Grammys Losing The Blues?

[Roland]

This year's Grammy nominees. I see now they've lumped vocal and instrumentals together. How long before they just get rid of the whole catagory?

I'm not overly impressed with the choices for Contemporary album. I'll go with either Dr. John or Charlie Musslewhite, both are good albums. For Traditional, I hate to say it but any of the other 4 blows Clapton's away. His intentions were good, but the album wasn't as good as it could've been.

Best Traditional Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Me And Mr Johnson- Eric Clapton
[Reprise]

Baby, Don't You Tear My Clothes- James Cotton
[Telarc]

Blues With A Vengeance- John Lee Hooker, Jr.
[Kent Records]

Blues To The Bone- Etta James
[RCA Victor]

Ladies Man- Pinetop Perkins
[M.C. Records]


Best Contemporary Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

N'awlinz Dis Dat Or D'udda- Dr. John
[Blue Note]

Keep It Simple- Keb' Mo'
[Epic/Okeh]

What's Wrong With This Picture?- Van Morrison
[Blue Note Records]

Sanctuary- Charlie Musselwhite
[Real World]

I'm A Bluesman- Johnny Winter
[Virgin]

[snizz]

Yea, things have been heading that way for a while now. They keep inventing more and more piss ass non-music awards at the expense of awards for music.

The traditional nominees aren't bad at all, but I can't believe Gatemouth's not there! I wouldn't have put Clapton's in there either, it was ok but not great. But he's a Grammy darling, so I guess he got Gatemouth's slot.

I'm not impressed with most of the contemporary nominees either. That's the best they could do? I'll go with the Dr. or Charlie there too.

[LS]

Grammy noms are totally odd all 'round this year...but yeah it's gettin' pathetic.

Handys are a little odd this year too (since I haven't been around much the past few weeks- I'm a little late with the Noms )- but overall MUCH better...

2005 - 26th W.C. Handy Blues Awards Nominees


Acoustic Blues Album of the Year:

Paul Oscher - "Alone With The Blues"
Billy Branch & Kenny Neal - "Double Take"
Corey Harris - "Mississippi To Mali"
Paul Rishell & Annie Raines - "Goin' Home"
Carey & Lurrie Bell - "Second Nature"


Acoustic Blues-Artist of the Year:

Paul Oscher
Corey Harris
David "Honeyboy" Edwards
Paul Rishell & Annie Raines
Eric Bibb


Best New Artist Debut:

Watermelon Slim - "Up Close & Personal"
John Lee Hooker, Jr. - "Blues With A Vengence"
Nora Jean Bruso - "Going Back To Mississippi"
Michael Powers - "Onyx Root"
The Bo-Keys - "The Royal Sessions"


Blues Album of the Year:

W.C. Clark - "Deep In The Heart"
Mavis Staples - "Have A Little Faith"
The Holmes Brothers - "Simple Truths"
Guitar Shorty - "Watch Your Back"
Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers - "Keepin' It Real"


Blues Band of the Year:

Little Charlie & The Nightcats
Smokin' Joe Kubek Band
Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers
Magic Slim & The Teardrops
Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets
The Holmes Brothers


Blues Entertainer of the Year:

Bobby Rush
Kim Wilson
B.B. King
Pinetop Perkins
Solomon Burke


Blues Song of the Year:

"Alone With The Blues" - WRITER Paul Oscher , Performed by Paul Oscher
"Have A Little Faith"- WRITER Jim Tullio and Jim Weider, Performed by Mavis Staples
"Run Myself Out Of Town"- WRITER Wendell Holmes, Performed by The Holmes Brothers
"Piecework Politicians" - WRITER James Harman, Performed by James Harman
"Nothin' Ever Hurt Me"- WRITER EG Kight, Performed by EG Kight


Comeback Blues Album of the Year:

Big Joe Duskin - "Big Joe Jumps Again!"
Gary U.S. Bonds - "Back In 20"


Contemporary Blues Album of the Year

Charlie Musselwhite - "Sanctuary"
The Holmes Brothers - "Simple Truths"
Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters - "Now My Soul"
Guitar Shorty - "Watch Your Back"
Michael Powers - "Onyx Root"


Contemporary Blues-Female Artist of the Year:

Janiva Magness
Marcia Ball
Shemekia Copeland
EG Kight
Deborah Coleman


Contemporary Blues-Male Artist of the Year:

Kim Wilson
Chris Thomas King
Charlie Musselwhite
James Harman
Robert Randolph


Historical Blues Album of the Year:

Hound Dog Taylor - "Release The Hound" (Alligator Records)
Charles Brown - "A Life In The Blues" (Rounder Records)
Muddy Waters - "Hard Again" (Epic/Legacy)
Johnny Winter - "Second Winter" (Columbia/Legacy)
Lucille Bogan - "Shave 'em Dry" (Columbia/Legacy)
Muddy Waters - "I'm Ready" (Epic/Legacy)


Instrumentalist-Bass:

Bob Stroger
Willie Kent
Bill Stuve
Calvin "Fuzz" Jones
Mookie Brill
Sherman Holmes


