Nicky's London Grand Write-up

THE GRAND AWARDS 2006 - LONDON EVENT


On Thursday November 16th, the official announcement of the 2006 winners was made live on radio in London. This consisted of two-hours hosted by SL4U on their interactive radio program. Nicky Spencer-Coker, Vice-President of Supreme Inc, represented the Grand Awards and Organising Committee to announce the winners and give background to the concept. The panel on the show included: Linford Roy-Macauley (SL4U Marketing Guru); T-Boy (SL4U Co-ordinator); Granville (SL4U DJ); and Femi Palmer (SL4U DJ).

Questions, answers, discussion and the music of the winners!

Aside from the public announcement of the winners the purpose of the program was to set the stage for the 2007 event with particular emphasis on the Music Expo. It was thoroughly enjoyable and I can confidently report that anticipation is high for 2007!

On Friday November 17th, with the assistance of SL4U DJs and the management of Pardis Night Club (London), the Grand celebrations continued with a party within the regular club hours. We had the opportunity to announce Grand winners as their songs were played at the club. In addition, SL4U put together a power point display for the club and have consented to play it again this coming Friday the 25th at Pardis Night Club.

Over the two days, it was clear that the possibility of participating in an award show and expo that would also recognise the talents and contributions to the music industry in Sierra Leone of Sierra Leonean music industry practitioners living outside the country is very attractive.

It was a pleasure representing the Organising Committee - on to 2007!

WINNERS OF THE 2006 GRAND AWARDS

GRAND AWARDS 2006 WINNERS

1. The Grand Album: Supreme Hits Volume One - The Collection

2. The Grand Hit Song: Angel by Pupa Bajah

3. The Grand Hip Hop Song: Dance by Angel S

4. The Grand R&B Song: Nobody by Jimmy B

5. The Grand Reggae Song: Promise by Amzard Linx

6. The Grand Dancehall Song: Baby Girl by Shedrak

7. The Grand Single: This Christmas by V

8. The Grand Religious Song: Winner by Slash G featuring Lenny

9. The Grand DJ: DJ Base of UN Radio

10. The Grand International Act: P Square.

11. The Grand Producer: Sound Boy Richee

12. The Grand Engineer: Tuni Boy

13. The Grand Video: Daddy Saj for Che Che

14. The Grand Lifetime Achievement Award: Bunny Mack

15. The Grand Outstanding Achievement Award: Patrice

Nicky Spencer-Coker
Vice-President
Supreme Inc

Grand Award Winning Bunny Mack

Autobiography of Bunny Mack

Born Cecil B MacCormack, Bunny Mack hails from Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone. His birthday is the 3rd of December ----, the 3rd son and 5th child of Reverend Eustace Gilbert MacCormack and Mrs Hannah Egertina MacCormack (both deceased). He attended the Prince of Wales School in Freetown, and worked outside of music for a short time at the Bank of West Africa, now known as the Standard Chartered Bank in Freetown, after leaving school. His involvement with music, started when he appeared in front of an audience of about 500 at the tender age of 8 years.

On that auspicious day, he played the Harmonica. His musical interest developed over the years as he started playing the Banjo and graduated to the Guitar, which is his instrument of choice to this day. With his guitar in hand, Bunny Mack joined a band soon after leaving school, and played locally at various events. His keen interest in poetry naturally led him into song writing. He wrote whilst playing in the band. The first band Bunny played with was the "Daverns", which was later re-named "The Echoes". At the time, he earned extra money by doubling performances with a radio band called the "SLBS Crackers".

