Once again we have to scroll and scroll down the list to get to the BLUES! I suppose because we have to dig for the roots! Whatever… it just always feels shameful that they are buried beneath so much. Soooo. nominees for Best Contemporary Blues Album are Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm, Recorded Live In Lafayette by Sonny Landreth, TajMo by Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’, Got Soul by Robert Randolph & The Family Band and Live From The Fox Oakland by Tedeschi Trucks Band. The Best Traditional Blues Albums nominated include Migration Blues by Eric Bibb, Sonny & Brownie’s Last Train by Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi, the self-titled Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio, Roll And Tumble by R.L. Boyce’s, and… wait for it… Blue & Lonesome by the Rolling Stones!
Nominees in the Best American Roots Performance include “Killer Diller Blues” a Memphis Minnie cover by the Alabama Shakes and “Let My Mother Live” by the Blind Boys Of Alabama.
In the Best Music for A Film category is Two Trains Runnin,’ (Sam Pollard, video director; Benjamin Hedin, video producer), a score featuring performances from a who’s who of contemporary blues. The film itself is called, “A powerful meditation on the origins of an African-American musical genre and the painful reasons for its existence.” – RogerEbert.com
The awards ceremony are set to take place Sunday, January 28th at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and will be televised by CBS starting at 7:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. CT on CBS or CBS All Access.
