The 1997 Dallas Observer Music Awards

On the other hand, after years of sweatin' it with his bands the Honkytonkers, Liberty Valance, the Cartwrights, and now the Widowmakers, it's possible that the world may yet come to know Ford's innate genius and smooth-as-Crown Royal warble. The debut album by North Carolina's Backsliders, features a Ford song, "Cowboy Boots." At long last, it's a break; one can only hope it leads to greater, much-deserved things.

--Rick Koster

Grand Street Cryers
Nominated for: Best Act Overall; New Act; Most Improved Act; Alternative Rock/Pop; Single Release (Angie Wood); Male Vocalist (Tim Locke)

Without question, the Grand Street Cryers have conquered the local scene--the only act with more nominations is the deeply entrenched Old 97's--a momentum built largely on the deceptively buoyant hooks of the lugubrious hit "Angie Wood." Smart money says it's only a matter of weeks before this effusively melodic unit takes its act national.

To a certain extent, they've already done so, having recorded their debut CD, Steady on the Shaky Ground, in California under the direction of big-time rock dudes Stan Lynch and Rob Jacobs. And though the hype factories are describing their brightly colored pop tunes as country-tinged rock, hoping no doubt to hop on that hay- and dung-encrusted "insurgent country" bandwagon, the Cryers have as much in common with Badfinger as they do with Pure Prairie League.

Whatever; singer and chief tunesmith Tim Locke has the voice and the choruses that render hype unnecessary.

--Rick Koster

Hard Night's Day
Nominated for: Cover Band
"Cover band" has long been something of a pejorative, but at least Hard Night's Day retreads a can't-go-wrong institution, rather than spitting out Huey Lewis and Journey anthems. Although they've recently undergone personnel flux and inner turmoil, their reverence for the Beatles and ability to replicate their material renders HND a civic treasure. Their performances are all-embracing displays of affection for the Fab Four--from the sad-glad rhymes of the "I Want to Hold Your Hand" era to the orchestrated Joycean efforts of "I Am the Walrus" and side two of Abbey Road. With Hard Night's Day, "tribute act" takes on a rare, pristine, and unusually dignified meaning.

--Rick Koster

Earl Harvin Trio
Nominated for: Jazz, Local Musician of the Year (Earl Harvin)
The fact that Earl Harvin can still be seen playing local jazz clubs where there's plenty of breathing room is both a blessing and a crime. Talent like this doesn't come along often, and when it does, it usually soon packs up and joins the big leagues with nothing but a gracious bow and a few thank yous to the hometown folks in the liner notes. For whatever reason, though, Harvin is still with us, and it's clear that he is no victim of the slacker disease. This is a man with serious initiative and leadership, the likes of which made Duke Ellington a great band leader. It's rare, indeed, that a drummer takes the foreground and spotlight in a band, but whether he's performing as Earl Harvin the Jazz man or as Earl Harvin the rubberbullet man, Harvin is the man. There's no doubt whatsoever that he will go down in our annals as one of Dallas' great musicians, but the jury's still out on whether or not he'll make it to the next step.

--Richard Baimbridge

Bugs Henderson
Nominated for: Blues
Bugs Henderson cut his teeth on pre-Beatle guitar instrumentals, toughened up in a local psychedelic sewer called the Cellar, murdered Ted Nugent in a guitar duel at the Texas Electric Ballroom, and was poker pals with Freddie King. His shows are dizzying drive-throughs of blues, rock, and country. He can play feverishly fast, but is still a cogent soloist with jazz-like improv chops and a repertoire broader than most continents. Bugs has dabbled with horn sections but is at his best in a trio mode, where he can stretch and take chances. He does precisely this on his greatest recordings, the recent live albums That's the Truth and Gitarzbazanddrumz; his best studio work can be found on Daredevils of the Red Guitar.

--Tim Schuller

Casey Hess
Nominated for: Local Musician of the Year
For Casey Hess and his band Doosu, 1996 was marked by a number of highlights: winning a Grammy-sponsored contest, snagging money from Sony Music, and attracting the interests of dozens of record labels. Unfortunately, last year was also marked by the multiple corrective surgeries that Hess needed for a defective heart. He's well on the road to recovery now, though, and looking to the future. "The only thing that I have planned for the rest of my life is playing in this band," he says. "We're going to play our hearts out."

The return of Doosu to Trees on June 7, after about a year off, will mark an EP release--and a new, tighter sound for the band. Hess is proud that his songwriting has evolved to the point where most of his new material runs under four minutes. "You can't ignore a couple of bouts with death," he says. "So a lot of the new music centers around trying to get through that. There is more of an urgency to embrace the strength to overcome, and the compassion to help. That's pretty much the music, for what it's worth."