Blues Music Award
The Blues Music Awards are the highest honor awarded by the Blues Foundation , an organization promoting the blues and its heritage. They have been awarded annually in Memphis since 1980 for special services to the blues . Many consider the awards to be the highest distinction a blues musician can receive in the United States.
From 1995 to 2005 the awards were officially called WC Handy Blues Awards , after WC Handy , the "father of the blues". Since 2006 the official name is Blues Music Awards . In the years before that, the prizes were named National Blues Music Awards (1980 and 1982), Blues Awards (1981), Annual Blues Awards (1983–1987, 1989–1990), Annual Blues Music Awards (1988) and Annual Blues Awards - The Handys (1991) and Annual Blues Music Awards - The Handys (1992–1994). The term mobile phone is used as a short form for a Blues Music Award .
Similar to the Grammys , the cell phones are awarded in different categories, such as "Blues Album of the Year", "Blues Entertainer of the Year", "Blues Song of the Year" and so on. The winner in each category is determined from five nominees.
The winners are nominated by a committee made up of representatives from various professions associated with the blues. They are selected by the members of the Blues Foundation, taking into account regional distribution. The majority come from the USA, but there are also nominators from Canada, Europe and Central America. The final vote will be taken by the members of the Blues Foundation.
Prize winner 2009
Acoustic Album of the Year
Eden Brent - Mississippi Number One
Acoustic Artist of the Year
Album of the Year
Buddy Guy - Skin Deep
BB King Entertainer of the Year
Janiva Magness
Band of the Year
Lil 'Ed & the Blues Imperials
Best New Artist Debut
Cedric Burnside & Lightnin 'Malcolm - 2 Man Wrecking Crew
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Buddy Guy - Skin Deep
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
Janiva Magness
Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
DVD
Broke & Hungry Records, Cathead Blues & Mudpuppy Recordings - M For Mississippi: A Road Trip Through The Birthplace of the Blues
Historical Album of the Year
Eagle Records - Albert Collins Live At Montreux 1992
Instrumentalist bass
Mookie Brill
Instrumentalist drums
Instrumentalist-Guitar
Instrumentalist harmonica
Billy Gibson
Instrumentalist horn
Instrumentalist-Other
Otis Taylor - Banjo
Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
Rock Blues Album of the Year
Jeff Healey - Mess of Blues
Song of the Year
Kenny Neal - Let Life Flow (Kenny Neal)
Soul Blues Album of the Year
Irma Thomas - Simply Grand
Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year
Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year
Bobby Rush
Traditional Blues Album of the Year
BB King - One Kind Favor
Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year
Koko Taylor
Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year
BB King
Award winner 2010
Acoustic Album of the Year
- David Maxwell & Louisiana Red , You Got to Move
Acoustic Artist of the Year
Album of the Year
- Joe Louis Walker , Between a Rock and the Blues
BB King Entertainer of the Year
Band of the Year
- Tommy Castro band
Best New Artist Debut
- Monkey junk, tiger in your tank
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
- Tommy Castro, Hard Believer
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
- Tommy Castro
DVD
- Delmark Records , It Ain't Over! Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues, Live at Buddy Guy's Legends
Historical Album of the Year
- Chess , Authorized Bootleg ( Muddy Waters )
Instrumentalist bass
- Bob Stroger
Instrumentalist drums
- Cedric Burnside
Instrumentalist-Guitar
Instrumentalist harmonica
Instrumentalist horn
- Deanna Bogart
Instrumentalist-Other
- Buckwheat Zydeco (accordion)
Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
Rock Blues Album of the Year
- Derek Trucks Band, Already Free
Song of the Year
- Cyril Neville & Mike Zito, 'Pearl River' (Pearl River - Mike Zito)
Soul Blues Album of the Year
- Johnny Rawls , Ace Of Spades
Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year
Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year
Traditional Blues Album of the Year
- Great Chikan, Chikadelic
Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year
- Debbie Davies
Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year
Award winner 2011
The Blues Music Awards were presented on May 5, 2011 at a gala at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee.
