Blues Music Awards facts for kids
The Blues Music Awards are super important awards given out every year to celebrate the best musicians and songwriters in blues music! They are like the "Oscars" for blues. These awards are presented by the Blues Foundation, which is a group that helps keep the history and spirit of blues music alive.
The awards started way back in 1980. They were first called the W. C. Handy Awards to honor W. C. Handy, who is known as the "Father of the Blues." In 2006, the name was changed to the Blues Music Awards. This was done so more people would understand how special and important these awards are.
The awards ceremony usually happens every year in Memphis, Tennessee. That's where the Blues Foundation is located. It's a big event where blues artists gather to celebrate their music. The 45th Blues Music Awards were held recently on May 8, 2024, in Memphis.
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What are the Blues Music Awards?
The Blues Music Awards honor artists in many different categories. These include:
- Album of the Year: For the best blues album overall.
- B.B. King Entertainer of the Year: For the artist who puts on the best live show and entertains the most.
- Band of the Year: For the best blues band.
- Song of the Year: For the best blues song.
- Artist of the Year: Awards for male and female artists in different blues styles like Contemporary Blues, Traditional Blues, and Soul Blues.
- Instrumentalist Awards: For the best players of instruments like guitar, bass, drums, harmonica, horn, and piano. There's even a special award for piano players called the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player award!
- Best Emerging Artist Album: For a great album by a newer artist.
- Blues Rock Album/Artist of the Year: For artists who mix blues with rock music.
These awards show how much talent there is in the blues world and help new fans discover amazing music!
Recent Winners
Let's look at some of the recent winners of the Blues Music Awards.
2024 Winners
The 45th Blues Music Awards celebrated many talented artists.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Acoustic Album of the Year | Raw Blues 1, Doug MacLeod |
| Acoustic Artist of the Year | Keb' Mo' |
| Album of the Year | Live In London, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| B.B King Entertainer of the Year | Bobby Rush |
| Band of the Year | Nick Moss Band |
| Best Emerging Artist Album | The Right Man, D.K. Harrell |
| Contemporary Blues Album of the Year | Live In London, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year | Danielle Nicole |
| Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Instrumentalist – Bass | Bob Stroger |
| Instrumentalist – Drums | Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith |
| Instrumentalist – Guitar | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Instrumentalist – Harmonica | Jason Ricci |
| Instrumentalist – Horn | Vanessa Collier |
| Instrumentalist – Vocals | Ruthie Foster |
| Pinetop Perkins Piano Player | Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne |
| Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female) | Sue Foley |
| Blues Rock Album of the Year | Blood Brothers, Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia |
| Blues Rock Artist of the Year | Mike Zito |
| Song of the Year | "What Kind of Fool", written by Ruthie Foster, Hadden Sayers and Scottie Miller |
| Soul Blues Album of the Year | All My Love for You, Bobby Rush |
| Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year | Annika Chambers |
| Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year | John Nemeth |
| Traditional Blues Album of the Year | Teardrops for Magic Slim: Live at Rosa's Lounge, John Primer |
| Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year | John Primer |
2023 Winners
Here are the winners from the 44th Blues Music Awards.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Acoustic Album of the Year | Mississippi Son, Charlie Musselwhite |
| Acoustic Artist of the Year | Doug MacLeod |
| Album of the Year | The Blues Don't Lie, Buddy Guy |
| B.B King Entertainer of the Year | Tommy Castro |
| Band of the Year | Tedeschi Trucks Band |
| Best Emerging Artist Album | Who Is He?, Dylan Triplett |
| Contemporary Blues Album of the Year | The Blues Don't Lie, Buddy Guy |
| Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year | Ruthie Foster |
| Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Instrumentalist – Bass | Danielle Nicole |
| Instrumentalist – Drums | Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith |
| Instrumentalist – Guitar | Laura Chavez |
| Instrumentalist – Harmonica | John Németh |
| Instrumentalist – Horn | Deanna Bogart |
| Instrumentalist – Vocals | Shemekia Copeland |
| Pinetop Perkins Piano Player | Anthony Geraci |
| Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female) | Sue Foley |
| Blues Rock Album of the Year | I Got Love, Albert Castiglia |
| Blues Rock Artist of the Year | Albert Castiglia |
| Song of the Year | "Blues Don't Lie" (Tom Hambridge), Buddy Guy |
| Soul Blues Album of the Year | In Too Deep, Sugaray Rayford |
| Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year | Thornetta Davis |
| Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year | Curtis Salgado |
| Traditional Blues Album of the Year | May Be the Last Time, John Németh |
| Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year | John Primer |
2022 Winners
The 43rd Blues Music Awards were the first in-person event since 2019.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Acoustic Album of the Year | Dear America, Eric Bibb |
| Acoustic Artist of the Year | Keb' Mo' |
| Album of the Year | Tommy Castro Presents A Bluesman Came To Town, Tommy Castro |
| B.B King Entertainer of the Year | Tommy Castro |
| Band of the Year | Tommy Castro & The Painkillers |
| Best Emerging Artist Album | Live On Beale Street: A Tribute To Bobby "Blue" Bland, Rodd Bland and the Members Only Band |
| Contemporary Blues Album of the Year | 662, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year | Vanessa Collier |
| Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Instrumentalist – Bass | Danielle Nicole |
| Instrumentalist – Drums | Tom Hambridge |
| Instrumentalist – Guitar | Eric Gales |
