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.

Christone "Kingfish" Ingram is one of the top nominees for the 45th annual Blues Music Awards.
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram is one of the top nominees for the 45th annual Blues Music Awards.

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

John Nemeth speaks after receiving the award for Traditional Blues Album during the Blues Music Awards in Memphis on May 11, 2023. He is nominated in two categories in 2024: Instrumentalist - Vocals and Soul Blues Male Artist.
John Nemeth speaks after receiving the award for Traditional Blues Album during the Blues Music Awards in Memphis on May 11, 2023. He is nominated in two categories in 2024: Instrumentalist - Vocals and Soul Blues Male Artist.
  • 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