Instrumentalist-Drums:

Jimi Bott
Popsy Dixon
Sam Carr
Sam Lay
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith


Instrumentalist-Guitar:

Ronnie Earl
Duke Robillard
Kirk Fletcher
Bob Margolin
Roy Rogers


Instrumentalist-Harmonica:

Kim Wilson
Charlie Musselwhite
Rod Piazza
James Harman
Paul Oscher


Instrumentalist-Horns:

Calvin Owens - Trumpet
Mark Kazanoff - Saxophone
Roomful of Blues Horns
Greg Piccolo - Saxophone
Sax Gordon - Saxophone


Instrumentalist-Keyboards:

Henry Butler
Honey Piazza
Dave Maxwell
Marcia Ball
Jon Cleary


Instrumentalist-Other:

Robert Randolph - Pedal Steel Guitar
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Fiddle
Sonny Rhodes - Lap Steel Guitar
Otis Taylor - Banjo
Andra Faye - Mandolin


Soul/Blues Album of the Year:

Mavis Staples - "Have A Little Faith"
Bobby Rush - "Folk Funk"
W.C. Clark - "Deep In The Heart"
Tad Robinson - "Did You Ever Wonder?"
Charles Wilson - "If Heartaches Were Nickels"


Soul/Blues-Female Artist of the Year:

Mavis Staples
Bettye LaVette
Etta James
Toni Lynn Washington
Barbara Lynn


Soul/Blues-Male Artist of the Year:

Bobby Rush
Tad Robinson
Little Milton
Solomon Burke
W.C. Clark


Traditional Blues Album of the Year:

James Cotton - "Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes"
Jody Williams - "You Left Me In The Dark"
Duke Robillard - "Blue Mood: The Songs Of T-Bone Walker"
Pinetop Perkins - "Ladies Man"
Sam Myers - "Coming From The Old School"


Traditional Blues-Female Artist of the Year:

Jessie Mae Hemphill
Nora Jean Bruso
Ruth Brown
Koko Taylor
Maria Muldaur


Traditional Blues-Male Artist of the Year:

Robert Lockwood Jr.
Jody Williams
Sam Myers
Hubert Sumlin
Pinetop Perkins

[Roland]

Yes the Handys are a big improvement. You're right though LS, they are a little "odd" this year. The nominees include a lot of performers who didn't even put out albums or tour this year and ignore a lot of others that put out excellent albums and did tour. It seems to me over the past few years they've become complacent like most of the other "awards" and keep nominating the same few over and over.

[snizz]

I'm with you Roland. When they first started them, they spread them around every year, so everybody got their due, and yea the past several years it's been the same people over and over. With all due respect to the great BB King, he is still one of the greatest entertainers of all time, but he's won the EOTY something like 7 years running now. I can't believe that Robert Randolph isn't nominated for that this year after the incredible year he's had! And if he walks away empty in the categories he's up for, then it's a sure sign that they've lost their credibility as far as I'm concerned. It's great seeing Gary Bonds nominated for his excellent cd, but there's only two songs on it that would qualify as blues songs and the rest are pure R&B, so does it really count as a blues album?

[LS]

2005 W.C. Handy Awards Winners:

Acoustic Blues Album: "Double Take," Kenny Neal and Billy Branch

Acoustic Blues Artist: David "Honeyboy" Edwards

New Artist Debut: "Blues With a Vengeance," John Lee Hooker Jr.

Blues Album: "Have a Little Faith," Mavis Staples

Blues Band: the Holmes Brothers

Blues Bass: Willie Kent

Blues Drums: Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

Blues Entertainer Of The Year: B.B. King

Blues Guitar: Bob Margolin

Blues Harmonica: Charlie Musselwhite

Blues Horns: Roomful Of Blues Horns

Blues Instrumentalist: Robert Randolph

Blues Keyboards: Marcia Ball

Blues Song: "Have a Little Faith," Jim Tullio and Jim Weider

Comeback Blues Album: "Back in 20," Gary U.S. Bonds

Contemporary Blues Album: "Sanctuary," Charlie Musselwhite

Contemporary Blues Male Artist: Charlie Musselwhite

Contemporary Blues Female Artist: Shemekia Copeland

Historical Blues Album: "Release the Hound," Hound Dog Taylor

Soul Blues Album: "Have a Little Faith," Mavis Staples

Soul Blues Female Artist: Mavis Staples

Soul Blues Male Artist: Bobby Rush

Traditional Blues Album: "Ladies Man," Pinetop Perkins

Traditional Blues Female Artist: Koko Taylor

Traditional Blues Male Artist: Pinetop Perkins

[Roland]

You don't realize how much you miss the internet until you don't have it. This is the kind of thing that you never hear about though conventional means.

Thanks again for posting the results LS, since I didn't hear who'd won. The winners seem pretty predictable though, don't you think? I won't complain though, all the winners were deserving, although I would have preferred Eric Bibb over Honeyboy, and Solomon Burke's album over Mavis Staples'. Those are just my preferences though.