(TORONTO, CANADA) – Canada’s National Blues Awards Program promotes blues music across Canada, and recognizes outstanding achievement in the field. The 2020 Nominees for the Maple Blues Awards were selected by a distinguished panel of some 62 blues experts which includes radio hosts, journalists, and festival organizers regionally distributed across Canada.

Presented by the Toronto Blues Society, the winners of the Twenty-Third Annual Maple Blues Awards will be announced at the Annual Maple Blues Awards Gala in Toronto, on February 3, 2020 at TELUS Centre for the Performing Arts: Koerner Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Showtime is 7pm and tickets start at $35.

This very special evening is Canada’s national annual celebration of homegrown blues talent. It’s also a night of great music with performances by some of this year’s nominees backed by the all-star Maple Blues Band and hosted by Raha Javanfar. Performers include Raha, Miss Emily, Dawn Tyler Watson, Big Dave McLean, Michael Jerome Browne, Matchedash Parish Students from the Regent Park School of Music.

Winners in instrumental categories — guitar, harmonica, piano/keyboards, horn, drum, and bass — will be determined by the Nominating Panel. Winners in all other categories were selected by blues fans across the country who voted through Dec 1, 2019.

Find the full nominee list at the website.