FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2026
Announcing Support Life And Music’s first annual SLAM Awards, recognizing the heroes who’ve improved mental health for musicians and the music community.
Hosted by superstar Cathy Rankin, S.L.A.M. is proud to present trophies to an incredible class of honorees.
The 2026 SLAM Award Recipients, in alphabetical order:
- Michael Alago (Legendary record label executive and artist. Subject of the acclaimed documentary: “Who the F**k is That Guy?”, author of “I Am Michael Alago.”)
- John Bambino (VP Artist Management for In De Goot Entertainment)
- Dani Cutler (Scene Mom Says, ex-KWSS Radio DJ)
- Rob Halford (Hall of Fame singer for Judas Priest and author of “Confess” and “Biblical”)
- Dr. Dorian Lamis (Psychologist, author, and professor who co-wrote the clinical paper, “Musicians, the music industry, and suicide: epidemiology, risk factors, and suggested prevention approaches,” with George Musgrave.)
- Marc Lopes (Singer with Let Us Prey, ex-Metal Church)
- Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (Rap/Hip-Hop pioneer, author of “Ten Ways to Not Commit Suicide”)
- Jason McMaster (Iconic singer from Dangerous Toys, co-host of Talk Louder podcast)
- Dr. George Musgrave (aka Context, a Rapper who’s worked with Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, others. He co-wrote a groundbreaking clinical paper on musician mental health)
- Pamela Parks (Headity Artist Management)
- Amy Sciarretto (Trendsetting music publicist, founder of Atom Splitter PR)
In addition to acceptance speeches, the show will also include exclusive music performances, information about S.L.A.M.’s cause, and special guest appearances from David Ellefson, Dave Glessner, Burton C. Bell, Jose Mangin, Black Stone Cherry, Chuck Tomasi, and more! The SLAM Awards will release on August 27, 2026 through the Support Life And Music website https://www.supportlifeandmusic.org, YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@supportlifeandmusic, and podcast feed https://feeds.captivate.fm/slam-summit/, sponsored in part by All Access VIP Adventures.
Critical mental health issues have plagued the music world for over a century, damaging and ending countless lives through addiction, depression, suicide, and other afflictions. Jack Mangan founded Support Life And Music (S.L.A.M.) in 2025 as a Fiscally-Sponsored nonprofit to protect musicians through media, research, storytelling, and inspiration. In the first 16 months, they released 56 “SLAM: Music Survival Guide” podcast episodes, published 7 Data, Research, Education, Awareness and Music (D.R.E.A.M.) reports, appeared at numerous major music events, and partnered with numerous powerhouse organziations, including Born This Way Foundation, AZ Bike Week, Backline, Musical Instrument Museum, PHXMF, Rawkstars, The Funding Studio, and more.
Support Life And Music wishes to acknowledge the following for their assistance in making the SLAM Awards a success:
All Access VIP Adventures, Arizona Eastern Star Foundation, Chipster PR, Headity, Atom Splitter PR, MetalMayhem ROC, MetalAsylum.net, Scene Mom Says, The Funding Studio, and PHXMF. We’ll continue to update this list as we draw closer to showtime. Watch and subscribe to Support Life And Music’s social media and website to stay up-to-date about S.L.A.M. and the SLAM Awards.
