OTTAWA, Canada (Maple Blues Awards/ www.mapleblues.ca) - The Toronto Blues Society has announce the nominees for the 8th Annual Maple Blues Awards, with 73 nominations in 16 categories. Winners will be announced at an all-star celebration on Monday, January 17 at the
Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne Street, Toronto.
Ottawa area musicians dominate the nominations this year. Sue Foley and JW Jones both received nominations in four categories including Guitarist of the Year and Recording of the Year. Lance Anderson, born and raised in the capital, gets a nod in the Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year category.
The competition is hot again this year in the New Artist of the Year category with five nominees including 22 year-old Ottawa native Roxanne Potvin, nominated for her first award ever. Among her competition is 14 year-old guitar phenomenon Jimmy Bowskill who exploded onto the national blues scene last year. The New Artist of the Year receives a cash prize from the Galaxie Rising Stars of the CBC awards program.
Toronto band John & the Sisters received 5 nominations, more than any other group.
For the first time in the awards' eight-year history, voting will take place entirely online. Marking an exciting evolution in how the winners are chosen, blues fans across the country can vote for their favourite artists on the Maple Blues Awards website at www.mapleblues.ca until December 15th.
The Maple Blues Awards are Canada's annual celebration of homegrown talent. The nominees represent the best Canadian blues literally from coast to coast to coast. The Maple Blues Awards gala evening is much more than an awards show; it is a gathering of a national community, it is a party, and it is a great show. The MBAs coincide with the bi-annual Blues Summit, a three-day conference which brings together blues musicians, agents, record companies, promoters, festival and venue presenters, and top blues media and fans from across Canada and the United States.
Nominees were chosen by an independent panel of blues radio personalities and music journalists across Canada. The winners are chosen from votes by blues fans across the country, many of them members of a growing network of blues societies. Voting for the awards at www.mapleblues.ca is open to anyone across Canada with a valid email address. The law firm Levinter & Levinter will once again verify the results.
2004 Maple Blues Award Nominees (complete listing)
Entertainer of the Year
Mel Brown
David Gogo
Jack de Keyzer
Matt Minglewood
Dawn Tyler Watson
Electric Act of the Year
Jimmy Bowskill Band
Fathead
Jack de Keyzer
John and the Sisters
JW-Jones Blues Band
Acoustic Act of the Year
Michael
Jerome Browne and the Twin Rivers String Band
Harry Manx
Hot Toddy
Amos Garrett
Michael Pickett
Sue Foley
Male Vocalist of the Year
Danny Brooks
Jim Byrnes
Michael
Jerome Browne
John Dickie (John and the Sisters)
John Mays (Fathead)
Female Vocalist of the Year
Rita Chiarelli
Sue Foley
Shakura S'Aida (Saturday Nite Fish Fry)
Suzie Vinnick
Dawn Tyler Watson
New Artist of the Year
Jimmy Bowskill
Julian Fauth
J.P. LeBlanc
Garrett Mason
Roxanne Potvin
International Artist of the Year
Ronnie Earl
Ruthie Foster
BB King
Bobby Rush
Kim Wilson
Guitarist of the Year
Kevin Breit (John and the Sisters)
Mel Brown
Sue Foley
David Gogo
JW Jones
Jack de Keyzer
Harmonica Player of the Year
Jerome Godboo
Carlos del Junco
Al Lerman (Fathead, Juke Joint Rockers)
Paul Reddick
David Rotundo
Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year
Lance Anderson (Anderson/Sloski)
Richard Bell (Rita Chiarelli Band)
Julian Fauth
Michael Fonfara (Downchild, Juke Joint Rockers)
Kenny 'Blues Boss' Wayne
Horn Player of the Year
Pat Carey (Downchild)
Mike Clark
Gene Hardy (Sparkjiver)
Chris Murphy
Chris Whiteley
Drummer of the Year
Geoff Arsenault (Morgan Davis Band)
Tom Bona (Sue Foley, Raoul and the Big Time)
Maureen Brown
Al Cross (Jimmy Bowskill Band)
Mike Sloski (Anderson/Sloski)
Bassist of the Year
Stephen Barry
Tom Easley (Hot Toddy)
Alec Fraser (Jimmy Bowskill Band, Jeff Healey Band)
Gary Kendall (Downchild, Gary Kendall Band)
Cheung Liu (Raoul and the Big Time)
Shane Scott (David Rotundo and the Blue Canadians)
Songwriter of the Year
Morgan Davis
Rick Fines
Harry Manx
Amos Garrett
Murray Porter
Producer of the Year
Kevin Breit for John and the Sisters:
John and the Sisters (NorthernBlues)
Alec Fraser and Al Lerman for Willie Big Eyes Smith and the Juke Joint Rockers:
Bluesin' It (Electro-Fi)
Andrew Galloway, Mel Browne and Sam Myers for Sam Myers:
Coming from the Old School (Electro-Fi)
JW Jones and Kim Wilson for JW Jones:
My Kind of Evil (NorthernBlues)
Colin Linden and Janiva Magness for Janiva Magness:
Bury Him at the Crossroads (Northern Blues)
Recording of the Year
Jim Byrnes:
Fresh Horses (Black Hen)
Sue Foley: Change (Justin Time)
John and The Sisters: John and the Sisters (NorthernBlues)
JW-Jones Band: My Kind of Evil (NorthernBlues)
Harry Manx: West Eats Meet (Dog My Cat)
