Holmes Brothers Lead Blues Artists in Handy Nominations

Posted in News on January 5, 2005

Blues trio the Holmes Brothers lead the list of BMI artists and composers nominated for the 26th Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards with six, it was announced by the Memphis, Tennessee-based Blues Foundation. Co-sponsored by BMI, a long-time supporter of the non-profit organization, the Handy Awards celebrate excellence in performance and recording of the blues, and is the highest honor bestowed upon artists in the genre.

Holmes Brothers	Paul Oscher	Charlie Musselwhite

BMI writers continued their domination in the blues field, once again garnering every nomination in seven of the 25 categories, including Blues Entertainer of the Year, Blues Band of the Year and Contemporary Artist of the Year, both male and female.

The Holmes Brothers' six nods include Band of the Year, Blues Album and Contemporary Blues Album for their Simple Truths, as well as three individual nominations for members Wendall Holmes (Song of the Year for "Run Myself Out of Town"), Sherman Holmes (Best Instrumentalist-Bass) and Popsy Dixon (Best Instrumentalist-Drums).

Pinetop Perkins	Kim Wilson	Muddy Waters

Other multiple nominees include harp player Paul Oscher, who received four mentions, among them Acoustic Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "Alone With the Blues." Perennial favorites W.C. Clark, James Harman, Charlie Musselwhite, Pinetop Perkins, Rod Piazza, Bobby Rush and Kim Wilson each earned three, while double nominations went to Corey Harris, Paul Rishell & Annie Raines, EG Knight and Muddy Waters, who will compete against himself in the Historical Blues Album category.

Named after the "Father of the Blues," the 2005 W.C. Handy Blues Awards will take place on Thursday, May 5 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. The awards ceremony is the traditional opener to the Handy Weekend, a series of events for blues musicians, industry members, and fans alike. Events include the Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremony, a Blues Symposium with workshops, the Handy Awards Music Festival, a blues film fest and the Handy Awards Children's Festival.

BMI's 2005 Handy Awards nominees:

Acoustic Blues Album of the Year
Paul Oscher
Alone With The Blues
Billy Branch
Double Take
Corey Harris
Mississippi To Mali
Paul Rishell & Annie Raines
Goin' Home
Carey & Lurrie Bell
Second Nature

Acoustic Blues-Artist of the Year
Paul Oscher
Corey Harris
David "Honeyboy" Edwards
Paul Rishell & Annie Raines

Blues Album of the Year
W.C. Clark
Deep In The Heart
The Holmes Brothers
Simple Truths
Guitar Shorty
Watch Your Back
Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers
Keepin' It Real

Blues Band of the Year
Little Charlie & The Nightcats
Smokin' Joe Kubek Band
Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers
Magic Slim & The Teardrops
Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets
The Holmes Brothers

Blues Entertainer of the Year
Bobby Rush
Kim Wilson
B.B. King
Pinetop Perkins
Solomon Burke

Blues Song of the Year
"Alone With The Blues"
Written and performed by Paul Oscher
"Run Myself Out Of Town"
Written by Wendell Holmes, performed by The Holmes Brothers
"Piecework Politicians"
Written and performed by James Harman
"Nothin' Ever Hurt Me"
Written and performed by EG Kight

Comeback Blues Album of the Year
Gary U.S. Bonds
Back In 20

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Charlie Musselwhite
Sanctuary
The Holmes Brothers
Simple Truths
Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters
Now My Soul
Guitar Shorty
Watch Your Back

Contemporary Blues-Female Artist of the Year
Janiva Magness
Marcia Ball
Shemekia Copeland
EG Kight
Deborah Coleman

Contemporary Blues-Male Artist of the Year
Kim Wilson
Chris Thomas King
Charlie Musselwhite
James Harman
Robert Randolph

Historical Blues Album of the Year
Hound Dog Taylor
Release The Hound (Alligator Records)
Charles Brown
A Life In The Blues (Rounder Records)
Muddy Waters
Hard Again (Epic/Legacy)
Johnny Winter
Second Winter (Columbia/Legacy)
Muddy Waters
I'm Ready (Epic/Legacy)

Instrumentalist-Bass
Willie Kent
Bill Stuve
Sherman Holmes

Instrumentalist-Drums
Popsy Dixon
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

Instrumentalist-Guitar
Ronnie Earl
Duke Robillard
Bob Margolin
Roy Rogers

Instrumentalist-Harmonica
Kim Wilson
Charlie Musselwhite
Rod Piazza
James Harman
Paul Oscher

Instrumentalist-Horns
Calvin Owens - Trumpet
Mark Kazanoff - Saxophone
Roomful of Blues - Horns
Greg Piccolo - Saxophone
Sax Gordon - Saxophone

Instrumentalist-Keyboards
Honey Piazza
Dave Maxwell
Marcia Ball
Jon Cleary

Instrumentalist-Other
Robert Randolph - Pedal Steel Guitar
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Fiddle
Otis Taylor - Banjo

Soul/Blues Album of the Year
Bobby Rush
Folk Funk
W.C. Clark
Deep In The Heart

Soul/Blues-Female Artist of the Year
Etta James
Barbara Lynn

Soul/Blues-Male Artist of the Year
Bobby Rush
Little Milton
Solomon Burke
W.C. Clark

Traditional Blues Album of the Year
Jody Williams
You Left Me In The Dark
Duke Robillard
Blue Mood: The Songs Of T-Bone Walker
Pinetop Perkins
Ladies Man
Sam Myers
Coming From The Old School

Traditional Blues-Female Artist of the Year
Ruth Brown
Koko Taylor

Traditional Blues-Male Artist of the Year
Robert Lockwood Jr.
Jody Williams
Sam Myers
Pinetop Perkins

SOURCENews TAGS Blues Folk Artists Shemekia Copeland The Holmes Brothers Etta James B.B. King Little Milton Muddy Waters Koko Taylor T-Bone Walker