Congratulations to your 2019 Maple Blues nominees
The Toronto Blues Society this week announced the nominees for the 23rd annual Maple Blues Awards, honouring the finest our country has to offer.
Particularly impressive this year is the list of nominees for the Blues with Feeling lifetime achievement award. Just look at that list o’ talent! With Ken Whiteley, Michael Jerome Browne, Danny Brooks, and so many more in there, I can’t imagine how you could ever choose just one recipient. I suspect sooner or later every one of them will have one of those awards.
If you’re a member of the Canadian public, you can register and vote for the winners of the Maple Blues Awards through Dec. 1 at midnight – actually 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Register at www.mapleblues.ca.
This year’s Maple Blues Awards will be hosted by musician, theatre performer and lighting designer Raha Javanfar and held on Feb. 3, 2020. Tickets are available online at rcmusic.com or at the Koerner Hall box office or by phone at (416) 408-0208.
Toronto Blues Society charter members can get the best available seats to the show and 25 per cent off tickets anywhere in the hall. Tickets start at only $35.
Nominees for the 23rd Annual Maple Blues Awards
Entertainer of the Year
Dawn Tyler Watson
Downchild Blues Band
Miss Emily
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar
Sue Foley
Electric Act of the Year
Colin James
Jack de Keyzer
Paul DesLauriers Band
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar
Sue Foley
Acoustic Act of the Year
Big Dave McLean
Harry Manx
Manx Marriner Mainline
Matt Andersen
Michael Jerome Browne
Male Vocalist of the Year
Harpdog Brown
Harrison Kennedy
Matt Andersen
Steve Marriner
Steve Strongman
Female Vocalist of the Year
Angel Forrest
Dawn Tyler Watson
Miss Emily
Samantha Martin
Shakura S’Aida
New Artist of the Year
Bywater Call
Durham County Poets
Matchedash Parish
Miss Emily
Robert Connely Farr
Recording/Producer of the Year
Colin Linden & Luther Dickinson – Amour / Stony Plain (Colin Linden)
Dawn Tyler Watson – Mad Love / Self (François Thiffault & Dawn Tyler Watson)
Harpdog Brown – For Love & Money / Dog House (Steve Dawson)
Matchedash Parish – Saturday Night / Make It Real (Lance Anderson)
Matt Andersen – Halfway Home By Morning / True North (Steve Dawson)
B.B. King International Artist of the Year
Buddy Guy
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Ghost Town Blues Band
Larkin Poe
Mavis Staples
Songwriter of the Year
Big Dave McLean
Colin Linden
Dawn Tyler Watson
Robert Connely Farr
Sue Foley
Blues with a Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement Award)
Alec Fraser
Brent Parkin
Danny Brooks
Joe Murphy
Ken Whiteley
Michael Fonfara
Michael Jerome Browne
Tom Lavin
Guitarist of the Year
Anthony Gomes
Garrett Mason
Jack de Keyzer
Paul DesLauriers
Sue Foley
Harmonica Player of the Year
Al Lerman
Harpdog Brown
Jim Zeller
Roly Platt
Steve Marriner
Piano/Keyboard of the Year
David Vest
Duane Blackburn
Jenie Thai
Jesse O’Brien
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne
Horn Player of the Year
Chris Whiteley
Kaven Jalbert (Ben Racine Band)
Loretta Hale (Andre Bisson Band)
Mat “Moose” Mousseau (Ben Racine Band)
Richard Thornton (Jack de Keyzer Band)
Drummer of the Year
Chris Nordquist (Steve Kozak, Cannery Row)
Gary Craig (Colin Linden, Steve Dawson)
Lindsay Beaver
Sam Harrisson (Paul DesLauriers Band)
Tom Bona (Sue Foley)
Bassist of the Year
Alec Fraser
Alec McElcheran (Paul DesLauriers Band)
Gary Kendall
Keith Picot
Leigh-Anne Stanton (Wicked Grin)
I wonder who exactly is eligible to be considered for this series of awards? Would Rik Emmett, if he had an eligible album, be considered or is he “rock”? I ask in part because though that is the genre he is most associated with, he has played blues music, in my opinion at least, among other genres.
I recognize only a few names here such as Tom Lavin, Colin James, and Colin Linden.