Blues Foundation Names 2016 Blues Music Award Nominees
The Blues Foundation has announced the nominees for its annual Blues Music Awards, which the organization will present at the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday, May 5, 2016.
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James Harman leads this year's Blues Music Awards with five nominations. Anthony Geraci and Sugaray Rayford are 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.
Sugaray 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 2016 edition of the awards will mark the 37th year that the ceremony has been held. It is considered to be the premier event for blues professionals, musicians and fans of the genre.
37th Blues Music Award 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
Terry Hanck
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
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