Blues Music Award

Die Blues Music Awards sind die höchste Auszeichnung der Blues Foundation, einer Organisation zur Förderung des Blues und seines Erbes. Sie werden seit 1980 jährlich in Memphis für besondere Verdienste um den Blues vergeben. Von vielen werden die Awards als die höchste Auszeichnung angesehen, die ein Bluesmusiker in den USA erhalten kann.

Von 1995 bis 2005 hießen die Auszeichnungen offiziell W. C. Handy Blues Awards, nach W. C. Handy, dem „Vater des Blues“. Seit 2006 ist die offizielle Bezeichnung Blues Music Awards. In den Jahren davor firmierten die Preise unter National Blues Music Awards (1980 und 1982), Blues Awards (1981), Annual Blues Awards (1983–1987, 1989–1990), Annual Blues Music Awards (1988) sowie Annual Blues Awards – The Handys (1991) und Annual Blues Music Awards – The Handys (1992–1994). Als Kurzform findet von daher auch der Begriff Handy für einen Blues Music Award Verwendung.

Ähnlich wie die Grammys werden die Handys in verschiedenen Kategorien vergeben, etwa „Blues Album of the Year“, „Blues Entertainer of the Year“, „Blues Song of the Year“ und so weiter. Aus jeweils fünf Nominierten wird der Preisträger jeder Kategorie ermittelt.

Die Preisträger werden von einem Gremium nominiert, das sich aus Vertretern verschiedener Berufsgruppen zusammensetzt, die mit Blues in Verbindung stehen. Sie werden von den Mitgliedern der Blues Foundation ausgewählt, wobei auch die regionale Verteilung berücksichtigt wird. Der Großteil kommt aus den USA, doch gibt es auch Nominatoren aus Kanada, Europa und Zentralamerika. Die endgültige Abstimmung erfolgt durch die Mitglieder der Blues Foundation.

Preisträger 2009

Acoustic Album of the Year

Eden Brent – Mississippi Number One

Acoustic Artist of the Year

Eden Brent

Album of the Year

Buddy Guy – Skin Deep

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year

Janiva Magness

Band of the Year

Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials

Best New Artist Debut

Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm – 2 Man Wrecking Crew

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year

Buddy Guy – Skin Deep

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year

Janiva Magness

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year

Buddy Guy

DVD

Broke & Hungry Records, Cathead Blues & Mudpuppy Recordings – M For Mississippi: A Road Trip Through The Birthplace of the Blues

Historical Album of the Year

Eagle Records – Albert Collins Live At Montreux 1992

Instrumentalist-Bass

Mookie Brill

Instrumentalist-Drums

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

Instrumentalist-Guitar

Sonny Landreth

Instrumentalist-Harmonica

Billy Gibson

Instrumentalist-Horn

Deanna Bogart

Instrumentalist-Other

Otis Taylor – Banjo

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player

Marcia Ball

Rock Blues Album of the Year

Jeff Healey – Mess of Blues

Song of the Year

Kenny Neal – Let Life Flow (Kenny Neal)

Soul Blues Album of the Year

Irma Thomas – Simply Grand

Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year

Etta James

Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year

Bobby Rush

Traditional Blues Album of the Year

B.B. King – One Kind Favor

Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year

Koko Taylor

Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year

B.B. King

Preisträger 2010

Acoustic Album of the Year

• David Maxwell & Louisiana Red, You Got to Move

Acoustic Artist of the Year

• Louisiana Red

Album of the Year

• Joe Louis Walker, Between a Rock and the Blues

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year

• Tommy Castro

Band of the Year

• Tommy Castro Band

Best New Artist Debut

• Monkey Junk, Tiger in your Tank

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year

• Tommy Castro, Hard Believer

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year

• Ruthie Foster

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year

• Tommy Castro

DVD

• Delmark Records, It Ain't Over! Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues, Live at Buddy Guy's Legends

Historical Album of the Year

• Chess, Authorized Bootleg (Muddy Waters)

Instrumentalist-Bass

• Bob Stroger

Instrumentalist-Drums

• Cedric Burnside

Instrumentalist-Guitar

• Derek Trucks

Instrumentalist-Harmonica

• Jason Ricci

Instrumentalist-Horn

• Deanna Bogart

Instrumentalist-Other

• Buckwheat Zydeco (Akkordeon)

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player

• Eden Brent

Rock Blues Album of the Year

• Derek Trucks Band, Already Free

Song of the Year

• Cyril Neville & Mike Zito, 'Pearl River' (Pearl River--Mike Zito)

Soul Blues Album of the Year

• Johnny Rawls, Ace Of Spades

Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year

• Irma Thomas

Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year

• Curtis Salgado

Traditional Blues Album of the Year

• Super Chikan, Chikadelic

Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year

• Debbie Davies

Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year

• Duke Robillard

Preisträger 2011

Die Blues Music Awards wurden am 5. Mai 2011 bei einer Gala im Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee vergeben.

