46th Annual Blues Music Award Winners including Canada's Sue Foley

On May 8, 2026, The Blues Foundation announced the winners of their 46th Annual Blues Music Awards winners in Memphis, Tennessee. The only Canadian artist to win was Ottawa's Sue Foley, who is signed to Waterdown's Stony Plain Records. 

Below is the new report from Blues Rock Review:

Links: Blues Music Awards, More Blues Music Awards Stories, Video above courtesy of Blues Rock Review

Below is a complete list of winners.

• Traditional Blues Female Artist: Sue Foley (Ottawa) (signed to Waterdown's Stony Plain Records)
• Acoustic Blues Album: One Guitar Woman, Sue Foley (Ottawa) (signed to Waterdown's Stony Plain Records)
  
  
  
  Links: Sue Foley, More Sue Foley Stories, Video above courtesy of Sue Foley
  
  
• Acoustic Blues Artist: Keb’ Mo’
  
• Album of the Year: Blame It On Eve, Shemekia Copeland
• Band of the Year: Rick Estrin and the Nightcats
• Best Emerging Artist Album: Revelation, Piper & The Hard Times
• BB King Entertainer of the Year: Mr. Sipp
• Blues Rock Album: Life is Hard, Mike Zito
• Blues Rock Artist: Tommy Castro
• Contemporary Blues Album: Blues In My DNA, Ronnie Baker Brooks
• Contemporary Blues Female Artist: Ruthie Foster
• Contemporary Blues Male Artist: Ronnie Baker Brooks
• Instrumentalist - Bass: Bob Stroger
• Instrumentalist - Drums: Kenny ”Beedy Eyes” Smith
• Instrumentalist - Guitar: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
• Instrumentalist - Harmonica: Billy Branch
• Instrumentalist - Horn: Vanessa Collier
• Instrumentalist - Piano (Pinetop Perkins Piano Player): Eden Brent
• Instrumentalist - Vocals: Ruthie Foster
• Song of the Year: “Blues In My DNA”- Ronnie Baker Brooks
  
  
  
  Links: Ronnie Baker Brooks, Video above courtesy of Ronnie Baker Brooks - Topic
  
  
• Soul Blues Album: Fine By Me, Curtis Salgado
• Soul Blues Female Artist: Thornetta Davis
• Soul Blues Male Artist: Curtis Salgado
• Traditional Blues Album: Crawlin’ ’Kingsnake, John Primer & Bob Corritore
• Traditional Blues Male Artist: John Primer

Links: Blues Music Awards, More Blues Music Awards Stories

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Winners of the 2024 Blues Blast Awards Including Local & Canadian Artists

The winners of the 2024 Blues Blast Awards were announced in the magazine's September 2024 issue. Burlington's Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne earn another in his long list of accolades. Canadians Sue Foley (who's signed to Waterdown's Stony Plain Records) and the Blackburn Brothers also got come much-deserved recognition.

CONGRATS EVERYONE!

• Keyboard Player Of The Year: Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne (Burlington)
  
  
  
  Links: Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, More Kenny "Blues Boss" Stories, Video above courtesy of Lorne Tontegode
  
  
• Acoustic Blues Album: Sue Foley (Ottawa)– One Guitar Woman
• Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year: Sue Foley (Ottawa)
• Female Blues Artist: Sue Foley (Ottawa)
  
  
  
  Links: Sue Foley, More Sue Foley Stories, Video above courtesy of Sue Foley
  
  
• Soul Blues Album: Blackburn Brothers (Toronto) – SoulFunkin’Blues
  
  
  
  Links: Blackburn Brothers, More Blackburn Brothers Stories, Video above courtesy of Blackburn Brothers - Topic
  
  
• Bass Guitarist Of The Year: Danielle Nicole
• Blues Band Of The Year: Rick Estrin & The Nightcats
• Blues Video Of The Year: Omar and The Howlers – No Peace in the City
• Contemporary Blues Album: Rick Estrin & The Night Cats – The Hits Keep Coming
• Electric Guitarist Of The Year: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
• Harmonica Player Of The Year: Charlie Musselwhite
• Historical Or Vintage Recording: Magic Slim & John Primer feat. The Teardrops – Slow Blues
• Horn Player Of The Year: Trombone Shorty
• Live Blues Album: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – Live In London
• Male Blues Artist: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
• New Artist Debut Album: DK Harrell – The Right Man
• Producer Of The Year: Joe Bonamassa & Josh Smith
• Percussionist Of The Year: Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith
• Rising Star Award: Candice Ivory
• Rock Blues Album: Mike Zito – Life is Hard
• Slide Guitarist Of The Year: Derek Trucks
• Traditional Blues Album: John Primer & Bob Corritore – Crawlin’ Kingsnake
• Vocalist Of The Year: Ruthie Foster

Links: Blues Blast Magazine, More Blues Blast Awards Stories

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GOOD LUCK! Hamilton's Harrison Kennedy Nominated for 2018 Blues Music Awards

Hamilton Blues Legend Harrison Kennedy is once again up for Blues Music Awards this year (the only Canadian nominated).  He's in the running for two awards: Acoustic Album of the Year and Acoustic Artist of the Year.  Hopefully, he'll be bringing home the hardware at the May 10, 2018 ceremony in Memphis.



Links: Harrison Kennedy, More Harrison Kennedy Stories: Video above courtesy of Luther Blues

GOOD LUCK HARRISON!

San Francisco Bluesman Rick Estrin landed the most nominations (8) with Taj Mahal and Don Bryant in second with 5 nods apiece.

Here's a complete list of nominees.

