Winners of the 2020 Blues Music Awards

Not letting a pandemic get in their way, the Blues Music Awards announced the 2020 winners via a virtual ceremony.

Last night, The Blues Foundation broadcast the 2020 Blues Music Awards virtually, with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram cleaning up, winning five awards. He won three awards for his debut album, Kingfish, as well as two performer awards – Best Contemporary Blues Male Artist and for Instrumentalist-Guitar. Nick Moss and his band also had a successful evening, winning three awards. 

The star-studded evening included Warren Hayes, Beth Hart, Fantastic Negrito, Ken’ Mo’, and Ruthie Foster were amongst the presenters. Due to the restrictions in place due to COVID-19, the annual gala held in Memphis had to be canceled, but instead, blues fans around the world were able to enjoy the show from the comfort of their own homes. 

The winners of the evening were as follows:

BB King Entertainer of the Year
Sugaray Rayford

Album of the Year
Kingfish, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Band of the Year
The Nick Moss Band feat. Dennis Gruenling

Song of the Year
“Lucky Guy,” written by Nick Moss

Best Emerging Artist Album
Kingfish, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Acoustic Blues Album
This Guitar and Tonight, Bob Margolin

Acoustic Blues Artist
Doug MacLeod

Blues Rock Album
Masterpiece, Albert Castiglia

Blues Rock Artist
Eric Gales

Contemporary Blues Album
Kingfish, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Contemporary Blues Female Artist
Shemekia Copeland

Contemporary Blues Male Artist
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Historical Blues Album
Cadillac Baby’s Bea & Baby Records – Definitive Collection, Earwig Music

Soul Blues Album
Sitting on Top of the Blues, Bobby Rush

Soul Blues Female Artist
Bettye LaVette

Soul Blues Male Artist
Sugaray Rayford

Traditional Blues Album
Lucky Guy!, The Nick Moss Band Featuring Dennis Gruenling

Traditional Blues Female Artist
Sue Foley

Traditional Blues Male Artist
Jimmie Vaughan

Instrumentalist Bass
Michael “Mudcat” Ward

Instrumentalist Drums
Cedric Burnside

Instrumentalist Guitar
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

Instrumentalist Harmonica
Rick Estrin

Instrumentalist Horn
Vanessa Collier

Instrumentalist Piano
Victor Wainwright

Instrumentalist Vocals
Mavis Staples

 

If you want to watch the full broadcast, you can head to The Blues Foundation’s Facebook or YouTube channel.

Congratulations to all of the 2020 nominees and winners!

THE BLUES FOUNDATION
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About Kirstine Walton 394 Articles
Kirstine moved from the UK to Chicago in 2011, and has fallen in love with the city and its music scene. She enjoys combining her two biggest passions – music and photography. If there is a band with a guitar playing, chances are she’ll be there…camera in hand. Kirstine went to her first live concert at 7 years old, and hasn’t looked back since!