Acoustic Album of the Year

• Last Train to Bluesville - The Nighthawks

Acoustic Artist of the Year

• John Hammond

Album of the Year

• Living Proof, Buddy Guy

B.B King Entertainer of the Year

• Buddy Guy

Band of the Year

• The Derek Trucks Band

Best New Artist Debut

• Matt Hill - On the Floor

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year

• Living Proof - Buddy Guy

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year

• Robin Rogers

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year

• Buddy Guy

DVD

• Ruf-Songs From The Road - Luther Allison

Historical Album of the Year

• Delta Groove - Harmonica Blues - Bob Corritore & Friends (Koko, Pinetop, Nappy Brown, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, et al.)

Instrumentalist-Bass

• Bob Stroger

Instrumentalist-Drums

• Cedric Burnside

Instrumentalist-Guitar

• Derek Trucks

Instrumentalist-Harmonica

• Charlie Musselwhite

Instrumentalist-Horn

• Eddie Shaw

Instrumentalist-Other

• Sonny Rhodes - Lap Steel Guitar

Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)

• Ruthie Foster

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player

• Dr. John

Rock Blues Album of the Year

• Live! In Chicago - Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Bryan Lee and Buddy Flett

Song of the Year

• Living Proof - Tom Hambridge/Buddy Guy - Living Proof, Buddy Guy

Soul Blues Album of the Year

• Nothing's Impossible - Solomon Burke

Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year

• Irma Thomas

Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year

• Solomon Burke

Traditional Blues Album of the Year

• Joined At the Hip - Pinetop Perkins & Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith

Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year

• Charlie Musselwhite

Preisträger 2014

Die Preisträger wurden am 8. Mai 2014 bei einer Gala in Memphis verkündet.

Acoustic Album of the Year

• There’s a Time – Doug MacLeod

Acoustic Artist of the Year

• Doug MacLeod

Album of the Year

• Remembering Little Walter – Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, James Harman

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year

• Buddy Guy

Band of the Year

• Tedeschi Trucks Band

Best New Artist Debut

• Daddy Told Me – Shawn Holt & the Teardrops

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year

• Badlands – Trampled Under Foot

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year

• Susan Tedeschi

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year

• Gary Clark Jr.

DVD

• Ruf Records – Songs from the Road (Royal Southern Brotherhood)

Historical Album of the Year

Bear Family – The Sun Blues Box

Instrumentalist-Bass

• Danielle Schnebelen

Instrumentalist-Drums

• Cedric Burnside

Instrumentalist-Guitar

• Ronnie Earl

Instrumentalist-Harmonica

• Charlie Musselwhite

Instrumentalist-Horn

• Eddie Shaw

Koko Taylor Award

• Diunna Greenleaf

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player

• Victor Wainwright

Rock Blues Album

• Made Up Mind – Tedeschi Trucks Band

Song

• ”Blues in My Soul” – Lurrie Bell

Soul Blues Album

• Down in Louisiana – Bobby Rush

Soul Blues Female Artist

• Irma Thomas

Soul Blues Male Artist

• John Nemeth

Traditional Blues Album

• Remembering Little Walter – Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, James Harman

Traditional Blues Male Artist

• James Cotton

Preisträger 2015

Die Preisträger wurden am 7. Mai 2015 bei einer Gala in Memphis verkündet.

Acoustic Album of the Year

• Timeless – John Hammond

Acoustic Artist of the Year

• John Hammond

Album of the Year

• Can’t Even Do Wrong Right – Elvin Bishop

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year

• Bobby Rush

Band of the Year

• Elvin Bishop Band

Best New Artist Debut

• Don’t Call No Ambulance – Selwyn Birchwood

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year

• BluesAmericana – Keb’ Mo’

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year

• Janivna Magness

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year

• Gary Clark Jr.

Historical Album of the Year

Soul & Swagger: The Complete “5” Royales 1951-1967 – The “5” Royales (Rock Beat)

Instrumentalist-Bass

• Lisa Mann

Instrumentalist-Drums

• Jimmi Bott

Instrumentalist-Guitar

• Joe Bonamassa

Instrumentalist-Harmonica

• Charlie Musselwhite

Instrumentalist-Horn

• Deanna Bogart

Koko Taylor Award

• Ruthie Foster

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player

• Marcia Ball

Rock Blues Album

• Step Back – Johnny Winter

Song

• “Can’t Even Do Wrong Right” – Elvin Bishop

Soul Blues Album

• Memphis Grease – John Nemeth

Soul Blues Female Artist

• Sista Monica

Soul Blues Male Artist

• Bobby Rush

Traditional Blues Album

• For Pops (A Tribute to Muddy Waters) – Mud Morganfield & Kim Wilson

Traditional Blues Male Artist

• Lurrie Bell

Weblinks

• Blues-Music-Awards-Webseite der Blues Foundation (englisch)
• Blues Music Awards: Posters