Blues Music Awards Nominees Announced - Award Ceremony to be Held First Week of May in Memphis TN.

The Blues Foundation Announces 

2016 Blues Music Awards Nominees

Acoustic Album

Doug MacLeod - Exactly Like This

Duke Robillard - The Acoustic Blues & Roots of Duke Robillard

Eric Bibb - Blues People

Guy Davis - Kokomo Kidd

The Ragpicker String Band - The Ragpicker String Band

Acoustic Artist

Doug MacLeod

Eric Bibb

Gaye Adegbalola

Guy Davis

Ian Siegal

Album

 Anthony Geraci & the Boston Blues All-Stars - Fifty Shades of Blue

Buddy Guy - Born to Play Guitar

James Harman - Bonetime

The Cash Box Kings - Holding Court      

Wee Willie Walker - If Nothing Ever Changes

Band

Andy T - Nick Nixon Band

Rick Estrin & the Nightcats

Sugar Ray & the Bluetones

The Cash Box Kings

Victor Wainwright & the Wild Roots

B.B. King Entertainer

 John Németh

Rick Estrin

Shemekia Copeland

Sugaray Rayford

Victor Wainwright

Best New Artist Album

Eddie Cotton - One at a Time

Igor Prado Band - Way Down South

Mighty Mike Schermer - Blues in Good Hands

Mr. Sipp - The Blues Child

Slam Allen - Feel These Blues

Contemporary Blues Album

Buddy Guy - Born to Play Guitar

Eugene Hideaway Bridges - Hold on a Little Bit Longer

Shemekia Copeland - Outskirts of Love

Sonny Landreth - Bound by the Blues

Sugaray Rayford - Southside

Contemporary Blues Female Artist

 Beth Hart

Karen Lovely

Nikki Hill

Samantha Fish

Shemekia Copeland

Contemporary Blues Male Artist

 Brandon Santini

Eugene Hideaway Bridges

Jarekus Singleton

Joe Louis Walker

Sugaray Rayford

Historical Album

 The Henry Gray/Bob Corritore Sessions, Vol. 1, Blues Won't Let Me Take My Rest on Delta Groove Records

Hawk Squat by J. B. Hutto & His Hawks on Delmark Records

Southside Blues Jam by Junior Wells on Delmark Records

Buzzin' the Blues by Slim Harpo on Bear Family Records

Dynamite! The Unsung King of the Blues by Tampa Red on Ace Records

Instrumentalist-Bass

Charlie Wooton

Lisa Mann

Michael "Mudcat" Ward

Patrick Rynn

Willie J. Campbell

Instrumentalist-Drums

Cedric Burnside

Jimi Bott

June Core

Tom Hambridge

Tony Braunagel

Instrumentalist-Guitar

Anson Funderburgh

Kid Andersen

Monster Mike Welch

Ronnie Earl

Sonny Landreth

Instrumentalist-Harmonica

Billy Branch

Brandon Santini

James Harman

Jason Ricci

Kim Wilson

Instrumentalist-Horn

Al Basile

Doug James

Kaz Kazanoff

Sax Gordon

TerryHanck

Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)

 Diunna Greenleaf

Fiona Boyes

Ruthie Foster

Trudy Lynn

Zora Young

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player

Allen Toussaint

Anthony Geraci

Barrelhouse Chuck

John Ginty

Victor Wainwright

Rock Blues Album of the Year

Joe Bonamassa - Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks

Joe Louis Walker - Everybody Wants a Piece

Royal Southern Brotherhood - Don't Look Back

Tinsley Ellis - Tough Love

Walter Trout - Battle Scars

Song

"Bad Feet/Bad Hair" written and performed by James Harman

"Fifty Shades of Blue" written by Anthony Geraci and performed by Anthony Geraci & the Boston Blues All-Stars

"Gonna Live Again" written and performed by Walter Trout

"Southside of Town" written by Sugaray Rayford and & Ralph Carter and performed by Sugaray Rayford

"You Got It Good (and That Ain't Bad)" written and performed by Doug MacLeod

                                                                  

