Blues Foundation Announces 39th Annual Blues Music Awards Nominees

The 39th Annual Blues Music Awards will be held on May 10 at The Memphis Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee. The Blues Foundation has revealed this year’s nominees which includes North Mississippi Allstars, Mavis Staples and Taj Mahal.

The North Mississippi Allstars were nominated for Band of the Year, Rock Blues Album for Prayer for Peace and Song of the Year for the album’s title track. Staples earned nominations for Soul Blues Female Artist while Mahal is up for Acoustic Artist, B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, Song Of The Year for “Don’t Leave Me Here” and Contemporary Album Of The Year and Album Of The Year for his co-release with Keb’ Mo’, TajMo. Keb’ Mo’ earned an additional nomination for Contemporary Blues Male Artist.

Harmonica player Rick Estrin and group The Nightcats received the most nominations, including Band of the Year, Album Of The Year and Traditional Blues Album, Traditional Blues Male Artist, Best Instrumentalist: Harmonica, B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, Song of the Year and The Nightcats guitarist Christoffer “Kid” Andersen earned a nomination for Instrumentalist-Guitar.

View the full list of 2018 Blues Music Awards Nominees below:

39th Blues Music Awards Nominees

Acoustic Album of the Year

• Catfish Keith – Mississippi River Blues
• Doug MacLeod – Break the Chain
• Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi – Sonny & Brownie’s Last Train
• Harrison Kennedy – Who U Tellin’?
• Mitch Woods – Friends Along The Way
• Rory Block – Keepin’ Outta Trouble

Acoustic Artist

• Doug McLeod
• Guy Davis
• Harrison Kennedy
• Rory Block
• Taj Mahal

Album of the Year

• Don Bryant – Don’t Give Up on Love
• Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter – Right Place, Right Time
• Rick Estrin & The Nightcats – Groovin’ In Greaseland
• TajMo – TajMo
• Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra – After a While

Band of the Year

• The Cash Box Kings
• Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter
• Nick Moss Band
• North Mississippi Allstars
• Rick Estrin & the Nightcats

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year

• Bobby Rush
• Michael Ledbetter
• Rick Estrin
• Sugaray Rayford
• Taj Mahal

Best Emerging Artist Album

• Altered Five Blues Band – Charmed & Dangerous
• Larkin Poe – Peach
• Miss Freddye – Lady of the Blues
• R.L. Boyce – Roll and Tumble
• Southern Avenue – Southern Avenue
• Tas Cru – Simmered & Stewed

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year

• Beth Hart – Fire on the Floor
• Corey Dennison Band – Night After Night
• Ronnie Baker Brooks – Times Have Changed
• Selwyn Birchwood – Pick Your Poison
• TajMo – TajMo

Contemporary Blues Female Artist

• Beth Hart
• Karen Lovely
• Samantha Fish
• Shemekia Copeland
• Vanessa Collier

Contemporary Blues Male Artist

• Keb’ Mo’
• Michael Ledbetter
• Ronnie Baker Brooks
• Selwyn Birchwood
• Toronzo Cannon

Historical Album of the Year

• Jimmy Reed, Mr. Luck: The Complete Vee-Jay Singles – Craft Recordings
• John Lee Hooker, King of the Boogie – Craft Recordings
• Luther Allison, A Legend Never Dies – Ruf Records
• The Paul deLay Band, Live at Notodden ’97 – Little Village Foundation
• Various, American Epic: The Collection – Sony Legacy

Instrumental-Bass

• Benny Turner
• Bob Stroger
• Larry Fulcher
• Michael “Mudcat” Ward
• Patrick Rynn

Instrumentalist-Drums

• Jimi Bott
• June Core
• Kenny Smith
• Tom Hambridge
• Tony Braunagel

Instrumentalist-Guitar

• Anson Funderburgh
• Chris Cain
• Christoffer “Kid” Andersen
• Monster Mike Welch
• Ronnie Earl

Instrumentalist-Harmonica

• Billy Branch
• Dennis Gruenling
• Jason Ricci
• Kim Wilson
• Rick Estrin

Instrumentalist-Horn

• Al Basile
• Jimmy Carpenter
• Nancy Wright
• Trombone Shorty
• Vanessa Collier

Instrumentalist- Pinetop Perkins Piano Player

• Anthony Geraci
• Henry Gray
• Jim Pugh
• Mitch Woods
• Victor Wainwright

Instrumentalist – Vocals

• Beth Hart
• Don Bryant
• John Németh
• Michael Ledbetter
• Sugaray Rayford
• Wee Willie Walker

Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)

• Annika Chambers
• Diunna Greenleaf
• Janiva Magness
• Miss Freddye
• Ruthie Foster

Rock Blues Album of the Year

• Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band – Lay It On Down
• Mike Zito – Make Blues Not War
• North Mississippi Allstars – Prayer for Peace
• Savoy Brown – Witchy Feelin’
• Walter Trout – We’re All In This Together

Rock Blues Artist

• Eric Gales
• Jason Ricci
• Kenny Wayne Shepherd
• Mike Zito
• Walter Trout

Song of the Year

• “The Blues Ain’t Going Nowhere” – written by Rick Estrin
• “Don’t Give Up On Love” – written by Scott Bomar and Don Bryant
• “Don’t Leave Me Here” – written by Kevin R. Moore, Taj Mahal, and Gary Nicholson
• “Hate Take a Holiday” – written by Willie Walker, Anthony Paule, and Ernie Williams
• “Prayer for Peace” – written by Luther Dickinson, Cody Dickinson, and Oteil Burbridge

Soul Blues Album of the Year

• Don Bryant – Don’t Give Up on Love
• Johnny Rawls – Waiting for the Train
• Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm – Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm
• Sugaray Rayford – The World That We Live In
• Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra – After a While

Soul Blues Female Artist

• Bettye LaVette
• Denise LaSalle
• Mavis Staples
• Trudy Lynn
• Vaneese Thomas

Soul Blues Male Artist

• Curtis Salgado
• Don Bryant
• Johnny Rawls
• Sugaray Rayford
• William Bell
• Wee Willie Walker

Traditional Blues Album of the Year

• The Cash Box Kings – Royal Mint
• Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio – Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio
• Kim Wilson – Blues and Boogie Vol. 1
• Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter – Right Place, Right Time
• Rick Estrin & The Nightcats – Groovin’ In Greaseland
• Various Artists – Howlin’ At Greaseland

Traditional Blues Female Artist

• Annika Chambers