Nominations Announced For the 34th Blues Music Awards

The Blues Foundation announced the nominees for the 34th Blues Music Awards on Thursday with Janiva Magness and John Nemeth leading all nominees with five each.

Curtis Salgado, Joe Louis Walker, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and the late Michael "Iron Man" Burks each received four nods while Rick Estrin and the Nightcats, Joe Bonamassa, Mighty Sam McClain, Mud Morganfield (son of Muddy Waters) and the Manish Boys each got three.

Overall, veteran artists had an outstanding showing in the nominations, receiving nods in every category except Album and New Artist.

Jay Sieleman, president of the Blues Foundation, said “It is not uncommon in any arts genre for beloved artists with strong releases to pull in a number of nominations, and that is one of the factors at work this year. Yet there are also more than a dozen first-time nominees, plus the six Best New Artist nominees. It is gratifying to see both groups rewarded—those who have been near the top for a while and those who are getting the recognition they have been long seeking.”

The awards will be held on May 9 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, TN and will be broadcast on Sirius/XM Radio.

Here are the nominations with veteran artists in bold:

B.B King Entertainer

• Curtis Salgado
• Janiva Magness
• Joe Louis Walker
• John Nemeth
• Rick Estrin

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

Song

• I Wont Cry - written by Janiva Magness & Dave Darling (Janiva Magness)
• Lemon Pie - written by John Hahn & Oliver Wood (Shemekia Copeland)
• She Didn't Cut Me Loose - written by Curtis Salgado, Marlon McClain & Dave Duncan (Curtis Salgado)
• The Devil Ain't Got No Music - written by Matthew Skoller (Lurrie Bell)
• Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey) - written by Sam McClain & Pat Herlehy (Mighty Sam McClain)

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

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

Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)

• Diunna Greenleaf
• Jewel Brown
• Maria Muldaur
• Ruthie Foster
• Tracy Nelson

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

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

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

DVD

• The Lucky Peterson Band feat.Tamara Peterson Live at the 55 Arts Club Berlin
• We Juke Up in Here: Mississippi's Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads
• That's My Thing: Elvin Bishop Live In Concert
• Muddy Waters & Rolling Stones, Live at Checkerboard Lounge
• Joe Bonamassa Live From New York

Gibson Guitar

• Derek Trucks
• Joe Bonamassa
• Joe Louis Walker
• Kid Andersen
• Michael Burks

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player

• Barrelhouse Chuck
• Chuck Leavell
• David Maxwell
• Deanna Bogart
• Mike Finnigan
• Victor Wainwright

Instrumentalist - Bass

• Bill Stuve
• Bob Stroger
• Patrick Rynn
• Richard Cousins
• Scott Sutherland
• Willie J. Campbell

Instrumentalist - Drums

• Cedric Burnside
• Cody Dickinson
• Jimi Bott
• Kenny Smith
• Tony Braunagel

Instrumentalist - Harmonica

• Billy Boy Arnold
• Bob Corritore
• John Nemeth
• Kim Wilson
• Mark Hummel
• Rick Estrin

Instrumentalist - Horn

• Al Basile
• Big James Montgomery
• Eddie Shaw
• Sax Gordon
• Terry Hanck