2010 Blues Music Award Nominees Announced

The nominees for the 2010 Blues Music Awards were announced this week by the Blues Foundation.  Perhaps what's most notable about this year's nominees is who is missing, that being Watermelon Slim & The Workers.  Slim has been a dominant force on the blues scene since releasing his self-titled record for Northern Blues in 2006 and has taken a fair number of them home.  

Album Of The Year finds blues legend Duke Robillard leading the way along with Eddie C. Campbell, Joe Louis Walker, Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint, and the star-studded Chicago Blues – A Living History compilation.

In the Band of The Year category, Nick Moss received his 15th BMA nomination and will try to capitalize on his win along with the Flip Tops for Band of the Year at the Blues Blast Awards back in October.  Joining him is Duke Robillard's Jumpin' Blues Revue, Rick Estrin and The Nightcats, Tommy Castro Band, and perennial nominees The Mannish Boys.

One of my favorite records, Ronnie Earl's Living In The Light, earned a nomination in the Contemporary Blues category.  Earl is also nominated in the always-loaded Guitarist of The Year category.

The hardware will be handed out May 6, 2010 in Memphis, TN.  You can be part of the voting process by joining the Blues Foundation.  Here is the full list of nominees in all categories:

Album
Duke Robillard's Jumpin’ Blues Revue – Stomp! the Blues Tonight 
Eddie C. Campbell – Tear This World Up 
Joe Louis Walker – Between a Rock and the Blues 
Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint – Back to the Black Bayou 
Various Artists Chicago Blues – A Living History

Band
Duke Robillard's Jumpin' Blues Revue
Nick Moss & the Flip Tops
Rick Estrin and the Nightcats
The Mannish Boys
Tommy Castro Band

Song
Cyril Neville & Mike Zito “Pearl River” (Pearl River–Mike Zito)
James “Super Chikan” Johnson “Fred's Dollar Store” (Chikadelic–Super Chikan)
Joe Louis Walker “I'm Tide” (Between a Rock and the Blues–Joe Louis Walker)
John Hahn & Oliver Wood “Never Going Back to Memphis” (Never Going Back–Shemekia Copeland)
Vyasa Dodson “At Least I'm Not With You” (At Least I'm Not With You–The Insomniacs)

Acoustic Album
David Maxwell & Louisiana Red – You Got to Move
Maria Muldaur & Her Garden of Joy – Good Time Music for Hard Times
Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women – Havin' The Last Word 
Samuel James – For Rosa, Maeve and Noreen
Various Artists – Things About Comin' My Way – A Tribute to the music of the Mississippi Sheiks

Acoustic Artist
Annie Raines & Paul Rishell 
Doug MacLeod 
Guy Davis 
Louisiana Red 
Samuel James

B.B. King Entertainer
Candye Kane 
Magic Slim 
Rick Estrin 
Super Chikan 
Taj Mahal 
Tommy Castro 

Best New Artist Debut
Greg Nagy – Walk That Fine Thin Line 
Joanne Shaw Taylor – White Sugar 
Marquise Knox –  Man Child 
Monkey Junk – Tiger In Your Tank 
The California Honeydrops – Soul Tub! 

Contemporary Blues Album
Candye Kane – Superhero 
Joe Louis Walker – Between a Rock and the Blues 
Rick Estrin and the Nightcats – Twisted 
Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters – Living in the Light 
Tommy Castro – Hard Believer 

Contemporary Blues Female Artist
Bettye LaVette 
Candye Kane 
Janiva Magness 
Ruthie Foster 
Shemekia Copeland 

Contemporary Blues Male Artist
Derek Trucks 
Joe Louis Walker 
John Nemeth 
Michael Burks 
Tommy Castro 

DVD
Delmark Records It Ain't Over! Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues, Live at Buddy Guy's Legends
Eagle Eye Media Live at Montreux 1993 (B.B. King)
Jo Films& Roadside Productions Hot Flash – The Documentary (Saffire-the Uppity Blues Women)
Mojo Rodeo Records A Night in Woodstock (Paul Rishell & Annie Raines)
Vincent Productions Down to the Crossroads Vol. 1 (George Thorogood & the Destroyers w/ Eddie Shaw)

Historical
Bear Family Records Taking Care of Business (1956-1973) (Freddie King)
Chess Authorized Bootleg (Muddy Waters)
Eagle Records Essential Montreux (Gary Moore)
Hip-O Select The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967) (Little Walter)
Landslide Records Sean's Blues (Sean Costello)

Instrumentalist-Bass
Bill Stuve 
Bob Stroger 
Larry Taylor 
Mookie Brill 
Patrick Rynn 

Instrumentalist-Drums
Cedric Burnside 
Jimi Bott 
Kenny Smith 
Sam Carr 
Tony Braunagel 

Instrumentalist-Guitar
Derek Trucks 
Duke Robillard 
Joe Louis Walker 
Lurrie Bell 
Ronnie Earl 

Instrumentalist-Harmonica
Billy Branch 
Jason Ricci 
Kim Wilson 
Mark Hummel 
Rick Estrin 

Instrumentalist-Horn
Al Basile 
Big James Montgomery 
Deanna Bogart 
Eddie Shaw 
Keith Crossan 

Instrumentalist-Other
Buckwheat Zydeco (accordion) 
Gerry Hundt (mandolin) 
Johnny Sansone (accordion) 
Otis Taylor (banjo) 
Rich Del Grosso (mandolin) 

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
Bruce Katz 
David Maxwell 
Eden Brent 
Henry Butler 
Henry Gray 

Rock Blues Album
Derek Trucks Band – Already Free 
Jason Ricci & New Blood – Done with the Devil
Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat – Tijuana Bible 
Mike Zito – Pearl River 
Tinsley Ellis – Speak No Evil 

Soul Blues Album
Charles Wilson – Troubled Child 
Darrell Nulisch – Just for You 
Johnny Rawls – Ace of Spades 
Latimore All – About the Rhythm and the Blues
Mighty Sam McClain – Betcha Didn't Know 

Soul Blues Female Artist
Barbara Carr 
Denise LaSalle 
Irma Thomas 
Shirley Brown 
Sista Monica Parker 

Soul Blues Male Artist
Curtis Salgado 
Darrell Nulisch 
Jackie Payne 
Johnny Rawls 
Latimore 

Traditional Blues Album
John Primer – All Original 
Johnnie Bassett – The Gentleman is Back
Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint – Back to the Black Bayou 
Super Chikan  – Chikadelic
Various Artists – Chicago Blues A Living History

Traditional Blues Female Artist
Ann Rabson 
Debbie Davies 
Fiona Boyes 
Shirley Johnson 
Zora Young 

Traditional Blues Male Artist
Duke Robillard 
John Primer 
Johnnie Bassett 
Louisiana Red 
Super Chikan