Winners Announced At North America’s 38th Blues Music Awards

The results of North America’s prestigious 38th Blues Music Awards were announced early on the morning of 12 May 2017. Artists including Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Neal, Susan Tedeschi, Curtis Salgado and Mavis Staples were among the successful nominees for 2017.

Taking place at the Cook Convention Centre in Memphis, Tennessee, the Blues Music Awards are generally recognized as the highest honour given to blues musicians on the international stage. This year’s event followed the format of the critically-acclaimed shows of recent years, with around 100 nominees attending on a night filled with appearances and performances in a cabaret setting in the convention centre’s ballroom. The event began at 5.30pm on 11 May 2017 with a cocktail reception followed by a seated dinner, after which awards and music were interspersed, with the ceremony finishing after midnight.

The award winners for 2017 were as follows:

Acoustic Album: Eric Bibb – The Happiest Man In The World

Acoustic Artist: Doug McLeod

Contemporary Blues Album: Kenny Neal – Bloodline

Contemporary Blues Female Artist: Susan Tedeschi

Contemporary Blues Male Artist: Kenny Neal

Historical Album: Bobby Rush – Chicken Heads: A Fifty Year History Of Bobby Rush

Koko Taylor Award For Traditional Blues Female Artist: Diunna Greenleaf

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player: Victor Wainwright

Rock Blues Album: Tedeschi Trucks Band – Let Me Get By

Song: ‘Walk A Mile In My Blues’ written by David Duncan, Curtis Salgado and Mike Finnegan. Song performed by Curtis Salgado, from the album The Beautiful Lowdown

Soul Blues Album: Curtis Salgado – The Beautiful Lowdown

Soul Blues Female Artist: Mavis Staples

Soul Blues Male Artist: Curtis Salgado

Traditional Blues Album: Lurrie Bell – Can’t Shake This Feeling

Traditional Blues Male Artist: Bob Margolin

Blues Album: Bobby Rush – Porcupine Meat

Band: Tedeschi Trucks Band

BB King Entertainer Award: Joe Bonamassa

Best Emerging Album Award: Jonn Del Toro Richardson – Tengo Blues

Best Instrumentalist – Bass: Biscuit Miller

Best Instrumentalist – Drums: Cedric Burnside

Best Instrumentalist – Guitar: Joe Bonamassa

Best Instrumentalist – Harmonica: Kim Wilson

Best Instrumentalist – Horn: Terry Hanck