Once again the W.C. Handy Awards ceremony is right around the corner and
it is going to be quite a show this year as it is the 20th anniversary
of the awards. From the list of nominees and the other scheduled events
that are to take place during the weekend of the ceremony I am sure
there will be a great weekend of entertainment for everyone involved.
There are several events surrounding the actual awards ceremony
including a two day all-Blues festival the weekend following the
ceremony on Beale St. There will also be a parade of past winners down
Beale and several Blues symposiums. Sunday, the last event will be the
"Keeping The Blues Alive" awards for the non-performing individuals and
groups who promote various aspects of the Blues such as websites
and festivals devoted to the Blues like Delta Boogie's "Blues Fest".
I am glad to see some of my favorite performers nominated for Handy
Awards again this year. Especially Big Jack Johnson, R.L. Burnside,
Robert Lockwood Jr., Sam Carr and Eddie Shaw. These gentlemen all
deserve to win in their respective categories. Good luck to everyone
though!
With 24 categories covering only the best of the Blues there will be
some shoe-ins and some surprises as well at this, the most prestigious
award for a Blues musician today. The ceremony will take place at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis,
Tennessee on Thursday, May 27,1999.
For ticket information and more on the weekend of festivities
Log on to:
The Blues Foundation website
E-mail Pat Mitchell at
queenb@blues.org
or call The Blues Foundation at 901-527-2583.
And the nominees for the 20th annual W.C. Handy Awards are:
1. Blues Entertainer of the Year
Johnny Adams
B.B. King
Taj Mahal
Rod Piazza
Bobby Rush
Joe Louis Walker
2. Blues Band of the Year
Anson Funderburg & The Rockets w/ Sam Myers
B.B. King Orchestra
Magic Slim & The Teardrops
Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers
Roomful of Blues
Walter "Wolfman" Washington & The Roadmasters
3. Traditional Blues - Male Artist of the Year
Johnnie Bassett
R.L. Burnside
David "Honeyboy" Edwards
Big Jack Johnson
Robert Lockwood, Jr.
Snooky Pryor.
Magic Slim
4. Traditional Blues - Female Artist of the Year
Rory Block
Bonnie Lee
Annie Raines
Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women
Koko Taylor
5. Contemporary Blues - Male Artist of the Year
Buddy Guy
B.B. King
Keb Mo
Joe Louis Walker
Carl Weathersby
6. Contemporary Blues - Female Artist of the Year
Marcia Ball
Deborah Coleman
Shemekia Copeland
Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas, Tracy Nelson
Susan Tedeschi
7. Acoustic Blues - Artist of the Year
Guy Davis
David "Honeyboy" Edwards
John Hammond
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Keb Mo
8. Best New Blues Artist
Bernard Allison
Johnnie Bassett
Shemekia Copeland
Chris Thomas King
Susan Tedeschi
9. Blues Artist Most Deserving Wider Recognition
W.C. Clark
Eddy Clearwater
Roy Gaines
Larry Garner
Larry McCray
Darrel Nulisch
Finis Tasby
Carl Weathersby
10. Soul/Blues - Male Artist of the Year
Johnny Adams
Bobby "Blue" Bland
Mighty Sam McClain
Little Milton
Bobby Rush
11. Soul/Blues - Female Artist of the Year
Ruth Brown
Etta James
E.C. Scott
Irma Thomas
Lavelle White
12. Blues Instrumentalist - Guitar
Johnnie Basset
Ronnie Earl
Duke Robillard
Otis Rush
Joe Louis Walker
Carl Weathersby
13. Blues Instrumentalist - Keyboards
Marcia Ball
Charles Brown
Dr. John
Pinetop Perkins
Honey Piazza
14. Blues Instrumentalist - Harmonica
Carey Bell
Paul De Lay
Charlie Musselwhite
Rod Piazza
Snooky Pryor
Kim Wilson
15. Blues Instrumentalist - Drums
Ray "Killer" Allison
Sam Carr
Popsy Dixon
Sam Lay
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith
16. Blues Instrumentalist - Bass
Sarah Brown
Johnny B Gayden
Nick Holt
Willie Kent
Bill Stuve
17. Blues Instrumentalist - Other
Gatemouth Brown (Violin)
Kaz Kazanoff (Sax)
Sonny Rhoades (Lap Steel)
Freddie Roulette (Lap Steel)
Eddie Shaw (Sax)
18. Traditional Blues Album of the Year
Johnnie Bassett - Cadillac Blues
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - The World Don't Owe Me Nothing
Guy Davis - You Don't Know My Mind
John Hammond - Long As I Live
Robert Lockwood Jr. - I Got to Find Me A Woman
19. Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas, Tracy Nelson - Sing It
Shemekia Copeland - Turn The Heat Up
B.B. King - Blues On The Bayou
Otis Rush - Anyplace I'm Goin
Susan Tedeschi - Just Won't Burn
Joe Louis Walker - Preacher & the President
20. Comeback Album of the Year
Texas Johnny Brown - Nothin But The Truth
Peter Green - Robert Johnson Songbook
Johnny Jones - I Was Raised on the Blues
Al King - It's Rough Out Here
Pete Mayes - For Pete's Sake
Dave Myers - You Can't Do That
21. Soul/Blues Album of the Year
Texas Johnny Brown - Nothin But The Truth
Johnny Adams - Man Of My Word
Bobby "Blue" Bland - Live On Beale Street
Etta James - Life, Love & The Blues
Little Milton - For Real
Mighty Sam McClain - Journey
22. Acoustic Blues Album of the Year
Rory Block - Confessions of a Blues Singer
Henry Butler - Blues After Sunset
Guy Davis - You Don't Know My Mind
Alvin Youngblood Hart - Territory
Chris Thomas King - Red Mud
23. Reissue Blues Album of the Year
Luther Allison - Hand Me Down My Moonshine - Ruf Records
Jimmy Dawkins - Fast Fingers - Delmark Records
B.B. King - Live at the Regal - MCA Records
Robert Nighthawk - Bricks in my Pillow - Delmark Records
George Smith - Now You Can Talk About Me - Blind Pig
Junior Wells - Blues Hit Big Town - Delmark Records
24. Blues Song of the Year - Song Title - Composer (Artist / Album Title)
"Cadillac Blues" by Robert Codish (Johnnie Bassett/Cadillac Blues)
"Cool Blues Walk" by Eddy Clearwater (Eddy Clearwater/Cool Blues Walk)
"Fourteen Dollars In The Bank" by Paul De Lay (Paul De Lay/Nice & Strong)
"Soon As I Get Paid" by Kevin Moore and John Lewis Parker (Keb Mo/Slow Down)
"Turn The Heat Up" by John Hahn and Jimmy Vivino (Shemekia Copeland/
Turn The Heat Up)
E-Mail Leon: leon@deltaboogie.com
My review site:
Delta Pickins
The W.C. Handy Awards
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