With issue #202, now on the newsstand, Living Blues magazine has announced the winners of its 16th annual Living Blues Awards. The publication offers readers the results of two different votes, the first being its critics' poll and the second being a poll of the magazine's readers. Here is the list of this year's award winners:
Blues Artist of the Year (Male)
Honeyboy Edwards
Blues Artist of the Year (Female)
Koko Taylor
Best Live Performer
Lil' Ed Williams
Artist Deserving More Attention
John Dee Holeman
Most Outstanding Blues Singer
Buddy Guy
Comeback Artist of the Year
Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater
Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar)
Lurrie Bell
Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboards)
Pinetop Perkins
Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica)
Charlie Musselwhite
Most Outstanding Musician (Bass)
Bob Stroger
Most Outstanding Musician (Drums)
Kenny Smith
Most Outstanding Musician (Horns)
Big James Montgomery
Most Outstanding Musician (Other)
Buckwheat Zydeco - accordian
Album of the Year
B.B. King - One Kind Favor (Geffen Records)
Best New Recording - Southern Soul
Johnny Rawls - Red Cadillac (Catfood Records)
Best New Recording - Best Debut
Elmore James Jr. - Daddy Gave Me The Blues (JSP Records)
Best New Recording - Contemporary Blues
Kenny Neal - Let Life Flow (Blind Pig Records)
Best New Recording - Traditional & Acoustic
Honeyboy Edwards - Roamin' And Ramblin' (Earwig Records)
Best Historical Reissue / Pre-War
Various Artists - Boogie Woogie and Blues Piano (Mosaic Records)
Best Historical Reissue / Post-War
Howlin' Wolf - Rockin' The Blues: Live In Germany 1964 (Acrobat Records)
DVD of the Year
M For Mississippi
Producer of the Year - New Recording
T-Bone Burnett - B.B. King's One Kind Favor (Geffen Records)
Producer of the Year - Historical/Reissue
Bob Koester - Delmark Records
Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Charlie Musselwhite also fared well in Living Blues' annual Readers' Poll. Guy walked off with the "Blues Artist of the Year (Male)" and the "Best Live Performer" awards, as well as the "Best Blues Album of 2009" for his ground-breaking release Skin Deep.
King was awarded the "Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar)" by the magazine's readers, and Musselwhite took the "Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica)" award. New Orleans music legend Irma Thomas was voted the "Most Outstanding Blues Singer" while Marcia Ball took the "Blues Artist of the Year (Female)" and "Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboards)" awards from readers.
There are plenty of other reasons to pick up this issue of Living Blues as well. Issue #202 features a spiffy Lil' Ed Williams cover story, as well as articles/interviews on Mississippi funk-bluesman Lonnie Shields and acclaimed young blueswoman Ruthie Foster, and a book excerpt from folklorist William Ferris' tome Give My Poor Heart Ease that includes several vintage photos. Like every issue, there are also a slew of blues CD reviews.
Pick up Living Blues on your local newsstand, or check out the publication's website to find details about subscribing or back issues.
