Independent Blues Awards 2020
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Making a Scene Presents the 2020 Independent Blues Awards!
You the readers, have presented us with a very impressive list of artists that represent the diversity of music that that always has and still is being created from the roots of the blues. We would like to Congratulate All of these artists, both the winning artists and those who have been nominated. Each of these artists, in their own right, have earned their position in their nominated category. We at Making A Scene are excited because this year we had a fantastic diverse selection of nominees. Now, of course we have to do things a little different than any of the other “Awards” out there. As you check out the list of winners, you will also have the opportunity to explore and discover the artists that stood with them in each category. As you go through the list we use a simple link format, The link attached to the artist’s name will take you to their website, The Link attached to the CD Title will take you to a Spotify playlist for that CD and the Buy Link will take you to Amazon.com so you can purchase the physical CD or mp3 downloads. This is more important than ever! Please support all the artists, both those who won and those who were nominated!As you go through this article you will be able to explore the music and work of the artists who YOU voted for, as well as all the work of the nominees as well. Use the links to explore artists you are not familiar with and reacquaint yourself with those you may know. We feel it is important that we embrace the full diversity of music in this genre and support the touring artists who are creating the future of the the Blues!
Add them to your playlists, buy their music and This is more important than ever as EVERY musician is suffering during the complete shutdown of LIVE music Venues!
The Purpose of the Independent Blues Awards to honor the touring artists who are out there creating new original music rooted in the blues.
The indie artists are those artists who believe Creativity and Innovation are the true tradition of the blues!
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ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2020
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This is where we honor those artists who have represented the spirit of indie blues with their full body of work over the year
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Best Independent Male Blues Artist Nominees
Walter Trout ListenJoe Bonamassa Listen
Eric Gales Listen Benny Turner Listen Zac Harmon Listen Toronzo Cannon Listen Delbert McClinton Listen Mike Zito Listen Bobby Rush Listen Bernard Allison Listen
Best Independent Female Blues Artist Nominees
Katarina Pejak Listen Ina Forsman Listen Mindi Abair ListenSamantha Fish Listen
Joanna Connor Listen Eliza Neals Listen Vaneese Thomas Listen Janiva Magness Listen Shaun Murphy Listen Crystal Shawanda Listen
Best Traditional Blues Band Nominees
Benny Turner Listen Toronzo Cannon Listen Paul Oscher Listen Altered Five Blues Band Listen Chris Bad News Barnes Listen Dave Specter Listen Guitar Shorty Listen Cash Box Kings Listen Rick Estrin and the Nightcats ListenLucky Peterson Listen
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Best Contemporary Blues Band Nominees
Andrew Jr. Boy Jones- Kerrie Lepai Jones Listen AG Weinberger Listen Vince Agwada Listen Brandon Santini Listen Victor Wainwright Listen Kerry Kearney Listen Damon Fowler Listen Tommy Castro Listen Tomas Doncker ListenChristone Kingfish Ingram Listen
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Independent Blues-Soul Artist Nominees
Mindi Abair ListenSamantha Fish Listen
Vaneese Thomas Listen Zac Harmon Listen Sugar Ray Rayford Listen Southern Avenue Listen Big Daddy Wilson Listen Sister Lucille Listen Johnny Rawls Listen Bobby Rush Listen
Best Blues Rock Band Nominees
Matty T Wall Listen Walter Trout Listen Todd Wolfe Band Listen Albert Castiglia Listen JP Soars Listen Ghost Town Blues Band Listen John Pagano Band Listen Joanne Shaw Taylor ListenKenny Wayne Shepherd Listen
Tom Euler Listen
Best Modern Roots Band Nominees
Larkin Poe Listen
Ina Forsman Listen Katarina Pejak Listen Jackie Venson Listen Kern Pratt Listen Tennessee Redemption Listen Heavydrunk Listen Troy Gonyea Listen Rebekah Meldrum Listen The 40 Acre Mule Listen
Best New Artist Nominees
Tom Euler Listen Ghalia Volt ListenAlly Venable Listen
Kern Pratt Listen Heather Newman Listen CW Ayon Listen Brody Buster Listen Annika Chambers Listen Josh Hyde Listen Sayed Sabrina Listen
The Independent Blues Awards CD Awards honors those releases that have exhibited a high standard of writing, performance and recording quality.
