2013 NAMMY nominations

Nelly Furtado, Tony Duncan, Rickey Medlocke, Radmilla Cody to Boost NAMA 2013On Friday, May 10, when the Native American Music Awards are handed out in some 35 categories, the cast of leading Native musicians will be joined on stage by pop star Nelly Furtado and Chinese singer Ayi Jihu, who was described by the BBC as "China's Madonna."

Rickey Medlocke, founder of Blackfoot and current guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Grammy Award–winner Joanne Shenandoah will induct the late Russell Means into the Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame. Though primarily known as an actor and activist, Means released two discs that married his words to diverse styles of music. Means described the material on Electric Warrior (1993) and The Radical (1995) as "rap-ajo."

Acts scheduled to perform include Big River Cree, Buddy Big Mountain, Edmund Bull, Indian Elvis, Fawn Wood, CC Murdock, Jana, Joseph FireCrow, and Blackfoot. Grammy nominee Radmilla Cody, who is nominated for three NAMA awards, will sing solo, and also perform with Artist of the Year nominee Tony Duncan and his group Estun-Bah.

Furtado, who brought the hoop dancing skills of Tony Duncan to international prominence with her "Big Hoops" video, will receive the Living Legend Award. Duncan has become a regular presence on stage with Furtado, dancing to "Big Hoops" at high-profile performances that include MTV’s Video Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, The Tonight Show. Ayi Jihu will join fashion designer Angela DeMontigny and musician Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson in presenting an award.Comment:  For more on the NAMMYs, see Russell Means Honored for "Rap-ajo" and Edwards and Secola in NAMA Hall of Fame.

Below:  "Nelly Furtado with Tony Duncan in 2012. The two-time Grammy winner holds Duncan's 'Earth Warrior,' nominated for the NAMA Record of the Year."