| Instrumentalist – Harmonica | Jason Ricci |
| Instrumentalist – Horn | Jimmy Carpenter |
| Instrumentalist – Vocals | John Németh |
| Pinetop Perkins Piano Player | Mike Finnigan |
| Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female) | Sue Foley |
| Blues Rock Album of the Year | Resurrection, Mike Zito |
| Blues Rock Artist of the Year | Albert Castiglia |
| Song of the Year | "I'd Climb Mountains", Selwyn Birchwood |
| Soul Blues Album of the Year | Long As I Got My Guitar, Zac Harmon |
| Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year | Annika Chambers |
| Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year | Curtis Salgado |
| Traditional Blues Album of the Year | Pinky's Blues, Sue Foley |
| Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year | Taj Mahal |
2021 Winners
The 42nd ceremony was held online due to the pandemic.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Acoustic Album of the Year | Rawer Than Raw, Bobby Rush |
| Acoustic Artist of the Year | Keb' Mo' |
| Album of the Year | 100 Years of Blues, Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite |
| B.B King Entertainer of the Year | Shemekia Copeland |
| Band of the Year | Rick Estrin & The Nightcats |
| Best Emerging Artist Album | Harlem, King Solomon Hicks |
| Contemporary Blues Album of the Year | Uncivil War, Shemekia Copeland |
| Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year | Shemekia Copeland |
| Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Instrumentalist – Bass | Danielle Nicole |
| Instrumentalist – Drums | Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith |
| Instrumentalist – Guitar | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Instrumentalist – Harmonica | Kim Wilson |
| Instrumentalist – Horn | Jimmy Carpenter |
| Instrumentalist – Vocals | Ruthie Foster |
| Pinetop Perkins Piano Player | Anthony Geraci |
| Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female) | Rory Block |
| Blues Rock Album of the Year | Mike Zito and Friends – Rock 'n' Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry, Mike Zito |
| Blues Rock Artist of the Year | Mike Zito |
| Song of the Year | "All Out of Tears" – written by Walter Trout, Marie Trout, and Teeny Tucker (performed by Walter Trout) |
| Soul Blues Album of the Year | That's What I Heard, Robert Cray Band |
| Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year | Bettye LaVette |
| Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year | Curtis Salgado |
| Traditional Blues Album of the Year | 100 Years of Blues, Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite |
| Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year | John Primer |
2020 Winners
The 41st ceremony was also held virtually.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Acoustic Album of the Year | This Guitar and Tonight, Bob Margolin |
| Acoustic Artist of the Year | Doug MacLeod |
| Album of the Year | Kingfish, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| B.B King Entertainer of the Year | Sugaray Rayford |
| Band of the Year | The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling |
| Best Emerging Artist Album | Kingfish, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Contemporary Blues Album of the Year | Kingfish, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year | Shemekia Copeland |
| Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Instrumentalist – Bass | Michael "Mudcat" Ward |
| Instrumentalist – Drums | Cedric Burnside |
| Instrumentalist – Guitar | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram |
| Instrumentalist – Harmonica | Rick Estrin |
| Instrumentalist – Horn | Vanessa Collier |
| Instrumentalist – Vocals | Mavis Staples |
| Pinetop Perkins Piano Player | Victor Wainwright |
| Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female) | Sue Foley |
| Blues Rock Album of the Year | Masterpiece, Albert Castiglia |
| Blues Rock Artist of the Year | Eric Gales |
| Song of the Year | "Lucky Guy", Nick Moss |
| Soul Blues Album of the Year | Sitting on Top of the Blues, Bobby Rush |
| Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year | Bettye LaVette |
| Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year | Sugaray Rayford |
| Traditional Blues Album of the Year | Lucky Guy!, The Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling |
| Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year | Jimmie Vaughan |
2019 Winners
The 40th Blues Music Awards took place in May 2019.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Acoustic Album of the Year | Journeys to the Heart of the Blues, Joe Louis Walker, Bruce Katz, Giles Robson |
| Acoustic Artist of the Year | Rory Block |
| Album of the Year | America's Child, Shemekia Copeland |
| B.B King Entertainer of the Year | Mike Ledbetter |
| Band of the Year | Welch-Ledbetter Connection |
| Best Emerging Artist Album | Free, Amanda Fish |
| Contemporary Blues Album of the Year | America's Child, Shemekia Copeland |
| Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year | Danielle Nicole |
| Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year | Kenny Neal |
| Instrumentalist – Bass | Danielle Nicole |
| Instrumentalist – Drums | Cedric Burnside |
| Instrumentalist – Guitar | Monster Mike Welch |
| Instrumentalist – Harmonica | Dennis Gruenling |
| Instrumentalist – Horn | Vanessa Collier |
| Instrumentalist – Vocals | Mike Ledbetter |
| Pinetop Perkins Piano Player | Marcia Ball |
| Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female) | Ruthie Foster |
| Blues Rock Album of the Year | The Big Bad Blues, Billy F Gibbons |
| Blues Rock Artist of the Year | Eric Gales |
| Song of the Year | "No Mercy In This Land", Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite |
| Soul Blues Album of the Year | I'm Still Around, Johnny Rawls |
| Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year | Annika Chambers |
| Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year | Sugaray Rayford |
| Traditional Blues Album of the Year | The Blues Is Alive and Well, Buddy Guy |
| Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year | Nick Moss |
See also
In Spanish: Blues Music Awards para niños
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Blues Music Awards Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.