Bunny left the Echoes for ‘richer pastures’ in the United Kingdom upon invitation from the management and members of the "Soundcasters". He decided that his future was in the professional recording business and he moved. He travelled extensively in Europe with the band, playing countries like Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium. He also toured with several big stars. All this was nice but Bunny’s main interest was in making his way into the recording studio. He recorded a couple of singles with the Soundcasters, one released in England, and the other in Sierra Leone. When they returned to England in 1970 after touring, the group disbanded. Bunny chose to further his ambition as a recording artiste single-handedly. In 1978, he recorded "Shake You Battie", closely followed by "Disco-Lypso" and "Funny Lady", all released in late 1978. The year after he released these songs, Bunny’s motivator, his Dad, died in January 1979, and he went home to Sierra Leone to bury him. On his return to England, Bunny Mack went into the studio and recorded the now re-released song "Let me Love You", known affectionately as "My Sweetie". This song gave Bunny the all-important exposure, which he craved; the success of which earned him a Gold Disc award. Even though his Dad was not around, he has always attributed his outstanding success to his Father, whom he believes, must have been there to guide him spiritually. With the success of the releases, Bunny took the opportunity to go on tour, starting with his home country--Sierra Leone, then on to Nigeria and Liberia. After a bitter court battle to sort things out with his Manager/Producer who Bunny believed was embezzling his earnings, Bunny signed to Columbia Records International, CBS, now Sony, in England. He released two albums. He saw out his contract and in 1985, he set up Beemac Productions to produce and manage his own work. He released some re-mixes of the old favourites and some new songs under Beemac Productions. Bunny Mack is not even close to being done as a recording artist yet. He says, “there are many more songs of mine waiting to be recorded”. Bunny plans to continue his career-long tradition of only recording songs he wrote.

Bunny’s huge hits to date include songs like - Angel in disguise; I can't leave you alone; Let me love you; I really love you; and Silver Spoon. Five of the best songs you’ll ever hear. There’s more to come from Sierra Leone’s maestro! Bunny Mack is currently recording a New Album that he expects to release in early 2007. Ever the hard worker, he is already planning his project after that one. He hopes to migrate his style in favour of a gentle feel: He plans to become the King of Ballads, which are regular features on his albums out to date. Watch out! The Grand Award winning Legend is alive and kicking.

Compiled by:
Lawrence Spencer-Coker
Master B

The GAME

The Grand Awards & Music Expo (The GAME) 2006
This event is supported by the British Council (Sierra Leone)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION on Grand Awards and Music Expo 2006

According to the Founder – Lawrence Spencer-Coker – the “Grand Awards & Music Expo, the GAME, as it is affectionately called, will become the Grandest, annual celebration of Sierra Leonean music and showbiz.” His concept is simple; Expo to promote Sierra Leonean music; Awards to reward the music makers.

For 2006, deserving music industry practitioners have been awarded Grand Awards against FIFTEEN (15) unique categories.

The Grand Awards & Music Expo – the GAME - was conceived in coincidence with the visit of the Nigerian music group, P Square, to Sierra Leone. In early 2006, P Square arrived to perform on the same bill as the reggae star, Nasio Fontaine, from the Dominican Republic. However, in accepting the performance, P Square’s management ensured that their entire team could leave Sierra Leone in time to attend an awards show in London. As it turned out, the Awards event was conceptualized to reward Nigerian musicians. Hosting the show in London meant international exposure. From that thought and with extensive research and analysis was founded the GAME – an event designed to promote and reward Sierra Leonean musicians in front of and behind the MIC. As well as rewarding deserving artists, one of the key goals of The Grand Awards & Music Expo is to promote Sierra Leonean music and showbiz to the rest of the world.

The Music Expo itself is a great opportunity for music industry practitioners to showcase their products and services to an engaging audience. Over the coming years, the Grand Expos will feature music industry practitioners from all sectors of the industry. Interested exhibitors and presenters will include; Record Producers, Recording Studios, Graphic Artists, Record Labels, Promoters, Media Houses, Video Producers, Printers, CD Manufacturers, Electronic Equipment Distributors, Wholesalers and Retailers, CD Distributors, Website Designers, Airlines, Travel Agents, Hoteliers, and many, many more showbiz and related industry practitioners who wish to promote their products and services to our music industry targeted audience. Do you want to be a part of the GAME in 2007?

Register for the Expos or send a nomination, or request more info by sending an email to GrandAwards@gmail.com and benefit from a great networking event.

WINNING A GRAND AWARD
Winning a Grand Award will never be easy because winning is based on, one; being granted an official nomination and two; judging is based on international quality production standards. Thirdly, annual nominations are drawn from an international pool of eligible Sierra Leonean music industry practitioners, some with direct access to leading resources. The GAME has no geographic borders. Each Grand Awards Year is administered within a ‘Grand Nominations Window’, which runs from October 1st to September 30th in the following year. Therefore, works eligible for the 2006 Grand Awards were those released anywhere between October 1st 2005 and September 30th 2006.

