Monday, May 13, 2013

Different Strokes

The 34th Annual Blues Music Awards was held by the Blues Foundation on May 9 in Memphis. Here are the winners. A complete list of the nominees in each category can be found here.

Performances

Album of the Year: Michael Burks—Show of Strength
Acoustic Blues Album: Ann Rabson/Bob Margolin—Not Alone
Contemporary Blues Album: Michael Burks—Show of Strength
Rock Blues Album: The Tedeschi-Trucks Band—Everybody's Talkin'
Soul Blues Album: Curtis Salgado—Soul Shot
Traditional Blues Album: The Mannish Boys—Double Dynamite
Best New Artist Debut: Big Llou Johnson—They Call Me Big Llou
Historical Album: Various Artists—Plug It In! Turn It Up!: Electric Blues, 1939-2005 (Bear Family Records)
DVD of the Year: Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones—Live at Checkerboard Lounge (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
Song of the Year: Janiva Magness and Dave Darling—“I Won't Cry” from Janiva Magness—Stronger For It


Performers

Entertainer of the Year: Curtis Salgado
Acoustic Artist: Eric Bibb
Contemporary Blues Female Artist: Janiva Magness
Contemporary Blues Male Artist: Tab Benoit
Soul Blues Female Artist: Irma Thomas
Soul Blues Male Artist: Curtis Salgado
Traditional Blues Female Artist: Ruthie Foster
Traditional Blues Male Artist: Magic Slim
Band: The Tedeschi-Trucks Band
Bass: Bob Stroger
Drums: Cedric Burnside
Guitar: Derek Trucks
Harmonica: Rick Estrin
Horn: Eddie Shaw
Piano: Victor Wainright

A few observations:
  • To vote, you must be one of the 4500 members of the Foundation. This makes it more like a popularity contest than most other awards. For example, it's unlikely that many voters have heard all the nominated albums, so familiar artists have a big advantage.
  • There are so many categories that it lessens the value of each award.
  • The award winners seem to get paler with each year that passes. Of course, so does the audience.
  • I hate to be a cynic, but you'll notice it anyway. If you want to win, it helps to die within the past year (Michael Burks, Magic Slim, Ann Rabson).
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