Photos by Anna Paige
Maxie Ford closes out the Magic City Music Awards. Katy Kemmick, left, was voted female vocalist of the year.

Longtime Billings musician Ron Schuster won the Freeman Lacy Award at Sunday’s Magic City Music Awards.

The award recognizes a lifetime of achievement in the music scene in Billings. Mr. Schuster also won awards for best males vocalist, and his band Schuster was named best blues band.

The Magic City Music Awards, the new name for the annual Tuney Awards sponsored by The Billings Outpost, were held before a full house at the Garage Pub at the Yellowstone Valley Brewing Co. Radio disc jockey Big J, who won a best DJ award, was master of ceremonies.

Retired public radio manager Marvin Granger was the announcer.

Mr. Schuster has the distinction of actually having played with Freeman Lacy in the Blues Blasters band. Mr. Lacy was a longtime figure in Billings music until his death, and the Freeman Lacy Award recognizes his legacy.

Mr. Schuster also has played in such bands as Mothers Oats, D’Club la Peach, Mumbling Eddy, the Floyds, Soul Brat and Zero House. He also was a major influence on the Tyler Burnett Band, a popular local group.

In pre-internet days, Mr. Schuster managed Budget Tapes and Records, which became a source of new musical ideas and sounds in Billings.

According to local musician Bob Brown, Mr. Schuster’s work there laid the foundation for the music scene in Billings today.

Mr. Schuster also recently gave up his weekly radio show on Yellowstone Public Radio. He had hosted a show on the station for more than 30 years, starting with the “Mystery Guest” program.

Performers at Sunday’s show included Earthshine, Pete Tolton, Reid Perry, Matt Taggert, Battlestar Kramden and Ted Ness and the Rusty Nails. Maxie Ford, an all-girl band, closed out the show.

Winners are selected by popular vote and by a panel of judges. Awards were presented by local contributors to the Billings music scene.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Country: Jimmy Dressler and Big Country

Americana: Ted Ness and Rusty Nails

Blues: Schuster

Big Band: Funk In The Trunk

Jazz: Alex Nauman Organ Trio

Hard: ENDever

Classic: ZeN

Rap: Supaman

Singer-songwriter: Steve Brown

Bass: Parker Brown

Percussion: Brad Edwards

Guitar: Jared Stewart

Keyboard: Joe Sullivan

Horn: Jeff Long

Mandolin: Jessica Garibay

Fiddle: Trevor Krieger

Banjo: Mike Bloom

Harmonica: Ed Kemmick

Female vocalist: Katy Kemmick

Male vocalist: Ron Schuster

Venue: Yellowstone Valley Brewing

Spoken word: Anna Paige

Album: Alex Nauman Organ Trio, “Too Damn Tight”

Show of the Year: Magic City Blues

Radio DJ: Big J

DJ: Danny Tellez

National group performance in Billings: Dropkick Murphys

Alternative/Independent Group: Brass Monkey