Årets vinnare i The Blues Music Awards har utsetts. Buddy Guy (bilden) vann stort, liksom Walter Trout och Otis Clay.
Eric Bibb – den New York-födde bluesmannen som bott i Sverige men numera är bosatt i Helsingfors – var nominerad i två kategorier men vann inget. Årets akustiska artist blev i stället Doug MacLeod och i kategorin årets akustiska album förlorade Bibbs skiva Blues people mot Duke Robillards album The acoustic blues & roots of Duke Robillard.
Några artister fick dubbla utmärkelser under ceremonierna i The Cook Convention Center i Memphis. Buddy Guy fick både årets album och bästa samtida bluesalbum för sin Born to play guitar. Walter Trout kammade hem årets låt för Gonna live again och årets rock-blues-album för Battle scars. Otis Clay tog också en dubbel, för bästa manliga soul/blues-artist och bästa soul/blues-album med This time for real.
En relativ färsking i sammanhanget är Victor Wainwright som utsågs till BB King Entertainer of the year – och med gruppen Victor Wainwright & The Wild Roots till årets band.
Andra vinnare i årets Blues Music Awards är bland andra Bettye LaVette, Joe Louis Walker, Sonny Landreth, Kim Wilson och den bortgångne Allen Toussaint.
Timo Kangas
Här är samtliga nominerade, med vinnarna i fet stil:
B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
- John Németh
- Rick Estrin
- Shemekia Copeland
- Sugaray Rayford
- Victor Wainwright
Album
- Fifty Shades of Blue – Anthony Geraci & the Boston Blues All-Stars
- Born to Play Guitar – Buddy Guy
- Bonetime – James Harman
- Holding Court – The Cash Box Kings
- If Nothing Ever Changes – Wee Willie Walker
- 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
Band
- Andy T – Nick Nixon Band
- Rick Estrin & the Nightcats
- Sugar Ray & the Bluetones
- The Cash Box Kings
- Victor Wainwright & the Wild Roots
Best New Artist Album
- One at a Time – Eddie Cotton
- Way Down South – Igor Prado Band
- Blues in Good Hands – Mighty Mike Schermer
- The Mississippi Blues Child – Mr. Sipp
- Feel These Blues – Slam Allen
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
Acoustic Artist
- Doug MacLeod
- Eric Bibb
- Gaye Adegbalola
- Guy Davis
- Ian Siegal
Acoustic Album
- Exactly Like This – Doug MacLeod
- The Acoustic Blues & Roots of Duke Robillard – Duke Robillard
- Blues People – Eric Bibb
- Kokomo Kidd – Guy Davis
- The Ragpicker String Band – The Ragpicker String Band
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
Contemporary Blues Album
- Born to Play Guitar – Buddy Guy
- Hold on a Little Bit Longer – Eugene Hideaway Bridges
- Outskirts of Love – Shemekia Copeland
- Bound by the Blues – Sonny Landreth
- Southside – Sugaray Rayford
Rock Blues Album
- Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks – Joe Bonamassa
- Everybody Wants a Piece – Joe Louis Walker
- Don’t Look Back – Royal Southern Brotherhood
- Tough Love – Tinsley Ellis
- Battle Scars – Walter Trout
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
Soul Blues Album
- Not Goin’ Away – Bey Paule Band
- This Time for Real – Billy Price & Otis Clay
- I Saw the Blues – Jackie Payne
- Day into Night – Tad Robinson
- If Nothing Ever Changes – Wee Willie Walker
- Diunna Greenleaf
- Fiona Boyes
- Ruthie Foster
- Trudy Lynn
- Zora Young
Traditional Blues Male Artist
- Cedric Burnside
- Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin
- James Harman
- Jimmy Burns
- John Primer
Traditional Blues Album
- Numbers Man – Andy T – Nick Nixon Band
- Fifty Shades of Blue – Anthony Geraci & the Boston Blues All-Stars
- Descendants of Hill Country – Cedric Burnside Project
- Bonetime – James Harman
- Holding Court – The Cash Box Kings
- Allen Toussaint
- Anthony Geraci
- Barrelhouse Chuck
- John Ginty
- Victor Wainwright
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
- 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