Roadhouse Blues News: Nominees announced for the 2026 Blues Music Awards

Jim White

Here are all the nominees for the 2026 Blues Music Awards. The winners will be announced at ceremonies in Memphis on May 7.

Acoustic Blues Album

  • Catfish Keith — Sugar for Sugar – Vol. 1 2025 Summer Sessions
  • Doug MacLeod — Between Somewhere and Goodbye
  • Erin Harpe — Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me: A Tribute to Mississippi John Hurt
  • Hudspeth & Taylor — Kimuziki Live in Des Moines
  • Johnny Iguana — At Delmark

Acoustic Blues Artist

  • Catfish Keith
  • Doug MacLeod
  • Eric Bibb
  • Kevin Burt
  • Rhiannon Giddens

Album of the Year

  • Blood Brothers — Help Yourself
  • Bobby Rush & Kenny Wayne Shepherd — Young Fashioned Ways
  • D.K. Harrell — Talkin’ Heavy
  • Larry McCray — Heartbreak City
  • Tommy Castro & The Painkillers — Closer To The Bone

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year

  • Castro Coleman (Mr. Sipp)
  • Rick Estrin
  • Ronnie Baker Brooks
  • Ruthie Foster
  • Vanessa Collier

Band of the Year

  • Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra
  • John Nemeth and the Blue Dreamers
  • Southern Avenue
  • Tedeschi Trucks Band
  • Vanessa Collier Band

Best Emerging Artist Album

  • Brody Buster — Redemption
  • Allison August — August Moon
  • Sean McDonald — Have Mercy!
  • Robbin Kapsalis — THE BLUES IS IN THE HOUSE
  • Kyle Rowland — NOT HOLDING BACK!

Blues Rock Album

  • Blood Brothers — Help Yourself
  • Devon Allman — BLUES SUMMIT
  • Kent Burnside — Hill Country Blood
  • Tom Hambridge — Down The Hatch
  • Walter Trout — Sign Of The Times

Blues Rock Artist

  • Ana Popovic
  • Kenny Wayne Shepherd
  • Kirk Fletcher
  • Tommy Castro
  • Walter Trout

Contemporary Blues Album

  • Brandon Santini — Which Way Do We Go?
  • Carolyn Wonderland — Truth Is
  • D.K. Harrell — Talkin’ Heavy
  • Monster Mike Welch — Keep Living Til I Die
  • Southern Avenue — Family

Contemporary Blues Female Artist

  • Carolyn Wonderland
  • Danielle Nicole
  • Ruthie Foster
  • Samantha Fish
  • Vanessa Collier

Contemporary Blues Male Artist

  • Brandon Santini
  • Castro Coleman (Mr. Sipp)
  • Chris Cain
  • Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
  • D.K. Harrell

Instrumentalist – Bass

  • Benny Turner
  • Larry Fulcher
  • Michael “Mudcat” Ward
  • Rodrigo Mantovani
  • Scot Sutherland

Instrumentalist – Drums

  • Chris Layton
  • Chris Peet
  • Derrick D’Mar Martin
  • Tom Hambridge
  • Tony Braunagel

Instrumentalist – Guitar

  • Chris Cain
  • Christoffer “Kid” Andersen
  • Derek Trucks
  • Joanna Connor
  • Ronnie Baker Brooks

Instrumentalist – Harmonica

  • Billy Branch
  • Bob Corritore
  • Brandon Santini
  • John Nemeth
  • Kim Wilson

Instrumentalist – Horn

  • Greg Piccolo
  • Jimmy Carpenter
  • Mark Kaz Kazanoff
  • Regi Oliver
  • Trombone Shorty

Instrumentalist – Piano (Pinetop Perkins Award)

  • Anthony Geraci
  • Bruce Katz
  • Dave Keyes
  • Jon Cleary
  • Marcia Ball

Instrumentalist – Vocals

  • Candice Ivory
  • Danielle Nicole
  • John Nemeth
  • Shemekia Copeland
  • Susan Tedeschi

Song of the Year

  • Mile After Mile — Brandon Santini & Jeff Jensen
  • Bye Bye Blues — Larry McCray & Charlie Walmsley
  • Can’t Catch a Break — Tommy Castro & Christoffer Andersen
  • Upside — Tierinii Jackson, Tikyra Jackson, Ori Naftaly, Dylan Altman & Marshall Altman
  • Who Was That? — Emmett Ellis Jr. & Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Soul Blues Album

  • Dave Keller — La Brea
  • Jimmy Burns & Soul Message Band — Full Circle
  • Johnny Rawls — Make Them Dance
  • Tad Robinson Band — Soul In Blue
  • The Soul of John Black — Soul Salvation

Soul Blues Female Artist

  • Annika Chambers
  • Candice Ivory
  • Kat Riggins
  • Thornetta Davis
  • Vaneese Thomas

Soul Blues Male Artist

  • Alabama Mike
  • Curtis Salgado
  • John Nemeth
  • Johnny Rawls
  • Tad Robinson

Traditional Blues Album

  • Bobby Rush & Kenny Wayne Shepherd — Young Fashioned Ways
  • Buddy Guy — Ain’t Done With The Blues
  • Charlie Musselwhite — Look Out Highway
  • Maria Muldaur — One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey
  • Roomful of Blues — Steppin’ Out

Traditional Blues Female Artist (Koko Taylor Award)

  • Diunna Greenleaf
  • Eden Brent
  • Maria Muldaur
  • Rhiannon Giddens
  • Teeny Tucker

Traditional Blues Male Artist

  • Billy Branch
  • Jimmie Vaughan
  • John Primer
  • Jontavious Willis
  • Rick Estrin

International Blues Album

Brandon Isaak — Walkin With The Blues
Honeybear, the Band — I Was Wrong
Hubert Dorigatti & Blues Harp Masters — Poor Boy
J.T. Lauritsen & The Buckshot Hunters — Still Be Friends
The Angelique Francis Band — Not Defeated



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