(MEMPHIS, TN) – The Blues Foundation has announced the 2020 Blues Music Awards (BMA) Nominees. The 41st Blues Music Awards will be held on May 7, 2020 at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Memphis, Tennessee. This event brings together Blues performers, industry representatives, and fans from all over the world to celebrate the best in Blues recordings and performances from the previous year. The BMAs are generally recognized as the highest honor given to blues musicians and are awarded by vote of Blues Foundation members.
The ballot will be open for voting by Blues Foundation members from now until 6pm Eastern/5pm Central/3pm Pacific on Friday, February 28, 2020. To become a Blues Foundation member, visit blues.org. Upon membership confirmation, new and renewing members will be sent instructions on how to access the 2020 Blues Music Awards Ballot.
The 2020 Blues Music Awards Nominees:
ACOUSTIC BLUES ALBUM (Sponsored by Newman, DeCoster)
Catfish Crawl Catfish Keith – Confessin’ My Dues Terry Robb – Good as Your Last Dollar Fruteland Jackson – Solo Ride Bruce Katz – This Guitar and Tonight Bob Margolin
ACOUSTIC BLUES ARTIST
(Sponsored by Folk Alliance International)
Eric Bibb – Guy Davis – Rhiannon Giddens – Fruteland Jackson – Doug MacLeod
ALBUM OF THE YEAR (Sponsored by Rum Boogie Café & Blues Hall)
Church of the Blues Watermelon Slim – Hail to The Kings! The Cash Box Kings – Kingfish Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – The Preacher, The Politician or The Pimp Toronzo Cannon – Roots and Branches: The Songs of Little Walter Billy Branch & the Sons of Blues
B.B. KING ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR (Sponsored by B.B. King’s Blues Club)
Billy Branch – Rick Estrin – Sugaray Rayford – Bobby Rush – Mavis Staples
BAND OF THE YEAR
The Cash Box Kings – The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling – Rick Estrin and the Nightcats – Southern Avenue – Sugaray Rayford Band
BEST EMERGING ARTIST ALBUM
Before Me Ben Levin – Folie a deux Hudspeth & Taylor – Kingfish Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – Spectacular Class Jontavious Willis – Through My Eyes John “Blues” Boyd
BLUES ROCK ALBUM
Killin’ It Live Tommy Castro & The Painkillers – Masterpiece Albert Castiglia – Reckless Heart Joanne Shaw Taylor – Survivor Blues Walter Trout – Up and Rolling North Mississippi Allstars
BLUES ROCK ARTIST (Sponsored by Landmark Band)
Albert Castiglia – Tommy Castro – Tinsley Ellis – Eric Gales – Walter Trout
CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM
Contemporary Rick Estrin and The Nightcats – Don’t Pass Me By: A Tribute to Sean Costello Various Artists – Kingfish Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – The Preacher, The Politician or The Pimp Toronzo Cannon – Venom & Faith Larkin Poe
CONTEMPORARY BLUES FEMALE ARTIST
Diane Blue – Vanessa Collier – Shemekia Copeland – Samantha Fish – Janiva Magness
CONTEMPORARY BLUES MALE ARTIST
Toronzo Cannon – Gary Clark Jr. – Luther Dickinson – Rick Estrin – Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
INSTRUMENTALIST BASS
Willie J. Campbell – Patrick Rynn – Bill Stuve – Larry Taylor – Michael “Mudcat” Ward
INSTRUMENTALIST DRUMS
Tony Braunagel – Cedric Burnside – June Core – Derrick D’Mar Martin – Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith
INSTRUMENTALIST GUITAR
Christoffer “Kid” Andersen – Laura Chavez – Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – Junior Watson – “Monster” Mike Welch
INSTRUMENTALIST HARMONICA (Sponsored by Hohner Harmonica)
Billy Branch – Rick Estrin – Dennis Gruenling – Brandon Santini – Kim Wilson
INSTRUMENTALIST HORN
Mindi Abair – Jimmy Carpenter – Vanessa Collier – Trombone Shorty – Nancy Wright
INSTRUMENTALIST PIANO: PINETOP PERKINS PIANO PLAYER
Anthony Geraci – Bruce Katz – Dave Keyes – Jim Pugh – Victor Wainwright
INSTRUMENTALIST VOCALS
Shemekia Copeland – Sugaray Rayford – Curtis Salgado – Mavis Staples – Dawn Tyler Watson
SONG OF THE YEAR (written by)
“Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues” Rebecca Lovell – “Lucky Guy” Nick Moss – “Resentment File” Rick Estrin, Joe Louis Walker, and JoJo Russo – “Time To Get Movin’” Eric Corne – “The Wine Talkin’” Joe Nosek, John Hahn, and Oscar Wilson
SOUL BLUES ALBUM
Dog Eat Dog Billy Price – Keep On Southern Avenue – Real Street Tad Robinson – Sitting on Top of the Blues Bobby Rush – Somebody Save Me Sugaray Rayford
SOUL BLUES FEMALE ARTIST
Annika Chambers – Thornetta Davis – Bettye LaVette – Terrie Odabi – Vaneese Thomas
SOUL BLUES MALE ARTIST
Billy Price – Sugaray Rayford – Tad Robinson – Curtis Salgado – Wee Willie Walker
TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM
Church of the Blues Watermelon Slim – Hail to the Kings! The Cash Box Kings – Lucky Guy! The Nick Moss Band Featuring Dennis Gruenling – Roots and Branches – The Songs of Little Walter Billy Branch & the Sons of Blues – Spectacular Class Jontavious Willis
TRADITIONAL BLUES FEMALE ARTIST: KOKO TAYLOR AWARD
Rory Block – Sue Foley – Mary Lane – Trudy Lynn – Teeny Tucker
TRADITIONAL BLUES MALE ARTIST
Lurrie Bell – Billy Branch – John Primer – Jimmie Vaughan – Jontavious Willis
