The 33rd Blues Music Awards will be Thursday May 10, 2012 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee.
The list of honorees for the 33nd Blues Music Awards includes Blues Hall of Fame members Denise LaSalle, Charlie Musselwhite and Bobby Rush. Leading with four nominations each are Sugar Ray & the Bluetones with theirs Evening CD and Louisiana artists Tab Benoit with his Medicine release and Johnny Sansone and his The Lord is Waiting and the Devil is Too. Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, the Tedeschi-Trucks Band and their Revelator combined for four nominations. Tommy Castro, his band and the various artists on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue–Live! CD also combined for four nominations.
Three nominations each went to Eugene Hideaway Bridges, Lazy Lester, David Maxwell, Ana Popovic and Johnny Rawls. Popovic is joined by two other Europeans, English guitarist Ian Siegal who paired with Mississippi artists and Big Pete, a Dutch singer and harmonica player, who each got a first-ever nomination. More than thirty other first time nominees were recognized including well-known blues-rock performers Joe Bonamassa, Warren Haynes and George Thorogood. The Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge is certainly proving a path to success as it is well-represented with past winners Eden Brent, Grady Champion, Diunna Greenleaf, Zac Harmon, JP Soars, Trampled Under Foot and Lionel Young all receiving nominations. (The full nominee list is below.)
Find more information on the Blues Music Awards at The Blues Foundation’s website
2011 Blues Music Awards
Presenting Sponsor: ArtsMemphis and the Tennessee Arts Commission
NOMINEES
Acoustic Album
Conversations in Blue – David Maxwell & Otis Spann
Brand New Eyes – Doug MacLeod
Troubadour Live – Eric Bibb
Misery Loves Company – Mary Flower
Shake ‘Em on Down – Rory Block
Acoustic Artist
David Maxwell
Doug MacLeod
Eric Bibb
Guy Davis
Mary Flower
Rory Block
Album of the Year
Chicago Blues A Living History The (R)evolution Continues – Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell, Carlos Johnson
Rock and a Hard Place – Eugene Hideaway Bridges
The Lord is Waiting and the Devil is Too – Johnny Sansone
Evening – Sugar Ray & the Bluetones
Medicine – Tab Benoit
Revelator – Tedeschi Trucks Band
B.B. King Entertainer
Candye Kane
Lil’ Ed
Ruthie Foster
Tab Benoit
Tommy Castro
Band
Bo-Keys
Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials
Sugar Ray & the Bluetones
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Tommy Castro Band
Trampled Under Foot
Best New Artist Debut
Choice Cuts – Big Pete
Bad Girl – Demetria Taylor
Runaway – Samantha Fish
Leave the Light On – Sena Ehrhardt
The Mighty Mojo Prophets – The Mighty Mojo Prophets
Contemporary Blues Album
Unconditional – Ana Popovic
Don’t Explain – Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa
The Skinny – Ian Siegal & the Youngest Sons
The Lord is Waiting and the Devil is Too – Johnny Sansone
Medicine – Tab Benoit
Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue–Live! – Various Artists
Contemporary Blues Female Artist
Ana Popovic
Bettye LaVette
Candye Kane
Janiva Magness
Susan Tedeschi
Contemporary Blues Male Artist
Joe Louis Walker
Johnny Sansone
JP Soars
Tab Benoit
Tommy Castro
DVD
An Evening at Trasimeno Lake – Ana Popovic (ArtisteXclusive)
Live at Montreux 2010 – Gary Moore (Eagle Rock)
Live At Antone’s – Ruthie Foster (Blue Corn)
The Emporium to the Orpheum – Trampled Under Foot (Redwood)
All Jams on Deck – Various Artists (Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise & Mug-Shot Productions)
Play the Blues – Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton (Rhino)
Gibson Guitar Award
Derek Trucks
Duke Robillard
Kirk Fletcher
Lurrie Bell
Michael Burks
Historical Album
Bear Family – Texas Flyer 1974-76 (Freddie King)
Chess – Smokestack Lightning/The Complete Chess Masters 1951-1960 (Howlin’ Wolf)
Delmark – Hoodoo Man Blues (Junior Wells Chicago Blues Band with Buddy Guy)
Electro-Fi – Teardrops Are Falling – Live in 1983 (George “Harmonica” Smith)
Virgin – The Essential Modern Records Collection (Etta James)
Instrumentalist-Bass
Biscuit Miller
Danielle Schnebelen
Larry Taylor
Michael “Mudcat” Ward
Patrick Rynn
Instrumentalist-Drums
Chris Layton
Jimi Bott
Kenny Smith
Robb Stupka
Stanton Moore
Tony Braunagel
Instrumentalist-Harmonica
Charlie Musselwhite
Kim Wilson
Lazy Lester
Rick Estrin
Sugar Ray Norcia
Instrumentalist-Horn
Al Basile
Doug James
Keith Crossan
Sax Gordon
Terry Hanck
Instrumentalist-Other
Ben Prestage, diddley bow
Lionel Young, violin
Otis Taylor, banjo
Rich Del Grosso, mandolin
Sonny Rhodes, lap steel guitar
Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)
Diunna Greenleaf
Maria Muldaur
Nora Jean
Ruthie Foster
Tracy Nelson
Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
David Maxwell
Eden Brent
Jon Cleary
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne
Marcia Ball
Victor Wainwright
Rock Blues Album
2120 South Michigan Avenue – George Thorogood & the Destroyers
Dust Bowl – Joe Bonamassa
Greyhound – Mike Zito
Shiver – Too Slim and the Taildraggers
Man in Motion – Warren Haynes
Song
“Appreciate What You Got” – Terry Hanck (Look Out! – Terry Hanck)
“Back to the Blues” – Hadden Sayers (Hard Dollar- Hadden Sayers)
“Memphis Still Got Soul” – Bob Trenchard & Johnny Rawls (Memphis Still Got Soul – Johnny Rawls)
“Thank You for Giving Me the Blues” – Grady Champion, Zac Harmon & Chris Troy (Dreamin’ – Grady Champion)
“The Lord is Waiting the Devil is Too” – Johnny Sansone (The Lord is Waiting and the Devil is Too – Johnny Sansone)
“The Older I Get the Better I Was” – Joe Shelton (The Older I Get the Better I Was – Big Joe Shelton_
Soul Blues Album
Got to Get Back! – Bo-Keys
Show You a Good Time – Bobby Rush
Rock and a Hard Place – Eugene Hideaway Bridges
Dreamin’ – Grady Champion
Memphis Still Got Soul – Johnny Rawls
Soul Blues Female Artist
Alexis P. Suter
Denise LaSalle
Jackie Johnson
Sharrie Williams
Sista Monica Parker
Soul Blues Male Artist
Bobby Rush
Curtis Salgado
Eugene Hideaway Bridges
Johnny Rawls
Otis Clay
Traditional Blues Album
Chicago Blues A Living History The (R)evolution Continues – Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell, Carlos Johnson
Trying To Hold On – Diunna Greenleaf
You Better Listen – Lazy Lester
Evening – Sugar Ray & the Bluetones
Victim of the Blues – Tracy Nelson
Traditional Blues Male Artist
Charlie Musselwhite
John Primer
Lazy Lester
Mac Arnold
Magic Slim
4 Comments
Wonderful line of great talent. A lot of my friends and people I have performed with over the years. Congraturlations to all the nominees.
Can’t believe that the awesome combination of Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa did not even get nominated for any awards. Also surprised the song Country Ghetto from JJ Grey & Mofro did not get nominated.
Missed the nomination of Hart/Bonamassa for contemporary Blues Album…