Mavis Staples and Charlie Musselwhite led the field with three trophies each at the 26th W.C. Handy Awards, held last night (May 5) in Memphis. Staples won best album and best soul album for “Have a Little Faith,” and was also named top female soul artist.
Musselwhite’s latest release, “Sanctuary,” won best contemporary album. He was also named best contemporary artist and best blues harmonica player.
B.B. King earned his seventh consecutive entertainer of the year trophy, while the Holmes Brothers were named best blues band and John Lee Hooker Jr. won best new artist debut for “Blues With a Vengeance.”
Here are the 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: 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 artist: Charlie Musselwhite
Contemporary blues artist: Shemekia Copeland
Historical blues album: “Release the Hound,” Hound Dog Taylor
Soul blues album: “Have a Little Faith,” Mavis Staples
Soul blues artist: Mavis Staples
Soul blues artist: Bobby Rush
Traditional blues album: “Ladies Man,” Pinetop Perkins
Traditional blues artist: Koko Taylor
Traditional blues artist: Pinetop Perkins
Source billboard.com.
