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(text from Outmusic site) Special Recognition Award Randy Jones
Randy Jones has become celebrated internationally not only as the iconic sexy Cowboy of the award winning group, The Village People, but also as a world-wide star, of stage and screen, in addition to the recording industry. He has just completed filming his lead role in the independent comedy "Three Long Years", as well as featured roles in the sci-fi thriller "Façade", and the "down home" comedy, "A Tale About Bootlegging". He is set to appear in the upcoming syndicated NASCAR-themed sitcom, "Fifty-Four". Jones is seen in depth in the upcoming music documentary, "Disco: Spinning the Story". Jones is prominently featured in two NYC Pop Culture exhibits: Tribute Gallery's "New York in the '70s" in Lower Manhattan and New York Public Library's "Disco: A Decade of Saturday Nights" at Lincoln Center. A highlight to begin 2005 was accepting an invitation to perform at a 2005 Presidential Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C. benefiting returning U.S. Veterans' hospices, for an upcoming PBS Special. Currently in the studio recording a new CD of favorites, "Naked Truth", he reveals yet another dimension of his ability which may surprise more than a few people. He reinvents a set of beautiful standards along with dynamic new material in a romantic style that belies his dance music roots and ruggedly handsome appearance. Release is scheduled for 2005. A casual speaker on the college and university campus, Jones presents his unique perspective of the last half century in "Words, Music and Pop Culture", drawing from the experience of more than thirty years in show business. Having starred with Village People in the motion picture, "Can't Stop the Music", Jones' face and/or voice have also appeared in the films, "Soul Plane", "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines", "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps", "In & Out", "Wayne's World", "Addam's Family Values" and many others. Among his many television appearances have been "VH-1's Best Week Ever", "American Bandstand", "Soul Train", "The Tonight Show", "Married With Children", and even Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. He has also been featured in the "VH-1 History of Rock & Roll" and profiled in "The E! True Hollywood Story". His voice and/or face have been featured in commercials for Y.M.C.A., Panasonic, Pepsi, Burger King and Budget Rent-A-Car, among others. Showered with commendations in his career, including the keys to several American cities, Jones counts the American Music Award, the Georgie Award, presented by the American Guild of Variety Artists, and the Billboard Dance Forum Award as perfect companions to the more than 75 Gold and Platinum records garnered worldwide. He is an American Library Association Nominated Author for his book, "Outsounds". His place defined as an icon in popular culture history, RJ's accomplishments have been cited in "World Book Encyclopedia", "Guinness's Book of Hits" and The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll". He has appeared on the covers of hundreds of magazines including, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, Us, People, Details, Interview and Playboy. Paparazzi have frequently photographed him with some of the world's most beautiful and best known women and men. He has performed at some of New York City's classic and trendy nightspots, such as Studio 54, The Village Gate, The Palace, Roseland, Limelight, CBGB and The Palladium. S.R.O. performances in such venues as Madison Square Garden, The Metropolitan Opera House, Radio City Music Hall, The Kennedy Center along with a Royal Command Performance and his solo performance at the 2005 Presidential Inaugural Ball have made Jones' face and talents known worldwide. Some of his early stage performances have been onstage as principal artist with Agnes DeMille's American Heritage Dance Theatre, as well as in regional and touring companies of the Broadway musicals "Meet Me in St. Louis" with Kathy Rigby, "Carousel" with Ed Ames and Marsha Hunt and "Funny Girl" with Carol Lawrence, among others. His fans can keep up to date with his career by checking in at his web site, www.randyjonesworld.com
Pam Smith
Pamela Smith has been involved with lesbian music from the early seventies. In the seventies she wrote record reviews for local women's center newsletters. In the eighties she worked on the Northeast Women's Music Retreat as a volunteer, coordinator and planner. She now produces and hosts Amazon Radio! on WPKN in Bridgeport, CT. Amazon Radio! is a women's music program for all who color outside the lines. Smith lives in Connecticut with her life partner, Susan and their spoiled dog, Maya.
Special Recognition Award Tim Cain
Tim Cain has been an out musician for over 30 years, claiming, "They never built a closet big enough to hold me." He began as a singer/songwriter in 1975 in his native central Illinois home town of Champaign/Urbana. While in college he met Jon Ginoli, lead singer of Pansy Division. Cain was the first queer musician Ginoli knew, and soon the two became lovers. In 1987 Cain moved to Chicago, and Ginoli moved to San Francisco. In Chicago, Cain started work on his first solo material; one day passing a school house with the carving "Boys Entrance" above the door. He thought, "That sounds like a band I should be in." Boys' Entrance was the first queer rock band in Chicago, releasing two full-length CD's, and 4EP's. They paid homage to Harry Hay, Princess Diana, and Chicagoan activist/writer, Jon-Henri Damski. Their songs confronted homophobia, both within and from outside the gay community and they championed those on the fringes of gender. In 1992, Cain traveled to New York to perform at Outmusic's open mic and was so impressed was by the spirit of camaraderie and support that he returned to Chicago and promptly started Chicago's Outmusic open mic, hosting for the first year. Cain is in the process of recording 3 new CD's: a disc of all new Boys' Entrance songs, a disc of instrumentals, and a disc of covers. The new material should begin to be released late in the year.
Outmusic Heritage Award June Millington
June Millington, once described as "one of the hottest female guitarists in the industry" by Guitar Player Magazine, has been making music since she was a child playing ukulele in her native Philippines. June, along with sister Jean, formed a succession of all girl bands, culminating with their band Fanny, the first all-women's rock band to be signed to a major label (Warner Brothers). In a 2001 interview in Rolling Stone Magazine David Bowie said of Fanny, "They were extraordinary. They are as important as anyone else who's ever been, ever..." By 1975, June had left Fanny and was involved in the burgeoning Women's Music movement, playing on what would become the definitive work of the genre, Cris Williamson's "The Changer and the Changed." In 1987 Millington co-founded the Institute for the Musical Arts (IMA), which has grown into an internationally known teaching, performing and recording facility supporting women in music and music-related business. June has produced recordings of other artists, and is currently producing Nancy Vogl, Bitch (of Bitch and Animal), and Joel Zoss. In 1996, she was honored by the Audio Engineering Society with its Lifetime Achievement Award. June continues to record and perform with her own band, the Slammin' Babes, and with numerous other musicians. In 2000, she received the Bay Area Career Women's "Legend of Women's Music Award".
David Bowie wrote the following about Fanny in "Rolling Stone Magazine" - 12/29/99: "One of the most important female bands in American rock has been buried without a trace. And that is Fanny. They were one of the finest fucking rock bands of their time, in about 1973. They were extraordinary: They wrote everything, they played like motherfuckers, they were colossal and wonderful, and nobody's ever mentioned them. They've as important as anybody else who's ever been, ever; it just wasn't their time. Revivify Fanny. And I will feel that my work is done." Some interesting Fanny & June Millington links: http://www.aurealm.com/fandisc.htm http://old.valleyadvocate.com/articles/rebelrebel.html http://www.my-scifi-stuff.com/fanny/fanny_the_band.htm
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