Acoustic Album 

• Harrison Kennedy: Who U Tellin’?
• Catfish Keith: Mississippi River Blues
• Doug MacLeod: Break the Chain
• Guy Davis and Fabrizio Poggi: Sonny and Brownie’s Last Train
• Mitch Woods: Friends Along The Way
• Rory Block: Keepin’ Outta Trouble

Acoustic Artist

• Harrison Kennedy
• Doug MacLeod
• Guy Davis 
• Rory Block
• Taj Mahal

Album

• Don Bryant: Don’t Give Up on Love
• Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter: Right Place, Right Time
• Rick Estrin and the Nightcats: Groovin’ In Greaseland
  
  
  
  Links: Rick Estrin, Video above courtesy of Little Charlie and the Nightcats - Topic
  
  
• TajMo: TajMo
• Wee Willie Walker and the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra: After a While

Band

• The Cash Box Kings
• Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter
• Nick Moss Band
• North Mississippi All-Stars
• Rick Estrin and the Nightcats

Entertainer

• Bobby Rush
• Mike Ledbetter
• Rick Estrin
• Sugaray Rayford
• Taj Mahal

Emerging Artist Album

• Altered Five Blues Band: Charmed and Dangerous
• Larkin Poe: Peach
• Miss Freddye: Lady of the Blues
• R.L. Boyce: Roll and Tumble
• Southern Avenue: Southern Avenue
• Tas Cru: Simmered and Stewed

Contemporary Blues Album

• Beth Hart: Fire on the Floor
• Corey Dennison Band: Night After Night
• Ronnie Baker Brooks: Times Have Changed
• Selwyn Birchwood: Pick Your Poison
• TajMo: TajMo
  
  
  
  Links: TajMo, Taj Mahal, More Taj Mahal Stories/Covers, Keb Mo', More Keb Mo' Stories, Video above courtesy of Concord Music
  

Contemporary Blues Female Artist

• Beth Hart
• Karen Lovely
• Samantha Fish
• Shemekia Copeland
• Vanessa Collier

Contemporary Blues Male Artist

• Keb’ Mo’
• Mike Ledbetter
• Ronnie Baker Brooks
• Selwyn Birchwood
• Toronzo Cannon

Historical Album of the Year

• Jimmy Reed: Mr. Luck: The Complete Vee-Jay Singles
• John Lee Hooker: King of the Boogie
• Luther Allison: A Legend Never Dies
• The Paul deLay Band: Live at Notodden ’97
• American Epic: The Collection (Compilation)

Bass

• Benny Turner
• Bob Stroger
• Larry Fulcher (Phantom Blues Band)
• Michael “Mudcat” Ward
• Patrick Rynn

Drums

• Jimi Bott
• June Core
• Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith
• Tom Hambridge
• Tony Braunagel

Guitar

• Anson Funderburgh
• Chris Cain
• Christoffer “Kid” Andersen
• Monster Mike Welch 
• Ronnie Earl

Harmonica

• Billy Branch
• Dennis Gruenling
• Jason Ricci
• Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds)
• Rick Estrin

Horn

• Al Basile
• Jimmy Carpenter
• Nancy Wright
• Trombone Shorty
• Vanessa Collier

Piano Player

• Anthony Geraci
• Henry Gray
• Jim Pugh
• Mitch Woods
• Victor Wainwright

Vocals

• Beth Hart
• Don Bryant
• John Németh
• Mike Ledbetter
• Sugaray Rayford
• Wee Willie Walker

Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)

• Annika Chambers
• Diunna Greenleaf
• Janiva Magness
• Miss Freddye
• Ruthie Foster

Rock Blues Album

• Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band: Lay It On Down
• Mike Zito: Make Blues Not War
• North Mississippi All-Stars: Prayer for Peace
• Savoy Brown: Witchy Feelin’
• Walter Trout: We’re All In This Together

Rock Blues Artist

• Eric Gales
• Jason Ricci
• Kenny Wayne Shepherd
• Mike Zito
• Walter Trout

Song

• Rick Estrin and the Night Cats: The Blues Ain’t Going Nowhere 
• Don Bryant: Don’t Give Up On Love
  
  
  
  Links: Don Bryant, Video above courtesy of Barney USMC
  
  
• TajMo: Don’t Leave Me Here 
• Wee Willie Walker and the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra: Hate Take a Holiday
• North Mississippi All-Stars: Prayer for Peace

Soul Blues Album

• Don Bryant: Don’t Give Up on Love
• Johnny Rawls: Waiting for the Train
• Robert Cray and Hi Rhythm: Robert Cray and Hi Rhythm
• Sugaray Rayford: The World That We Live In
• Wee Willie Walker and the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra: After a While

Soul Blues Female Artist

• Bettye LaVette
• Denise LaSalle
• Mavis Staples
• Trudy Lynn
• Vaneese Thomas

Soul Blues Male Artist

• Curtis Salgado
• Don Bryant
• Johnny Rawls
• Sugaray Rayford
• William Bell
• Wee Willie Walker

Traditional Blues Album

• The Cash Box Kings: Royal Mint
• Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio: Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio
• Kim Wilson: Blues and Boogie Vol. 1
• Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter: Right Place, Right Time
• Rick Estrin and the Nightcats: Groovin’ In Greaseland
• Howlin’ At Greaseland (Compilation)

Traditional Blues Female Artist

• Annika Chambers
• Diunna Greenleaf
• Janiva Magness
• Miss Freddye
• Ruthie Foster

Traditional Blues Male Artist

• John Primer
• Kim Wilson
• Lurrie Bell
• R.L. Boyce
• Rick Estrin 

Blast From the Past: Last Year's Winners

Links: Blues Music Awards, More Blues Music Awards Stories

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