Third Eye Blind Cops Top Bammies

03/10/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Bruce Haring

(3/10/98) - Third Eye Blind was the big winner Saturday at the first annual California Music Awards, taking home three Bammies. Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan won for Best Songwriting, and their self-titled debut release was named Best Album and Best Debut.

No Doubt was honored as California's top group, with lead singer Gwen Stefani winning an award for Best Female Vocalist trophy. Other winners included Jakob Dylan of the Wallflowers, honored as Outstanding Male Vocalist, and Smash Mouth, lauded for their single "Walking On The Sun."

This year was the first time Southern California artists were included in the ceremony, previously called the Bay Area Music Awards. The trophies are still known as Bammies. Performers included Coolio, Meredith Brooks, Tony Toni Tone and Third Eye Blind.

Neil Young won the Arthur M. Sochot Award for public service and excellence in performance, and Beck was saluted as the California Artist Of The Year.