2019 Blues Music Award Winners
The late Michael Ledbetter, veteran singer Shemekia Copeland and guitar legends Billy Gibbons and Buddy Guy were among the big winners at the 40th annual Blues Music Awards.
The awards — presented by the Memphis-based Blues Foundation — were handed out May 9 during ceremonies at Cook Convention Center.
The evening was emotionally charged as Ledbetter — who died in January at the age of 33, from complications of epilepsy — earned multiple awards posthumously.
Ledbetter took home the foundation’s top prize, the coveted B.B. King Entertainer award. Ledbetter’s collaboration with guitarist Monster Mike Welch, in the Welch-ledbetter Connection, also earned Band of the Year honors. Individually, Ledbetter was named top vocalist, while Welch earned top guitarist honors.
Copeland, meanwhile, won awards for her critically acclaimed LP, “America’s Child,” taking home trophies for Album of the Year and Contemporary Blues Album.
Kansas City blues vet Danielle Nicole earned the Contemporary Blues Female Artist and bassist of the year awards.
The ceremonies also saw iconic names in blues and blues-rock earn honors. ZZ Top’s Gibbons — who released his solo debut, “The Big Bad Blues,” last year — earned the Blues Rock Album award.
Chicago blues icon Buddy Guy earned the Traditional Blues Album trophy. Memphis-rooted harmonica man Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper won Song of the Year for the title track to their joint LP, “No Mercy in This Land.” Memphis-born guitarist Eric Gales also notched a win as Blues Rock Artist of the year.
Other notables taking home trophies: Mississippian Cedric Burnside nabbed the award as best drummer, while Texas great Marcia Ball won the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player award, and country-blues great Rory Block won as the top Acoustic Artist.
The awards followed May 8’s Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
The 2019 class included Memphisborn soul queen Aretha Franklin, Stax hitmakers/house band Booker T. & the MGS, jazz great Count Basie, early blues performer Ida Cox and guitarist Pee Wee Crayton. “Journeys to the Heart of the Blues” — Joe Louis Walker/bruce Katz/giles Robson Acoustic Artist Rory Block Album of the Year “America’s Child” — Shemekia Copeland B.B. King Entertainer Michael Ledbetter Band of the Year Welch-ledbetter Connection Best Emerging Artist Album “Free” — Amanda Fish Blues Rock Album “The Big Bad Blues” — Billy F Gibbons Blues Rock Artist Contemporary Blues Album “America’s Child” — Shemekia Copeland Contemporary Blues Female Artist Danielle Nicole Contemporary Blues Male Artist Kenny Neal
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Cedric Burnside
Eric Gales Danielle Nicole Instrumentalist-drums
Dennis Gruenling Instrumentalist-pinetop Perkins Piano Player Marcia Ball “I’m Still Around” — Johnny Rawls Soul Blues Female Artist Annika Chambers Soul Blues Male Artist “The Blues is Alive and Well” — Buddy Guy
Monster Mike Welch Vanessa Collier Soul Blues Album Sugaray Rayford Traditional Blues Album
Traditional Blues Female Artist Ruthie Foster Traditional Blues Male Artist Nick Moss