34th Blues Music Award Nominees

The 34th Blues Music Awards will be held on May 9, 2013 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis.

The Blues Music Awards are presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were started in 1980, and are widely regarded as the highest honor for blues artists in the United States. The awards were formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), however, they were renamed in 2006 in an effort to increase public appreciation of the significance of the awards. The Awards had been presented annually in Memphis, Tennessee, where the Blues Foundation is located, although the 2008 award ceremony was held in Tunica, Mississippi.

Congratulations to all the newly announced Blues Music Award nominees! 

Here is the complete list of nominees. Voting informations available now at the Blues Foundation website: www.blues.org

34th Blues Music Award Nominees

Acoustic Album 
Billy Boy Arnold Sings Big Bill Broonzy - Billy Boy Arnold 
Blues on Solid Ground - John Primer 
Deeper in the Well - Eric Bibb
Not Alone - Ann Rabson w/ Bob Margolin 
Talking Guitar - Paul Rishell 

Acoustic Artist 
Carolina Chocolate Drops 
Doug MacLeod
Eric Bibb 
Harrison Kennedy 
Paul Rishell 

Album 
And Still I Rise - Heritage Blues Orchestra 
Double Dynamite - The Mannish Boys 
Show of Strength - Michael Burks 
Son of the Seventh Son - Mud Morganfield
Stronger For It - Janiva Magness 

B.B. King Entertainer 
Curtis Salgado 
Janiva Magness 
Joe Louis Walker 
John Nemeth 
Rick Estrin 

Band 
Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials 
Phantom Blues Band 
Rick Estrin & the Nightcats
Tedeschi Trucks Band
The Mannish Boys 

Best New Artist Debut 
24 Hour Blues - Charles "CD" Davis 
They Call Me Big Llou - Big LLou Johnson 
Turning on the Naughty - Paula Harris 
Uphill from Anywhere - Brad Hatfield
Wanna Feel Somethin' - Mary Bridget Davies 

Contemporary Blues Album 
Blak & Blu - Gary Clark, Jr.
Blues Live - John Nemeth 
Candy Store Kid - Ian Siegal & the Mississippi Mudbloods 
Hellfire - Joe Louis Walker 
Show of Strength - Michael Burks 
Stronger For It - Janiva Magness 

Contemporary Blues Female Artist 
Bettye LaVette 
Janiva Magness 
Shakura S'Aida 
Shemekia Copeland 
Susan Tedeschi 

Contemporary Blues Male Artist 
Gary Clark, Jr.
Joe Louis Walker 
Michael Burks 
Robert Cray 
Tab Benoit 

DVD 
Blackbird Music/55 for Arts Club Production for The Lucky Peterson Band feat. Tamara Peterson: Live at the 55 Arts Club Berlin by Lucky Peterson 
Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art/Broke & Hungry Records for We Juke Up in Here! Mississippi's Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads
Delta Groove Music for That's My Thing - Elvin Bishop Live in Concert by Elvin Bishop
Eagle Rock Entertainment for Live at Checkerboard Lounge by Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones
J&R Adventures for Beacon Theatre - Live from New York by Joe Bonamassa

Gibson Guitar 
Derek Trucks 
Joe Bonamassa
Joe Louis Walker 
Kid Andersen 
Michael Burks 

Historical Album
Bear Family Records for Plug It In! Turn It Up! Electric Blues by Various Artists
Real Gone Music for Complete Hit Singles A's & B's by Little Willie John 
Rock Beat Records for Raw Blues: Magic Sam Live 1969 by Magic Sam 
Silk City Records for Someday... by Otis Spann 
Universal Music Group for Ladies & Gentlemen... Mr. B.B. King by B.B. King 

Instrumentalist-Drums 
Cedric Burnside 
Cody Dickinson 
Jimi Bott 
Kenny Smith 
Tony Braunagel 

Instrumentalist-Bass 
Bill Stuve 
Bob Stroger 
Patrick Rynn 
Richard Cousins 
Scot Sutherland
Willie J. Campbell

Instrumentalist-Harmonica 
Billy Boy Arnold 
Bob Corritore 
John Nemeth 
Kim Wilson 
Mark Hummel
Rick Estrin 

Instrumentalist-Horn 
Al Basile 
Big James Montgomery
Eddie Shaw 
Kaz Kazanoff 
Terry Hanck 

Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female) 
Diunna Greenleaf 
Jewel Brown
Maria Muldaur 
Ruthie Foster 
Tracy Nelson 

Rock Blues Album 
Blues for the Modern Daze - Walter Trout 
Driving Towards the Daylight - Joe Bonamassa 
Everybody's Talkin' - Tedeschi Trucks Band 
Here I Am - Nick Moss 
Royal Southern Brotherhood - Royal Southern Brotherhood 

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player 
Barrelhouse Chuck
Chuck Leavell
David Maxwell 
Deanna Bogart
Mike Finnegan 
Victor Wainwright 

Song 
"I Won't Cry"- Janiva Magness & Dave Darling - Stronger for It - Janiva Magness
"Lemon Pie"- John Hahn & Oliver Wood - 33 1/3 - Shemekia Copeland 
“She Didn’t Cut Me Loose” written by Curtis Salgado, Marlon McClain & Dave Duncan on Soul Shot by Curtis Salgado
“The Devil Ain't Got No Music” written by Matthew Skoller on The Devil Ain't Got No Music by Lurrie Bell
Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey) written by Sam McClain & Pat Herlehy on Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey) by Mighty Sam McClain

Soul Blues Album 
Blues Heart - Dorothy Moore 
Soul Live - John Nemeth 
Soul Shot - Curtis Salgado 
Soul Survivor - Johnny Rawls 
Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey) - Mighty Sam McClain 

Soul Blues Female Artist 
Barbara Carr 
Denise LaSalle 
Dorothy Moore 
Irma Thomas 
Sista Monica 

Soul Blues Male Artist 
Bobby Rush 
Curtis Salgado 
John Nemeth 
Johnny Rawls 
Mighty Sam McClain 

Traditional Blues Album 
And Still I Rise - Heritage Blues Orchestra 
Double Dynamite - The Mannish Boys 
Milton Hopkins with Jewel Brown - Milton Hopkins with Jewel Brown
Son of the Seventh Son - Mud Morganfield 
Spider Eating Preacher - Eddie C. Campbell 

Traditional Blues Male Artist 
Bob Margolin
John Primer
Lil' Ed 
Magic Slim 
Mud Morganfield

Congratulations to all the newly announced Blues Music Award nominees!