The Blues Foundation has released its nominations for the 2009 Blues Music Awards. They have 26 categories, and reflect the broad spectrum of blues, from blues rock to very traditional blues and reissues.
Compare that to the two blues categories that the Grammys have, for contemporary and traditional blues. Sure, I know the blues can't compete with all the varieties of music that the Grammys recognize. But wouldn't it be nice if the blues -- the granddaddy of many of those Grammy categories -- had a more than just a couple of slots in the big time?
Just for fun, here's a comparison of the two Grammy categories with the two comparable Blues Music categories -- contemporary and traditional:
Blues Music Awards
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Elvin Bishop - The Blues Rolls On
Watermelon Slim & the Workers - No Paid Holidays
Janeva Magnets - What Love Will Do
Sean Costello - We Can Get Together
Buddy Guy - Skin Deep
Traditional Blues Album of the Year
Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials - Full Tilt
B.B. King - One Kind Favor
Honeyboy Edwards - Romain' and Rambling'
Eddy 'The Chief' Clearwater - West Side Strut
The Mannish Boys - Lowdown Feelin'
Here are the Grammy nominees:
Best Traditional Blues Album
The Blues Rolls On, Elvin Bishop
Skin Deep, Buddy Guy
All Odds Against Me, John Lee Hooker Jr.
One Kind Favor, B.B. King
Pinetop Perkins & Friends, Pinetop Perkins & Friends
Best Contemporary Blues Album
Peace, Love & BBQ, Marcia Ball
Like A Fire, Solomon Burke
City That Care Forgot, Dr. John And The Lower 911
Maestro, Taj Mahal
Simply Grand, Irma Thomas
I still think that BB King's "One Kind Favor" is the best blues album of the year, no matter what the category. He take the origins of his music, and in an elegantly simple package, wraps up the meaning of his blues life.
Posted
Dec 17 2008, 01:19 AM
by
Jim White