2008 Blues Music Awards Winners

Members of the Blues Foundation have voted and the winners have been chosen: the 2008 Blues Music Award ceremony was held on Thursday night, May 8, 2008 at the Grand Casino Event Center in Tunica, Mississippi. Formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards, the annual selection recognizes excellence in blues performances and recordings.

The night before the Blues Awards event, the Blues Foundation held its induction ceremony for the Blues Hall of Fame, honoring the individual achievements of guitarists Hubert Sumlin and Johnny "Guitar" Watson, pianist Jimmy McCracklin, singer Jimmy Weatherspoon, pre-WWII string band the Mississippi Sheiks, and country blues performer Peetie Wheatstraw.

Here are the winners, by category, of the 2008 Blues Music Awards:

Individual Award Winners

Acoustic Blues - Artist of the Year
Bobby Rush

Blues Band of the Year
Watermelon Slim & the Workers

Contemporary Blues - Female Artist of the Year
Bettye LaVette

Contemporary Blues - Male Artist of the Year
Tab Benoit

Soul Blues - Male Artist of the Year
Bobby Rush

Soul Blues - Female Artist of the Year
Irma Thomas

Traditional Blues - Female Artist of the Year
Koko Taylor

Traditional Blues - Male Artist of the Year
Hubert Sumlin

Blues Instrumentalists

Best Instrumentalist - Bass
Bob Stroger

Best Instrumentalist - Drums
Sam Lay

Best Instrumentalist - Guitar
Bob Margolin

Best Instrumentalist - Harmonica
Kim Wilson

Best Instrumentalist - Horn
Deanna Bogart

Best Instrumentalist - Pedal Steel
Robert Randolph

Award-Winning Recordings

Acoustic Blues Album of the Year
Bobby Rush - Raw (Deep Rush Records)

Best New Artist Debut of the Year
Diunna Greenleaf & Blue Mercy - Cotton Field to Coffee House

Blues Song of the Year
Koko Taylor - "Gonna Buy Me A Mule"

Blues Album of the Year
Watermelon Slim & the Workers - The Wheel Man (Northern Blues)

Blues DVD of the Year
Kenny Wayne Shepherd - 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads (Reprise Records)

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Tommy Castro - Painkiller (Blind Pig Records)

Historical Album of the Year
Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter, & James Cotton - Breakin’ It UP, Breakin’ it DOWN (Epic/Legacy Recordings)

Soul Blues Album of the Year
The Holmes Brothers - State of Grace (Alligator Records)

Traditional Blues Album of the Year
Koko Taylor - Old School (Alligator Records)

Special Awards

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year Award
Honey Piazza

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award
Tommy Castro

The Blues Foundation

The Blues Foundation was formed in Memphis in 1980 as a non-profit organization to preserve the rich heritage of the blues and promote excellence in blues music. Consisting of over 160 affiliated organizations worldwide, The Blues Foundations sponsors the annual Blues Music Awards, The International Blues Challenge, and the organization's "Blues In The Schools" educational program. Check out The Blues Foundation web site for more information on its programs.