Nominations were forwarded by people from all works of life, from anywhere in the world, and this will continue to be the case in 2007. In 2006, most nominations were sent via email. CDs, VCDs and DVDs were also posted to the Grand Awards Secretariat in Freetown. This event being organised by Supreme Inc should not preclude Supreme Artistes from active participation. Once received, nominations are painstakingly authenticated by the Grand Panel of Judges, - a team of twenty-four (24) men and women selected for their relevant music industry experience and professional integrity. Authentication of nominations by the Grand Panel of Judges is a two (2) stage process. The decisions from the Grand Panel are merit based and ensure the following:
1. nominated works qualify for the category in which they are nominated – e.g. reggae, hip hop, religious, etc., - no matter in which country the release was made
2. nominated persons are indeed Sierra Leonean[s], irrespective of current geographic location

For the 2006 Grand Awards voting was executed on two fronts.
1. Online Voting – 5% of total vote
2. Voting by the Grand Panel of Judges – 95% voting rights
95% voting rights! That’s why the Grand Awards is The Professionals Choice Awards.

The Grand Awards is unique in many other ways. For song related entries, winning a Grand Award DOES NOT necessarily reflect the popularity of the songs within Sierra Leone during the ‘Grand Nominations Window’. If songs were judged based primarily on popularity, it would incrementally disadvantage works as their release dates get closer to the end of the Grand Nominations Window. So, theoretically, works released on the 30th of September 2006 would be disadvantaged as it would have had a lot less time to gain popularity and the same work would not be eligible for the following years GAME event. This would contradict one of the core values of the concept: To promote international quality Sierra Leonean music. A founding principle of the Grand Awards is that works are to be judged relative to international quality production standards – not local popularity. The aim is to pursue an enabling environment that allows for the continuous improvement of Sierra Leonean music. Therefore, a key consideration for the Grand Panel of Judges is: “How do the songs and videos produced by Sierra Leonean practitioners stack up internationally?”

The Grand Awards Judging Criteria

OFFICIAL NOMINATIONS: To become eligible for a Grand Award nomination, the work must have been released during the applicable Grand Nominations Window. If this condition is met, then official Grand Awards nomination can be granted. This means that the work will be up for public voting and grading by the Grand Panel of Judges.
The GAME: Play the Game! To nominate a song based work, send a copy of the CD plus a completed Grand Awards Nomination Form and the applicable nominations fee. Some of the data requested on the form include, the bios of the Song Writer, Producer, Record Label, Management and Recording Artist. The category in which the song is being nominated for is also required. For the Video award, the Recording Artist and the Director’s bio are required. A nomination fee of $20USD applies for the GAME 2007!

As they say, you have to be in it to win it! Email GrandAwards@gmail.com for more details on Grand Awards nominations.


SONGS: Judging Criteria
1. Song Writing Quality – How well written the song is?
2. Production Quality – How well the Producer(s) performed?
3. Record Label Quality – How well did the Studio[s] and Engineer[s] perform?
4. Recording Performance Quality – How well did the Artist[s] perform in the Studio?
5. Management Quality is a key consideration. How quickly did they respond to correspondence, etc.?

The Grand Awards DO NOT judge songs based on local popularity because that would automatically exclude songs that have NOT been released in Sierra Leone or are NOT available in Sierra Leone, even though they may meet existing international quality thresholds. By limiting the impact of local popularity on the judging, the Grand Awards & Music Expo – the GAME - can realize one of its goals, which is to promote new, great, underground Sierra Leonean music. The Grand Awards can also tap into the widest pool of available Sierra Leonean talent and in turn promote their productions to a wide global audience. That does not mean we don’t figure Sierra Leone in our plans because we do expect eventual Grand Awards winners to become popular in Sierra Leone, provided they are marketed effectively in the Sierra Leonean environment.

STYLE: The Grand Awards are judged on ‘Style’ of music. Effectively, the feel and sound of the music makes up the style. There are distinct sounds associated with unique parts of the world. The industry is still striving for the conclusive Sierra Leonean sound. We are lending our support.

