Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram, Mr. Sipp and Bobby Rush among top Blues Music Awards nominees
Young Mississippi blues stars Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Mr. Sipp and veteran artist Bobby Rush are among the top acts nominated for the 2024 Blues Music Awards.
This week, the Memphis-based Blues Foundation confirmed the nominees for the 45th annual awards, which will be presented during ceremonies on May 9 at Downtown Memphis' Renasant Convention Center.
Mid-South blues mavens Ingram and Mr. Sipp — aka Castro Coleman — are both up for the Album of the Year honor. Ingram was nominated for his “Live in London” LP, while Mr. Sipp was recognized for his “Soul Side of Sipp” record.
Ingram’s record is also up for the Best Contemporary Blues Album award, Best Song (“Midnight Heat”), and he is also nominated in the Best Contemporary Male Artist category and as Best Guitarist.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sipp is also nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album and as Best Soul Blues Artist. He will also be vying for the coveted B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award. He will face off against fellow Mississippian and recent Grammy winner Bobby Rush for the honor. Rush is also nominated for Best Soul Blues Album.
Other nominees with Memphis ties include:
Stax-signed combo Southern Avenue is up for the Band of the Year Award.
Blues belter John Nemeth will look to capture the crown in the Instrumentalist - Vocals and Soul Blues Male Vocalist categories.
Hill Country bluesman Cedric Burnside is up for the Traditional Blues Artist Award.
Stax Records legend William Bell is nominated for Best Soul Blues Artist.
Memphis-born Candice Ivory will be up for the Best Emerging Artist Award.
Bill Ellis, a former music critic at The Commercial Appeal and now an acclaimed musicologist and artist, is up for the Acoustic Album Award for his LP, “Ghost Hymns.”
For more information or to purchase tickets to the 2024 BMAs, go to blues.org.
Here is the full list of BMA nominees:
Acoustic Album
"Wild Ox Moan," Catfish Keith
"Raw Blues 1," Doug MacLeod
"Sticks & Strings," EG Kight
"Ridin' the Blinds," Hudspeth & Taylor
"Ghost Hymns," William Lee Ellis
Acoustic Artist
Catfish Keith
Doug MacLeod
Eric Bibb
Keb’ Mo’
Kevin Burt
Album of the Year
"Teardrops for Magic Slim," John Primer
"Live In London," Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
"SoulFunkn'BLUES," Blackburn Brothers
"Soul Side of Sipp," Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman)
"Get Your Back Into It!," Nick Moss Band Featuring Dennis Gruenling
B.B. King Entertainer
Beth Hart
Bobby Rush
Lil’ Ed Williams
Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman)
Vanessa Collier
Band of the Year
Larkin Poe
Nick Moss Band
Selwyn Birchwood Band
Southern Avenue
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Best Emerging Artist Album
"When the Levee Breaks: The Music of Memphis Minnie," Candice Ivory
"The Right Man," D.K. Harrell
"Up Next," Mathias Lattin
"Everybody's Buddy," Nic Clark
"Tony Holiday," Mississippi Motel
Blues Rock Album
"Power," Anna Popovic
"Writing On The Wall," Coco Montoya
"Blues Deluxe Vol. 2," Joe Bonamassa
"Blood Brothers," Mike Zito/Albert Castiglia
"What Key Is Trouble In?," Nick Schnebelen
Blues Rock Artist
Ana Popovic
Joe Bonamassa
Kenny Wayne Shepard
Mike Zito
Warren Haynes
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Contemporary Blues Album
"Live In London," Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
"Ridin'," Eric Bibb
"Behind The Veil," Jason Ricci and the Bad Kind
"Healing Time," Ruthie Foster
"Exorcist," Selwyn Birchwood
Contemporary Blues Female Artist
Carolyn Wonderland
Danielle Nicole
Janiva Magness
Teresa James
Vanessa Collier
Contemporary Blues Male Artist
Chris Cain
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Marquise Knox
Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman)
Selwyn Birchwood
Instrumentalist - Bass
Bob Stroger
Larry Fulcher
Michael “Mudcat” Ward
Rodrigo Mantovani
Willie Weeks
Instrumentalist - Drums
Derrick D’Mar Martin
June Core
Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith
Tom Hambridge
Tony Braunagel
Instrumentalist - Guitar
Christoffer “Kid” Andersen
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Derek Trucks
Laura Chavez
Sue Foley
Instrumentalist - Harmonica
Billy Branch
Bob Corritore
Dennis Gruenling
Jason Ricci
Kim Wilson
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Instrumentalist - Horn
Deanna Bogart
Jimmy Carpenter
Mark Kaz Kazanoff
Trombone Shorty
Vanessa Collier
Instrumentalist - Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
Ben Levin
Dave Keyes
Jim Pugh
Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne
Mitch Woods
Instrumentalist - Vocals
Billy Price
Diunna Greenleaf
John Nemeth
Ruthie Foster
Shemekia Copeland
Song of the Year
“Bobby's Blues” performed by the Blackburn Brothers, written by Brooke Blackburn
“Horns Below Her Halo” performed by Selwyn Birchwood, written by Selwyn Birchwood
“Midnight Heat” performed by Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, written by Tom Hambridge & Richard Fleming
“The Bait In the Snare” performed by Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling, written by Nick Moss
“What Kind Of Fool” performed by Ruthie Foster, written by Ruthie Foster, Hadden Sayers & Scottie Miller
Soul Blues Album
"Stuff I've Been Through," Alabama Mike
"SoulFunkin' BLUES," Blackburn Brothers
"All My Love For You," Bobby Rush
"Walking Heart Attack," Johnny Rawls
"Soul Side of Sipp," Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman)
Soul Blues Female Artist
Annika Chambers
Kat Riggins
Terri Odabi
Thornetta Davis
Trudy Lynn
Soul Blues Male Artist
Alabama Mike
Billy Price
John Nemeth
Johnny Rawls
William Bell
Traditional Blues Album
"Teardrops for Magic Slim," John Primer
"Nothing But Time," Monster Mike Welch
"Get Your Back Into It!," Nick Moss Band Featuring Dennis Gruenling
"Savoy," Taj Mahal
"Oscar's Motel," The Cash Box Kings
Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female Artist)
Diunna Greenleaf
Rhiannon Giddens
Shaun Murphy
Sue Foley
Teeny Tucker
Traditional Blues Male Artist
Billy Branch
Cedric Burnside
John Primer
Jontavious Willis
Nick Moss
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Blues Music Awards 2024: The list of nominees
