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| Blues Foundation Presents: 2007 Blues Music Awards In a year that has already witnessed the passing of past Blues Music Awards recipients Ruth Brown, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Sam Myers and Snooky Pryor, the nominee list for The Blues Foundation's 2007 Blues Music Awards offers a mix of the genre's pillars and prospects, and just about everything in between. The 2007 Blues Music Awards ballot features timeless nominees like harpist Charlie Musselwhite, who garnered five nominations on the strength of his Delta Hardware release; drum legends and perennial fan favorites, Sam Carr, Sam Lay and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith; and "old school" names Big George Brock and Guitar Shorty, who have experienced a rejuvenation in recent years. The ballot features triple nominees Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials, Janiva Magness and Michael Powers, as well as Nick Moss and his band the Flip Tops, with four nominations. Other artists with three nods represent a range of Blues stylings: from the Piedmont style of Cephas & Wiggins' Shoulder to Shoulder to the Delta shadings of Guy Davis' Skunkmello to the soul of Irma Thomas' post-Katrina After the Rain. But the most amazing story of 2007 is the six nominations racked up by Watermelon Slim as an individual and with his band the Workers. It is almost impossible to amass more than six nominations in a single year, but their NorthernBlues Records' self-titled release struck a chord with the nominators as this former truck driver with a Masters degree in history, and his band, picked up song, album, band and entertainer nods, among the 25 album, artist and instrumentalist categories. The 2007 show will likely follow the format of the sold-out and critically acclaimed shows of recent years which featured appearances and performances by more than 40 nominees in a dinner table setting in the Convention Center's new ballroom. Attendees are treated to an elgegant dinner seated with the nominees! Enjoy unique artist pairings and performances you'll only see at the Blues Music Awards. The event brings together Blues performers, industry representatives and fans from all over the world to celebrate the best in Blues recordings and performances from the previous year. Each year, the Foundation presents The Blues Music Awards to the artists selected by its members. They are universally recognized as the highest honor given to Blues artists. As always, a pre-party will immediately precede the Awards and feature the 2007 IBC winners. The Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Charter Members' Dinner will be held the night before on Wednesday, May 9. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |