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All the right notes, USAF Band of Mid-America wins five awards

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jake Eckhardt
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  The U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America performed its way to five awards--two of them to one individual--during the 2012 Air Force media contest.

The band earned first place for outstanding recording, third place for outstanding recording of a single work and first place for outstanding recording of an original work.
Master Sgt. Jerry Kelley, Band of Mid-America guitarist, won second place for outstanding popular song and third place for Public Affairs Musician of the Year.

Kelley's original song "Prevail" was based on a message that Gen. Raymond Johns Jr., former commander of Air Mobility Command, shared: answer the call, so others may prevail.

"The hardest part was creating a song with the message in a way that hits the audience," said Kelley.

"Prevail" won second place for outstanding popular song, and although it was mainly constructed by Kelley, he said it was the group who recorded the song that helped earn the award.

"We're a team," he said. "We play so many performances together, we train together and we all bring our own type of creativity to make our music original."

The band's award for the outstanding recording was a result of a CD that "Starlifter," the rock ensemble, released. The Band of Mid-America has seven ensembles including "Starlifter."

Kelley said playing for diverse groups, while holding true to a single theme, creates a challenge for the rock group, but the musicians constructed a set-list that covered several genres.

"We play for a very broad spectrum of people from elementary kids to the oldest of seniors, so we try to play music that takes them back while letting them know why the Air Force is here," said Kelley. "We are here to instill patriotism and positive messages."

Airman 1st Class Joanne Griffin, vocalist, said, "You develop a style within the group of people that you're with. Our sound could be completely different if we had a different group, but all share a passion for music."

Kelley said, "Playing for such varied audiences in very intimate settings, you always have to be at the top of your game. We get the opportunity to play at a variety of different places. That's what fuels my fire."