Die Blues Music Awards sind die höchste Auszeichnung der Blues Foundation, einer Organisation zur Förderung des Blues und seines Erbes. Sie werden seit 1980 jährlich in Memphis für besondere Verdienste um den Blues vergeben. Von vielen werden die Awards als die höchste Auszeichnung angesehen, die ein Bluesmusiker in den USA erhalten kann.
Von 1995 bis 2005 hießen die Auszeichnungen offiziell W. C. Handy Blues Awards, nach W. C. Handy, dem „Vater des Blues“. Seit 2006 ist die offizielle Bezeichnung Blues Music Awards. In den Jahren davor firmierten die Preise unter National Blues Music Awards (1980 und 1982), Blues Awards (1981), Annual Blues Awards (1983–1987, 1989–1990), Annual Blues Music Awards (1988) sowie Annual Blues Awards – The Handys (1991) und Annual Blues Music Awards – The Handys (1992–1994). Als Kurzform findet von daher auch der Begriff Handy für einen Blues Music Award Verwendung.
Ähnlich wie die Grammys werden die Handys in verschiedenen Kategorien vergeben, etwa „Blues Album of the Year“, „Blues Entertainer of the Year“, „Blues Song of the Year“ und so weiter. Aus jeweils fünf Nominierten wird der Preisträger jeder Kategorie ermittelt.
Die Preisträger werden von einem Gremium nominiert, das sich aus Vertretern verschiedener Berufsgruppen zusammensetzt, die mit Blues in Verbindung stehen. Sie werden von den Mitgliedern der Blues Foundation ausgewählt, wobei auch die regionale Verteilung berücksichtigt wird. Der Großteil kommt aus den USA, doch gibt es auch Nominatoren aus Kanada, Europa und Zentralamerika. Die endgültige Abstimmung erfolgt durch die Mitglieder der Blues Foundation.
Die Nominierten und Gewinner der Blues Music Awards ab 1980 können auf den Seiten der Blues Foundation eingesehen werden.
Preisträger 2008 Kategorie GewinnerAcoustic Blues Album Bobby Rush – RawAcoustic Blues Artist Bobby Rush Album of the Year Watermelon Slim & the Workers – The Wheel Man B.B. King Entertainer Tommy Castro Band of the Year Watermelon Slim & the Workers Best New Artist Debut Diunna Greenleaf & Blue Mercy – Cotton Field to Coffee House Contemporary Blues Album Tommy Castro – Painkiller Contemporary Blues Female Artist Bettye LaVette Contemporary Blues Male Artist Tab Benoit DVD Kenny Wayne Shepherd – 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads Historical Blues Album Epic Legacy – Breakin’ It UP, Breakin’ It DOWN Blues Instrumentalist – Bass Bob Stroger Instrumentalist – Drums Sam Lay Blues Instrumentalist – Guitar Bob Margolin Blues Instrumentalist – Harmonica Kim Wilson Blues Instrumentalist – Horns Deanna Bogart Blues Instrumentalist – Padal Steel Robert Randolph Instrumentalist – Piano (Pinetop Perkins Piano Player) Honey Piazza Song of the Year Koko Taylor – Gonna Buy Me a Mule Soul Blues Album The Holmes Brothers – State of Grace Soul Blues Female Artist Irma Thomas Soul Blues Male Artist Bobby Rush Traditional Blues Album Koko Taylor – Old School Traditional Blues Female Artist Koko Taylor Traditional Blues Male Artist Hubert Sumlin (Quelle: )
Preisträger 2009 Kategorie GewinnerAcoustic Blues Album Eden Brent – Mississippi Number OneAcoustic Blues Artist Eden Brent Album of the Year Buddy Guy – Skin Deep B.B. King Entertainer Janiva Magness Band of the Year Lil’ Ed and The Blues Imperials Best New Artist Debut Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm – 2 Man Wrecking Crew Contemporary Blues Album Buddy Guy – Skin Deep Contemporary Blues Female Artist Janiva Magness Contemporary Blues Male Artist Buddy Guy DVD Broke & Hungry Records, Cathead Blues & Mudpuppy Recordings – M for Mississippi: A Road Trip through the Birthplace of the Blues Historical Blues Album Eagle Records – Albert Collins Live At Montreux 1992 Blues Instrumentalist – Bass Mookie Brill Instrumentalist – Drums Willie „Big Eyes“ Smith Blues Instrumentalist – Guitar Sonny Landreth Blues Instrumentalist – Harmonica Billy Gibson Blues Instrumentalist – Horns Deanna Bogart Blues Instrumentalist – Other Otis Taylor – Banjo Instrumentalist – Piano (Pinetop Perkins Piano Player) Marcia Ball Blues Rock Album Jeff Healey – Mess of Blues Song of the Year Kenny Neal – Let Life Flow Soul Blues Album Irma Thomas – Simply Grand Soul Blues Female Artist Etta James Soul Blues Male Artist Bobby Rush Traditional Blues Album B.B. King – One Kind Favor Traditional Blues Female Artist Koko Taylor Traditional Blues Male Artist B. B. King
Preisträger 2010 Kategorie Gewinner Acoustic Blues Album David Maxwell & Louisiana Red – You Got to Move Acoustic Blues Artist Louisiana Red Album of the Year Joe Louis Walker – Between a Rock and the Blues B.B. King Entertainer Tommy CastroBand of the Year Tommy Castro Band Best New Artist Debut Monkey Junk – Tiger in Your Tank Contemporary Blues Album Tommy Castro – Hard Believer Contemporary Blues Female Artist Ruthie Foster Contemporary Blues Male Artist Tommy Castro DVD Delmark Records – It Ain’t Over! Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues, Live at Buddy Guy’s Legends Historical Blues Album Chess – Authorized Bootleg (Muddy Waters) Blues Instrumentalist – Bass Bob Stroger Blues Instrumentalist – Drums Cedric Burnside Blues Instrumentalist – Guitar Derek Trucks Blues Instrumentalist – Harmonica Jason Ricci Blues Instrumentalist – Horns Deanna Bogart Blues Instrumentalist – Other Buckwheat Zydeco – Akkordeon Instrumentalist – Piano (Pinetop Perkins Piano Player) Eden Brent Blues Rock Album Derek Trucks Band – Already Free Song of the Year Cyril Neville & Mike Zito – Pearl River Soul Blues Album Johnny Rawls – Ace of Spades Soul Blues Female Artist Irma Thomas Soul Blues Male Artist Curtis Salgado Traditional Blues Album Super Chikan – Chikadelic Traditional Blues Female Artist Debbie Davies Traditional Blues Male Artist Duke Robillard
Preisträger 2011 Die Blues Music Awards wurden am 5. Mai 2011 bei einer Gala im Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee vergeben.
