Nominees for the 40th Annual Blues Music Awards Announced

The Blues Foundation has announced the nominees for the 40th Annual Blues Music Awards to be held in Memphis, TN on Thursday, May 9th. Learn more about the awards, the nominees, and how to attend this amazing event at www.blues.org.

Acoustic Album
A Woman’s Soul, Rory Block 
Black Cowboys, Dom Flemons 
Global Griot, Eric Bibb 
Journeys To The Heart Of The Blues, Joe Louis Walker/Bruce Katz/Giles Robson 
Wish The World Away, Ben Rice

Acoustic Artist
Ben Rice 
Guy Davis 
Hadden Sayers 
Harrison Kennedy 
Rory Block

Album of the Year
America’s Child, Shemekia Copeland 
The High Cost Of Low Living, The Nick Moss Band Feat. Dennis Gruenling 
Journeys To The Heart Of The Blues, Joe Louis Walker/Bruce Katz/Giles Robson 
Rough Cut, Curtis Salgado and Alan Hager 
Why Did You Have To Go, Anthony Geraci 

B.B. King Entertainer
Beth Hart 
Bobby Rush 
Lil’ Ed Williams 
Michael Ledbetter 
Sugaray Rayford 

Band of the Year
Anthony Geraci & The Boston Blues All-Stars 
Larkin Poe
Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials
Nick Moss Band
Welch-Ledbetter Connection

Best Emerging Artist Album
Burn Me Alive, Heather Newman
Free, Amanda Fish
Heartland And Soul, Kevin Burt
Tough As Love, Lindsay Beaver
Wish The World Away, Ben Rice

Blues Rock Album
The Big Bad Blues, Billy F Gibbons 
High Desert Heat, Too Slim and the Taildraggers
Live At The ’62 Center, Albert Cummings
Poor Until Payday, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
Winning Hand, Tinsley Ellis 

Blues Rock Artist
Billy F Gibbons
Eric Gales
J.P. Soars
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Tinsley Ellis 

Contemporary Blues Album
America’s Child, Shemekia Copeland
Belle Of The West, Samantha Fish
Chicago Plays The Stones, The Living History Band
Hold On, Kirk Fletcher
Wild Again, The Proven Ones 

Contemporary Blues Female Artist
Beth Hart
Danielle Nicole
Samantha Fish
Shemekia Copeland
Vanessa Collier

Contemporary Blues Male Artist
Kenny Neal
Rick Estrin
Ronnie Baker Brooks
Selwyn Birchwood
Toronzo Cannon

Instrumentalist – Bass
Danielle Nicole
Michael “Mudcat” Ward
Patrick Rynn
Scot Sutherland
Willie J. Campbell 

Instrumentalist – Drums
Cedric Burnside
Jimi Bott
June Core
Tom Hambridge
Tony Braunagel
Instrumentalist – Guitar
Anson Funderburgh
Christoffer “Kid” Andersen
Laura Chavez
Monster Mike Welch
Ronnie Earl

Instrumentalist – Harmonica
Billy Branch
Bob Corritore
Dennis Gruenling
Kim Wilson
Mark Hummel

Instrumentalist – Horn
Doug James
Jimmy Carpenter
Kaz Kazzanof
Mindi Abair
Nancy Wright
Vanessa Collier

Instrumentalist – Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
Anthony Geraci
Bruce Katz
Jim Pugh
Marcia Ball
Mike Finnigan

Instrumentalist – Vocals
Beth Hart
Danielle Nicole
Janiva Magness
Michael Ledbetter
Shemekia Copeland

Song of the Year
“Ain’t Got Time For Hate,” written by John Hahn and Will Kimbrough
“Angelina, Angelina,” written by Anthony Geraci
“Cognac,” written by Buddy Guy, Tom Hambridge, Richard Fleming
“No Mercy In This Land,” written by Ben Harper
“The Ice Queen,” written by Sue Foley

Soul Blues Album
Back In Business, Frank Bey
Every Soul’s A Star, Dave Keller
I’m Still Around, Johnny Rawls
Love Makes A Woman, The Knickerbocker All-Stars
Reckoning, Billy Price

Soul Blues Female Artist
Annika Chambers
Barbara Blue
Candi Staton
Thornetta Davis
Whitney Shay

Soul Blues Male Artist
Frank Bey
Johnny Rawls
Sugaray Rayford
Wee Willie Walker
William Bell

Traditional Blues Album
The Blues Is Alive And Well, Buddy Guy
The High Cost Of Low Living, Nick Moss Band Feat. Dennis Gruenling
The Luckiest Man, Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters
Tribute to Carey Bell, Lurrie Bell & the Bell Dynasty
Why Did You Have To Go, Anthony Geraci

Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female Artist)
Fiona Boyes
Lindsay Beaver
Ruthie Foster
Sue Foley
Trudy Lynn

Traditional Blues Male Artist
Anthony Geraci
Cedric Burnside
James Harman
Lurrie Bell
Nick Moss
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