In addition to production quality, some categories have further unique characteristics. For instance, the winning Grand Hit Song reflects the song’s popularity in Sierra Leone during the Grand Nominations Window. Producer and Engineer Awards are awarded based on the portfolio of the practitioner during the nominations window. The DJ Award reflects the impact of the DJ on the Sierra Leone music scene both nationally and internationally during the window. Who has the DJ interviewed during the Grand Nominations Window? What events or issues have been championed by the DJ? Has the DJ broken any new songs to clubbers? The International Award reflects the direct impact of the artist/group in the Sierra Leone music community. Criteria for International Award includes: song popularity, live stage performance value, - so having performed live in Sierra Leone during the Grand Nominations Window is an advantage - quality of videos, other international achievements and awards, etc. These and more make up International Act award winners. There are two (2) Achievement Awards. The Lifetime Achievement Award reflects: lifetime contribution to Sierra Leonean music both within and without Sierra Leone, and the Outstanding Achievement Award reflects a more short term impact that has led to an increase in the profile of Sierra Leonean music in the international scene. Bunny Mack won the Lifetime award and Patrice won the Outstanding Achievement Award in 2006.

At a minimum, the Video Award must reflect: production quality and entertainment value.

A short note about the Grand Panel of Judges: The Judging team is 24 strong. They must remain anonymous because of two main reasons:
1. The pool from which suitable Grand Awards Judges can be selected is small in number; therefore, it is not feasible to select a brand new 24 every year. Members will come and go but with all things being equal, the panel will remain constant over the years.
2. If the Judges become known to the public, their integrity and the integrity of the event can be compromised. Judges known and accessible to the public open doors to bribes both financial and non-financial. Anonymity offers a level of protection to all concerned.

Have a Supremely Grand 2007

Supreme Welcome for Prince Charles

As Prince Charles took his seat, children from the Prince of Wales Secondary School, the Methodist Girls High School and the Wilberforce Primary School welcomed him in unison. Under the direction of Lawrence Spencer-Coker, the distinguished Master of Ceremony, thousands of kids recited a short welcome: "His Royal Highness - The Prince of Wales, Welcome to Sierra Leone", followed by rapturous applause from the crowd of about three thousand invited guests.
Moments earlier, the Prince had been welcomed by the National Dance Troupe of Sierra Leone with a performance of song and dance. The prince then had a go at drumming with the National Dance Troupe. He was presented with his own pair of drumsticks. The event took place at the Freetown Golf club ideally situated in the capital, Freetown, on the Lumley Beach road.
In the company of Solomon Berewa, the Vice President of Sierra Leone, the Mayor of Freetown and other dignitaries, including the President of the Freetown Golf club, Prince Charles and the royal event goers were entertained by the Freetong Players, who did a specially prepared skit on the effects of deforestation, an issue that is close to the heart of the Prince.
Artists from Supreme Records under the direction of Nicky Spencer-Coker, the Vice-President added contemporary spice to proceedings with masterpiece performances. The Supreme musicians were the only ones appointed to perform contemporary music at the royal event. Songs performed from the Grand Award winning album - Supreme Hits Volume One: The Collection were: YouthMan who performed Bigtime Reggae; SKYY with Hand in Hand; Lucky Rock with Salone Music and the Vlicious One, V who wowed the audience with This Christmas. The Freetong Players performed Thomas Peters, 1787 and Freetong. The Prince of Wales School Brass Band from Sierra Leone had the distinction of entertaining the crowd and the Prince.
Earlier, the Prince who flew into Sierra Leone on the Royal Jet, was greeted at the Lungi International Airport by President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and the UK's High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Sarah MacIntosh.

"I know only too well...Sierra Leone has suffered so deeply and so tragically" Prince Charles
Prince Charles left the celebrations to attend a presidential reception as Guest of Honour at the State Lodge.
He told the country's leading figures that the UK had a special relationship with Sierra Leone.
"Our two nations, two Commonwealth partners, share a long and close friendship and I know only too well within the lifetime of everyone here Sierra Leone has suffered so deeply and so tragically," he said.
It was "heartbreaking for people like myself to watch it happen", he added.
Tens of thousands of people were killed, millions displaced and many atrocities committed during the conflict.
The Prince said: "Already today amongst the groups of people I've met I've seen encouraging evidence of the new Sierra Leone determined to turn away from those dark years."
Prince Charles praised the "truly remarkable" role of British armed forces who helped bring stability to the country towards the end of the war.
President Kabbah told the Prince: "Although your stay will be brief we hope it will create lasting memories, friendship, trust and goodwill between our two countries."
Prince Charles was expected to spend less than 24 hours, making a couple of other visits in Sierra Leone before heading off to Nigeria.