Page 43 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2023 Digital Edition

Buddy Guy graces the stage at his club for the 2011 BBMAs. Bob Corritore & Friends accept the award for Best Traditional Blues Album at the
Photo by Jennifer Noble 2019 BBMAs. Photo by Nate Kieser
Every year, the BBMAs pivot to meet the trends of the blues reply was, “Well it’s pretty hard to keep me off the stage, I
market. Last year, the 2022 BBMAs added the 10 instrument will bring my guitar!” Kieser recalls, "We got an amazing
categories, as well as an exclusive category to recognize performance from him! The thought of an 89-year-old legend
record producers. This year, the 2023 BBMAs include Blues so eager to perform still makes me smile to this day.”
Video of the Year – an exclusive YouTube video category for The BBMA show itself, generally held in or near Chicago,
artists releasing a single. Kieser explains, “In this download/ IL, features the much-anticipated winner announcements, as
streaming world, artists often do not release full albums well as performances by the nominated artists. Over the past
anymore. Instead, many release single songs to get plays 16 years, there are been several hundred BBMA winners from
on Apple Music and Spotify, and often premiere a video to across the spectrum of blues genres, specializing in a variety
accompany the drop of the new single. We no longer have a of instruments, representing both major and independent
song category at the BBMAs, but this looks like a good way to labels, and ranging from up-and-coming artists to seasoned
provide recognition and YouTube views for more artist single blues veterans. Just a handful of these winners include Bobby
releases in this streaming environment. I suspect other awards Rush, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, Shemekia Copeland, Beth Hart,
series will also add this category soon!” Bob Corritore, Danielle Nicole, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram,
The BBMAs hold special value to its award winners, since John Nemeth, Lisa Mann, The Cash Box Kings, Candye Kane,
awards are earned directly from votes by professionals and Shaun Murphy and Victor Wainwright, among so many more.
fans in the blues community. As such, the culminating event is Submissions for the 16 Blues Blast Magazine Music
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affectionately known as “the best little blues music awards show Awards are open until May 31, 2023. Albums (and
on the planet!” Kieser shares one memorable exchange in YouTube single videos) released between June 1, 2022 and
2018, when Jimmy Johnson received the Lifetime Achievement May 31, 2023 are eligible and must be submitted digitally
Award. Johnson, who was 89 years young at the time, asked if for consideration. Non-album categories are not tied to
he had to perform and Kieser told him, “No, you don’t have to specific dates, but instead are based on nominators’ recent
at all. But if you want to, we can make that happen.” Johnson’s observations of performances of touring artists. To submit,
visit: BluesBlastMagazine.com/blues-blast-awards-submission-
information.
The 16 Blues Blast Magazine Music Awards will be held
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at the 3300 Event Center in Peoria, IL, on September 23,
2023. For more information about the BBMAs, tickets and
hotel information, visit: thebbmas.com.
Through the BBMAs, Kieser strives to support and preserve
the blues, saying, “We are always looking at what is going
on in the blues world. We will continue to look for ways to
promote blues artists as the music industry changes.”

The Blues Blast Music Awards are presented by Blues Blast
Magazine. Blues Blast Magazine is the largest FREE weekly
online blues magazine with over 44,000 opt-in blues fan
Dawn Tyler Watson accepts the BBMA for Best Female Blues Artist in 2019. subscribers located in all 50 states and in more than 90 countries.
Photo by Nate Kieser Free subscriptions are available at: BluesBlastMagazine.com

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