Blues Music Awards: Meet 2020’s winners
Mid-south bluesman Ingram the winner
The Blues Foundation’s 2020 Blues Music Awards took place live Sunday from Memphis in a virtual ceremony, and Mid-south bluesman Christone “Kingfish” Ingram was the big winner.
One of the rising stars of the blues world, the 21-year-old Clarksdale singer-guitarist earned five awards for his debut album, “Kingfish.” The LP took home the prize for Best Emerging Artist Album, Best Contemporary Blues Album and Album of the Year. Ingram also earned two performer awards, winning the honor as the top Instrumentalistguitar and Best Contemporary Blues Artist.
Chicago blues veteran Nick Moss and his band were also big winners with three awards, earning Band of the Year and Traditional Blues Album, for “Lucky Guy!”, Moss also won Song of the Year honors for the album’s title track.
The 2019 BMA’S top winner Sugaray Rayford also came away with a pair of honors. Rayford repeated as the Soul Blues Male Artist award winner and claimed the prestigious B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award.
Sunday’s event was hosted by singer Shemekia Copeland — who also picked up the Contemporary Blues Female Artist award — along with a group of top blues stars serving as presenters, including Charlie Musselwhite, Warren Haynes, Fantastic Negrito, Ruthie Foster, William Bell, Beth Hart and Keb’ Mo’.
The event also featured video messages from music greats Bonnie Raitt, Steve Miller, Robert Cray, Dion and Little Steven Van Zandt.
As the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear in mid March, the Blues Foundation decided to cancel its annual Blues Music Awards and Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies. The events — the two biggest and longestrunning celebrations of the blues internationally — were to have taken place May 6-7 at Downtown Memphis’ Halloran Centre and the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. While canceling the BMAS as a physical event, the foundation began developing a plan to present the awards via a virtual ceremony. Broadcast online, the virtual BMAS saw a total of 26 awards handed out.
In addition to Ingram, Moss and Rayford, a number of blues greats were honored. Blues Hall of Famers were well represented with Stax/staple Singers great Mavis Staples earning the Vocalist award, Mississippian Bobby Rush nabbing the Soul Blues Album award for “Sitting on Top of the Blues”, and recent blues hall inductee, Bettye Lavette, wining the Soul Blues Female Artist award.
Texas guitar great Jimmie Vaughan made a big return to the BMAS. Twelve years after his last nomination, Vaughan took home the Traditional Blues Male Artist trophy.
The full list of winners can be found at blues.org/blues-music-awards/#nominees.