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Back in 1988 the American Arts and Entertainment Academy Inc. threw what they called the “First Miami music awards.” Nominees included Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, MC Shy D, 2 Live Crew, the Gucci Crew II, Jerry Rushin (WEDR radio), and “more than 200 others.”
All you had to do for an invite was put down a deposit, wait for an invitation in the mail, verify your order, and pay the remaining balance. This was all in the days of snail mail, checks and cash.
The night was supposed to include fashion shows, the Miami Music Awards, and an after awards show party. This ad appeared in a late August issue of the paper and the event was set for November. That’s around 2 months advance promotion.
We can’t find any reactions to the show, or even proof that it happened, but here’s the first ad for it as it appeared in the Miami New Times in 1988…
