SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The fans have spoken, and Utica native Shawn Smith has been voted People’s Choice for Best Artist at the Syracuse Area Music Awards.
Smith received the award at Friday night’s SAMMYS at the Palace Theatre in Syracuse.
“SAMMY awards are given based on the judgement of submissions sent to the SAMMYS Board by musicians in Syracuse and the surrounding area,” the award website states. This year, 237 recordings were submitted by 178 artists! An independent panel of music industry professionals and educators from around the country, led by James Abbott, reviewed the submissions and made their selections based on their merit within their genre.
Smith, a contestant on Season 5 of NBC’s The Voice, was one of two finalists for the award, which started out with over 100 area musicians.
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“Since the first Sammys was held at the Landmark Theater in 1993, the Sammys Award Show has become the number one local music event in Central New York,” The SAMMYS website stated.
