1999 W.C. Handy Award Nominations
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1999 W.C. Handy Awards
by Delta Pickins' Leon McEntire

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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