Acoustic Album of the Year
- Last Train to Bluesville- The Nighthawks
Acoustic Artist of the Year
- John Hammond
Album of the Year
- Living Proof, Buddy Guy
BB King Entertainer of the Year
- Buddy guy
Band of the Year
- The Derek Trucks Band
Best New Artist Debut
- Matt Hill- On the Floor
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
- Living Proof Buddy Guy
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
- Robin Rogers
Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
- Buddy guy
DVD
- Ruf- Songs From The Road- Luther Allison
Historical Album of the Year
- Delta Groove- Harmonica Blues- Bob Corritore & Friends (Koko, Pinetop, Nappy Brown, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, et al.)
Instrumentalist bass
- Bob Stroger
Instrumentalist drums
- Cedric Burnside
Instrumentalist-Guitar
- Derek Trucks
Instrumentalist harmonica
- Charlie Musselwhite
Instrumentalist horn
- Eddie Shaw
Instrumentalist-Other
- Sonny Rhodes- Lap Steel Guitar
Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)
- Ruthie Foster
Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
- Dr. John
Rock Blues Album of the Year
- Live! In Chicago- Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Bryan Lee and Buddy Flett
Song of the Year
- Living Proof- Tom Hambridge / Buddy Guy- Living Proof, Buddy Guy
Soul Blues Album of the Year
- Nothing's Impossible- Solomon Burke
Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year
- Irma Thomas
Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year
- Solomon Burke
Traditional Blues Album of the Year
- Joined At the Hip- Pinetop Perkins & Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith
Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year
- Charlie Musselwhite
2014 award winners
The winners were announced on May 8, 2014 at a gala in Memphis.
Acoustic Album of the Year
- There's a Time - Doug MacLeod
Acoustic Artist of the Year
Album of the Year
- Remembering Little Walter - Billy Boy Arnold , Charlie Musselwhite , Mark Hummel , Sugar Ray Norcia , James Harman
BB King Entertainer of the Year
Band of the Year
Best New Artist Debut
- Daddy Told Me - Shawn Holt & the Teardrops
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
- Badlands - Trampled Under Foot
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
DVD
- Ruf Records - Songs from the Road ( Royal Southern Brotherhood )
Historical Album of the Year
Bear Family - The Sun Blues Box
Instrumentalist bass
Instrumentalist drums
Instrumentalist-Guitar
Instrumentalist harmonica
Instrumentalist horn
Koko Taylor Award
Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
Rock blues album
- Made Up Mind - Tedeschi Trucks Band
song
- "Blues in My Soul" - Lurrie Bell
Soul Blues album
- Down in Louisiana - Bobby Rush
Soul Blues Female Artist
Soul Blues Male Artist
Traditional blues album
- Remembering Little Walter - Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, James Harman
Traditional Blues Male Artist
Award winner 2015
The winners were announced on May 7, 2015 at a gala in Memphis.
Acoustic Album of the Year
- Timeless - John Hammond
Acoustic Artist of the Year
Album of the Year
- Can't Even Do Wrong Right - Elvin Bishop
BB King Entertainer of the Year
Band of the Year
Best New Artist Debut
- Don't Call No Ambulance - Selwyn Birchwood
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
- BluesAmericana - Keb 'Mo'
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
Historical Album of the Year
Soul & Swagger: The Complete “5” Royales 1951-1967 - The “5” Royales (Rock Beat)
Instrumentalist bass
Instrumentalist drums
Instrumentalist-Guitar
Instrumentalist harmonica
Instrumentalist horn
Koko Taylor Award
Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
Rock blues album
- Step Back - Johnny Winter
song
- “Can't Even Do Wrong Right” - Elvin Bishop
Soul Blues album
- Memphis Grease - John Nemeth
Soul Blues Female Artist
Soul Blues Male Artist
Traditional blues album
- For Pops (A Tribute to Muddy Waters) - Mud Morganfield & Kim Wilson