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Best Independent Blues Acoustic CD Nominees
Watermelon Slim – Church of The Blues – SPOTIFY – Buy
Broady Buster – Damn! I Spilled the Blues – SPOTIFY – Buy Tony and Joe – Tin Can Tunes – SPOTIFY – Buy Reverend Freakchild – Road Dog Dharma – SPOTIFY – Buy Hudspeth & Taylor – Folie A Deux – SPOTIFY – Buy Jontavious Willis – SPECTACULAR CLASS – SPOTIFY – Buy Bruce Katz – Solo Ride – SPOTIFY – Buy Terry Rob – Confessin’ My Dues – SPOTIFY – Buy CY Ayon – What They Say – SPOTIFY
Best Independent Blues Contemporary CD Nominees
Tomás Doncker – Moaning at Midnight – BuyVince Agwada – Light of Day – Buy
Brandon Santini – The Longshot – Buy Guitar Shorty – Tryin to Find my Way Back – Buy Ray Fuller and the Blues Rockers – Pay the Price – Buy Albert Castiglia – Masterpiece – Buy Tomislav Goluban – Chicago Rambler – Buy J.P. Soars – Let Go Of The Reins – Buy Shaun Murphy – Reason To Try – Buy Toronzo Cannon and The Chicago Way – The Preacher, The Politician or The Pimp – Buy Delbert McClinton – Tall, Dark, & Handsome – Buy
Best Independent Blues Traditional CD Nominees
Billy Price – Dog Eat Dog – Buy Rick Estrin & The Nightcats – Contemporary – Buy Benny Turner & Cash McCall – Going Back Home – Buy Altered Five Blues Band – Ten Thousand Watts – Buy Bob Corritore – Do The Hip-Shake Baby! – BuyLucky Peterson – 50 – Just Warming Up! – Buy
Biscuit Miller & The Mix – Chicken Grease – Buy The Nick Moss Band – Lucky Guy! – Buy John Primer – The Soul of A Blues Man – Buy Murali Coryell – Made In Texas – Buy
Best Independent Blues R&B/Soul CD Nominees
Tullie Brae – Revelation – Buy Sugar Ray Rayford – Somebody Save Me – Buy Zac Harmon – Mississippi BarBQ – Buy Vaneese Thomas – Down Yonder – Buy Annika Chambers – Kiss My Sass – Buy Tiffany Pollack & Eric Johanson – Blues In My Blood – Buy Terry Hanck – I Still Get Excited – Buy Jimmy Carpenter – Soul Doctor – BuySamantha Fish – Kill or be Kind – Buy
Elles Bailey – Road I Call Home – Buy
Best Independent Blues Rock CD Nominees
Matty T Wall – Transpacific Blues, Vol#1 – Buy Ally Venable – Texas Honey – Buy Mindi Abair – No Good Deed – Buy Joanna Conner – Rise – Buy Eliza Neals – Sweet or Mean – Buy Seth Walker – Are You Open? – Buy Angel Forrest – Hell Bent with Grace – Buy Heavey Drunk – Holywater – Buy Joanne Shaw Taylor – Reckless Heart – BuyEric Gales – The Bookends – Buy
Best Modern Roots CD Nominees
Katarina Pejak – Roads That Cross – Buy Ina Forsman – Been Meaning To Tell You – Buy Seth James – The Good Life – Buy Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers – No Good Deed – Buy Eric Johanson – Blues In My Blood – Buy Heather Newman – Rise From The Flames – Buy Ghost Town Blues Band – Shine – Buy Kern Pratt – Greenville Ms What About you – Buy Tennessee Redemption – Tennessee Redemption – BuyJeremiah Johnson – Heavens to Betsy – Buy
Best Independent Blues LIVE CD Nominees
Dave Keller – Live at the Killer Guitar Thriller – Buy Jack Mack and the Heart Attack – Live From Centennial Park, Atlanta 1996 – Buy Chris Bad News Barnes – Live – Buy Ben Racine Band – Live A Montreal – Buy The Kentucky Headhunters – Live at the Ramblin’ Man Fair – Buy Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps – Live! – Buy Mike Zito – LIVE from the Top – Buy Nancy Wright – Alive & Blue – Buy Packrat’s Smokehouse – Men of the Swamp LIVETommy Castro – Killin it Live – Buy
Best Independent Blues New Artists CD Nominees
Eric Johanson – Blues In My Blood – Buy Ina Forsman – Been Meaning To Tell You – Buy Katarina Pejak – Roads That Cross – Buy Nick Schnebelen – Crazy All By Myself – Buy Heather Newman – Rise From The Flames – Buy Sister Lucille – Alive – Buy Kern Pratt – Greenville Ms What About you – Buy Tom Euler – Blues Got My Back – BuyNicholas David – Yesterday’s Gone – Buy
Rebekah Meldrum – Rebekah Meldrum – Buy
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Best Traditional Blues Song Nominees
Shawn Murphy – Reason to Try
The Jimmys – Words and Actions
Best R&B/Soul Song Nominees
Delbert McClinton – Any other way
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Best Contemporary Blues Song Nominees
Marcus King – Welcome Round here
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Best Blues Rock Song Nominees
Vince Agwada – Blues 99
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Best Modern Roots Song Nominees
Nicolas David – Peel Back the Leaves
Ina Forsman – Why you gotta be that way
Katrina Pejak – Sex Kills
Rebekah Meldrum – Ain’t thinking about you
Seth James – Good Life
Joanne Shaw Taylor – Reckless Heart
Southern Ave – The Tea I sip
Samantha Fish – Kill or Be Kind
Jeremiah Johnson – Leo Stone
Heavydrunk – Walking to the Mission in the Rain
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Best Song for the Common Good Nominees
Gary Clark jr. – This Land
Eric Gales – Reaching for a change
Best Music Video Nominees
Samantha Fish – Kill or Be Kind Albert Castiglia – Heavy Angel Forrest – The Blame Game Ghalia – Meet you Down the Road Vaneese Thomas – Ebony Man Mike Zito and Walter Trout – Johnny B Good Nicholas David – Hole in the Bottom Katarina Pejak – Roads that Cross Zac Harmon – Mississippi Bar B Q Larkin Poe – Mississippi
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Best Music Engineer/Producer Nominees
This award recognizes the unique talent of mastering the art of working in a studio environment to create a musical vision. They understand arrangement, song construction, sonic balance and by using technical applications they create an emotional journey.
Tom Hambridge Listen All Music CreditsSamantha Fish Listen All Music Credits
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Independent Blues Artist Gateway Award Nominees
Samantha Fish Listen
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Best Independent Blues Stage Performance Nominees
Eric Gales Listen
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Road Warrior Award Nominees
It is not easy being on the road as a musician. This award recognizes the sacrifices that these artists make by spending endless hours traveling from town to town to bring us their music, This is time away from their friends and family. A Road Warrior is dedicated to their craft and art!Samantha Fish Listen
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