This year's Grammy Awards for Blues went to two of the genre's best-loved and talented stars: B.B. King and Robert Cray. No surprises from the Academy here, though it did manage to reward these greats on the release of their best recordings in years. To supplement the small amount of actual blues nominations, we have decided to include our picks for three of the top awards in the upcoming W.C. Handy Awards for blues.

CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM
Grammy Winner: "Take Your Shoes Off"
The Robert Cray Band
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000IN4K/ref=ad_m_b_2
There's no doubt about it: Robert Cray is immensely talented, from his soulful voice to his technical prowess on guitar. And while various blues critics and fans have accused his music of rockism, "Take Your Shoes Off" is an unabashedly enjoyable - and smart - tribute to Memphis soul. Of course, it's a bluesy soul record, one that equals the work of his late mentor, Albert Collins.

Amazon Pick:
From a sentimental standpoint, it would have been nice to see Luther Allison's "Live in Chicago" win the award. But Cray's was the best album nominated, so we agree with the Academy here.

TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM
Grammy Winner: "Blues on the Bayou" B.B. King
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000DF6O/ref=ad_m_b_2
B.B. King's debut as a producer - at age 73, better late than never - resulted in a terrifically bare-bones, rollicking effort that's easily his best disc in years. All around, this is a solid blues album by a master of the form, one that's evocative of the Louisiana countryside where it was recorded.

Amazon Pick:
"A Good Day for the Blues"
Ruth Brown
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000I5JP/ref=ad_m_b_2
Echoing her Atlantic Records heyday, the 70-year-old Brown entered the studio with a big band--including a full horn section--and really went at it, belting out strong, supple versions of traditionals such as "Cabbage Head" and new songs from the great Dan Penn like "Can't Stand a Broke Man." Brown was at her peak in the '50s, saw some really hard times, and is now back at the top of the game. A Grammy would really have meant a lot to this sweet, ultratalented lady.

AN EARLY PLUG FOR NEXT YEAR'S GRAMMY AWARDS
"Senegal to Senatobia" Othar Turner
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00002JV4C/ref=ad_m_b_2
Note to the Academy: if anyone on Earth deserves to be nominated for a Grammy next year in the Traditional Blues category, it's Othar Turner, the nonagenarian master of fife and drum music. Alan Lomax, the great folklorist and collector of traditional blues music, called fife and drum "more African than anything previously recorded on this continent." Fife and drum is insistently rhythmic, inventive, and the deepest of deep blues sounds out there. On "Senegal," Mr. Turner is joined by some percussionists from Africa, and the result is strange and wonderful.

THE W.C. HANDY AWARDS
Why aren't there more blues categories in the Grammys, anyway? Oh well, at least we have the 21st Annual W.C. Handy Awards to look forward to. With that in mind, let's recap some of the most interesting nominations:

Entertainer of the Year
Amazon Pick: R.L. Burnside
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/47573/ref=ad_m_b_2
Never one to hide behind tradition, this Mississippi bluesman can nonetheless serve down-home blues with the best of them, as he does on his efforts from the early 1990s "Bad Luck City" and "Too Bad Jim." But he can also be daring, making such unlikely ambassadorial gestures as 1998's electronic remix CD "Come On In" one of the most interesting (and successful) crossover efforts of recent years.

For a complete list of the W.C. Handy nominations for Entertainer of the Year, go to:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/23365/ref=ad_m_b_2

Band of the Year
Amazon Pick: Joe Louis Walker and the Bosstalkers
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001X56N/ref=ad_m_b_2
Few can handle so much variety as well as Joe Louis Walker. On his latest, "Silvertone Blues," the guitarist moves from country blues to full-band modern arrangements with ease, and it all hangs together very well indeed. In addition, Walker possesses a wit and cleverness in both his musicianship and his songwriting that's a rare treat.

For a complete list of the W.C. Handy nominations for Band of the Year, go to:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/23518/ref=ad_m_b_2

New Artist of the Year
Amazon Pick: Big Bill Morganfield
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000I9X1/ref=ad_m_b_2
As the son of Muddy Waters, Big Bill Morganfield has some awfully large shoes to fill. He'll do just fine, though, if his debut "Rising Son" is any indication. A collection of original songs and some by Muddy himself (including lesser-known material such as "Diamonds at Her Feet"), this is a strong debut, boding well not only for Morganfield's career but for the future of the blues.

For a complete list of the W.C. Handy nominations for New Artist of the Year, go to:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/23571/ref=ad_m_b_2

You'll find more music, articles, and interviews in Amazon.com's Blues Music section at: http://www.amazon.com/blues-music

. BLUES GUITAR LEGENDS
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/000221/8.shtml

B.B. KING
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/000221/9.shtml
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/990517/9.shtml
http://www.guitarsite.com/bands2.htm#BBKing

MUDDY WATERS - THE BLUES
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/990719/3.shtml

Muddy Waters Tribute Tele from Fender
http://www.harmony-central.com/Newp/WNAMM00/Fender/Muddy-Waters-Tele.html
Fender's Custom Shop is producing a limited run of 100 replicas of Muddy Waters' Telecaster. Fender is also planning a number of other tributes for 2000.

THE BLUES OR NOT THE BLUES by Kirk Lorange
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/000214/4.shtml

Barry Levenson Interview:
SURE PROTECTION AGAINST THE "COPYMAT WHITE BLUES PLAGUE"
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/990510/interview5.shtml

MORE BLUES SITES http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/990719/4.shtml
http://www.GuitarSite.com/newsletters/990621/5.shtml

BluesGuitarist.Org
http://www.bluesguitarist.org
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--Mark Stefani, VisionMusic.com