Soul Blues Album

Bey Paule Band - Not Goin' Away

Billy Price & Otis Clay - This Time for Real

Jackie Payne - I Saw the Blues

Tad Robinson - Day into Night

Wee Willie Walker - If Nothing Ever Changes

Soul Blues Female Artist

Bettye LaVette

Dorothy Moore

Missy Anderson

Toni Lynn Washington

Vaneese Thomas

Soul Blues Male Artist

Frank Bey

Jackie Payne

Johnny Rawls

Otis Clay

Wee Willie Walker 

Traditional Blues Album

Andy T - Nick Nixon Band - Numbers Man

Anthony Geraci & the Boston Blues All-Stars - Fifty Shades of Blue

Cedric Burnside Project - Descendants of Hill Country

James Harman - Bonetime

The Cash Box Kings - Holding Court

Traditional Blues Male Artist

Cedric Burnside

Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin

James Harman

Jimmy Burns

John Primer

More information on The Blues Foundation, The Blues Music Awards, Voting, and Tickets for the Gala Event to be held May 5, 2016 in Memphis TN (This event SOLD OUT last year, so get your tickets ASAP) can be found at http://www.blues.org/2015/12/3425/ 

421 South Main Street Memphis, TN 38103 (901) 527-2583 www.blues.org Our Mission To preserve blues heritage, celebrate blues recording and performance, expand worldwide awareness of the blues, and ensure the future of this uniquely American art form The Blues Foundation Announces 37th Blues Music Award Nominees Memphis, TN (December 15, 2015) - The Blues Foundation is pleased to announce the nominations for its annual Blues Music Awards, which the international organization will present at the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday, May 5, 2016. The Blues Music Awards are universally recognized as the highest accolade afforded blues music performers. The annual Blues Music Awards ceremony is the premier event for blues professionals, musicians, and fans from all over the world. The focus of this celebration is to honor this rich cultural tradition by recognizing the past year's superior achievements in blues performance, songwriting, and recording. James Harman leads the list with five nominations, with Anthony Geraci and Sugaray Rayford close behind with four nominations each.  Harman and Geraci will go head to head in three categories: Best Song, Best Album, and Best Traditional Blues Album. Harman's special gift at musical storytelling combined with the soulful sound on his newest release Bonetime propelled him to a nomination as Best Traditional Male Blues Artist, and his strong musicianship opened the door for a nomination as Best Instrumentalist-Harmonica, while Geraci's piano finesse led to a nomination for the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player.  Rayford, with a more modern sound, received nods for Contemporary Blues Album and Contemporary Blues Male Artist as well as Best Song and B.B. King Entertainer. 2016 Grammy nominated Cedric Burnside and Shemekia Copeland along with Doug MacLeod, The Cash Box Kings, Victor Wainwright and Wee Willie Walker each received three nominations. The complete list of 37th Blues Music Award nominees can be found at www.blues.org.  Every year, the Blues Music Awards ceremony proves to be one of the best shows of the year as almost every nominee not only attends, but also performs - creating a lineup comprised of the best of the best in blues all in one evening.  A ballot will be soon be sent to all Blues Foundation members as they have the privilege of deciding which nominees will actually take home a Blues Music Award in May. In addition to the  complete nominee list, membership, voting, ticket, and host hotel information can be found at The Blues Foundation's website-www.blues.org. For more information, call 901.527.2583. Major funding is provided by ArtsMemphis and the Tennessee Arts Commission.  The 37th Blues Music Awards are also sponsored by AutoZone, BMI, Catfood Records, First Tennessee Foundation, Jontaar Creative Studios, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and Sony/Legacy. The Blues Foundation is Memphis-based, but world-renown as THE organization whose mission is to preserve blues heritage, celebrate blues recording and performance, expand worldwide awareness of the blues, and ensure the future of this uniquely American art form.  Founded in 1980, The Blues Foundation has approximately 4000 individual members and 200 affiliated local blues societies representing another 50,000 fans and professionals around the world.  Its signature honors and events--the Blues Music Awards, Blues Hall of Fame, International Blues Challenge and Keeping the Blues Alive Awards--make it the international center of blues music. The recent opening of the Blues Hall of Fame Museum, in Memphis, TN, now adds the opportunity for music lovers of all ages to interact with the music and the history. For more information, log onto www.blues.org..