The venerable blues magazine Living Blues has opened the voting for its 2025 Living Blues Awards readers’ poll in its latest edition. (There’s also a critics poll.) Go here to vote for the best of 2025. Just for fun, here are the winners from last year.
Here’s a list of Living Blues Award nominees for musical categories (There’s an additional category for blues books.)
Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboard)
- Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne
- Roosevelt Purifoy
- Victor Wainwright
- Eden Brent
- Marcia Ball
- Anthony Geraci
- Ben Levin
- Mitch Woods
- Dave Keyes
- Bruce Katz
Best Blues Album of 2024 (New Recordings)
- Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne: Ooh Yeah!
- Sue Foley: One Guitar Woman: A Tribute to the Female Pioneers of Guitar
- Eric Bibb: In the Real World
- Rick Estrin and the Nightcats: The Hits Keep Coming
- Shemekia Copeland: Blame It on Eve
- John Primer & Bob Corritore: Crawlin’ Kingsnake
- Cedric Burnside: Hill Country Love
- Benny Turner: BT
- The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra Featuring Willy Jordan: What Are You Waiting For?
- Ronnie Baker Brooks: Blues in My DNA
- Jerron Paxton: Things Done Changed
- Chris O’Leary: The Hard Line
- Jontavious Willis: West Georgia Blues
- Zac Harmon: Floreada’s Boy
- Guy Davis: The Legend of Sugarbelly
- Toronzo Cannon: Shut Up & Play!
- Sugaray Rayford: Human Decency
- Tinsley Ellis: Alligator Records
Blues Artist of the Year (Female)
- Sue Foley
- Rory Block
- Shemekia Copeland
- Irma Thomas
- Kat Riggins
- Rhiannon Giddens
- Candice Ivory
- Anne Harris
- Anna Popović
- Vanessa Collier
Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar)
- Sue Foley (Ottawa)
- Duke Robillard
- Eric Bibb
- Lurrie Bell
- Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
- Toronzo Cannon
- John Primer
- Ronnie Baker Brooks
- Mr. Sipp
- Jimmy “Duck” Holmes
Blues Band of the Year
- The Blackburn Brothers
- Southern Avenue
- The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra
- Altered Five Blues Band
- Chicago Blues Lifters
- Rising Stars Fife and Drum Band
- The Phantom Blues Band
- Mississippi Heat
- The Bo-Keys
- The Nighthawks
Blues Artist of the Year (Male)
- Eric Bibb
- Taj Mahal
- Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
- Bobby Rush
- Mr. Sipp
- Bob Corritore
- Ronnie Baker Brooks
- John Primer
- Cedric Burnside
- Rick Estrin
Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica)
- Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds)
- Billy Branch
- Bob Corritore
- Big Harp George
- Mark Hummel
- Brandon Santini
- Charlie Musselwhite
- Rick Estrin
- Jason Ricci
- Omar Coleman
Most Outstanding Blues Singer
- Shemekia Copeland
- Valerie June
- Sugaray Rayford
- Mavis Staples
- Diunna Greenleaf
- Oscar Wilson
- John Németh
- Alabama Mike
- William Bell
- Jerron Paxton
Best Live Performer
- Bobby Rush
- Shemekia Copeland
- Rick Estrin
- Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
- Cedric Burnside
- John Primer
- Mr. Sipp
- Southern Avenue
- Ronnie Baker Brooks
- Anne Harris
Best Blues Album of 2024 (Reissue Recordings)
- Pat Hare: I’m Gonna Murder My Baby: In Session, 1952–1960
- B.B. King: Live in Japan
- John Lee Hooker: Burning Hell
- Various Artists: I’m Glad About It: The Legacy of Gospel Music in Louisville, 1958–1981
- Various Artists: Home of the Blues (Don’t Stop Lovin’ Me): The Lost Masters Vol. 1, 1960–1962
- Roy Brown: Rocks
- T-Bone Walker: T-Bone Blues
- Skip James: Today!
- Albert King: Live Wire / Blues Power
- Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
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