thank Ernie’s and whatzup for all their support. And having Chris Shaffer show up and sing a song I wrote meant a great deal to me.” Always an enthusiastic player, Taylor is also a really funny guy. Take this e-mail reply to a request for a comment on winning the Whammy: “I really didn’t think I’d win ... if I had known I would’ve Googled M Jackson’s insane rant a few years back on the MTV award show where he thought he had won artist of the Millennium and learned the speech.” Just the thought is enough, Kenny. |
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