Kategorie Gewinner Acoustic Album of the Year The Nighthawks – Last Train to Bluesville Acoustic Artist of the Year John Hammond Album of the Year Buddy Guy – Living Proof B.B King Entertainer Buddy Guy Band of the Year The Derek Trucks Band Best New Artist Debut Matt Hill – On the Floor Contemporary Blues Album Buddy Guy – Living Proof Contemporary Blues Female Artist Robin Rogers Contemporary Blues Male Artist Buddy Guy DVD Luther Allison – Songs from the Road – Montreux Jazz Festival 2007 Historical Blues Album Bob Corritore & Friends (Koko, Pinetop, Nappy Brown, Willie „Big Eyes“ Smith et al.) – Delta Groove | Harmonica Blues Blues Instrumentalist – Bass Bob Stroger Blues Instrumentalist – Drums Cedric Burnside Blues Instrumentalist – Guitar Derek Trucks Blues Instrumentalist – Harmonica Charlie Musselwhite Blues Instrumentalist – Horns Eddie Shaw Blues Instrumentalist – Other Sonny Rhodes – Lap Steel Guitar Instrumentalist – Piano (Pinetop Perkins Piano Player) Dr. John Blues Rock Album Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie „Big Eyes“ Smith, Bryan Lee and Buddy Flett – Live! In Chicago Song of the Year Buddy Guy – Living Proof (Songwriter: Tom Hambridge/Buddy Guy) Soul Blues Album Solomon Burke – Nothing’s Impossible Soul Blues Female Artist Irma Thomas Soul Blues Male Artist Solomon Burke Traditional Blues Album Pinetop Perkins & Willie „Big Eyes“ Smith – Joined at the Hip Traditional Blues Female Artist (Koko Taylor Award) Ruthie Foster Traditional Blues Male Artist Charlie Musselwhite
Preisträger 2012 Kategorie Gewinner Acoustic Blues Album David Maxwell & Otis Spann – Conversations in Blue Acoustic Blues Artist Eric Bibb Album of the Year Tedeschi Trucks Band – Revelator B.B King Entertainer Tab Benoit Band of the Year Tedeschi Trucks Band Best New Artist Debut Samantha Fish – Runaway Contemporary Blues Album Tab Benoit – Medicine Contemporary Blues Female Artist Susan Tedeschi Contemporary Blues Male Artist Tab Benoit DVD Ruthie Foster – Live At Antone’s Historical Blues Album Howlin’ Wolf – Chess Smokestack Lightning/The Complete Chess Masters 1951-1960 Blues Instrumentalist – Bass Biscuit Miller Blues Instrumentalist – Drums Chris Layton Gibson Guitar Award Derek Trucks Blues Instrumentalist – Harmonica Charlie Musselwhite Blues Instrumentalist – Horns Terry Hanck Blues Instrumentalist – Other Sonny Rhodes – Lap Steel Guitar Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female) Ruthie Foster Pinetop Perkins Piano Player (Instrumentalist – Piano) Marcia Ball Blues Rock Album Joe Bonamassa – Dust Bowl Song of the Year Johnny Sansone – The Lord is Waiting, the Devil is Too Soul Blues Album Bobby Rush – Show You A Good Time Soul Blues Female Artist Denise LaSalle Soul Blues Male Artist Curtis Salgado Traditional Blues Album Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell, Carlos Johnson – Chicago Blues A Living History the (R)evolution Continues Traditional Blues Male Artist Charlie Musselwhite
Preisträger 2013 Kategorie Gewinner Acoustic Blues Album Ann Rabson mit Bob Margolin – Not Alone Acoustic Blues Artist Eric Bibb Album of the Year Michael Burks – Show of Strength B.B King Entertainer Curtis Salgado Band of the Year Tedeschi Trucks Band Best New Artist Debut Big LLou Johnson – They Call Me Big Llou Contemporary Blues Album Michael Burks – Show of Strength Contemporary Blues Female Artist Janiva Magness Contemporary Blues Male Artist Tab Benoit DVD Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones – Live at Checkerboard Lounge Blues Instrumentalist – Bass Bob Stroger Blues Instrumentalist – Drums Cedric Burnside Gibson Guitar Award Derek Trucks Blues Instrumentalist – Harmonica Rick Estrin Blues Instrumentalist – Horns Eddie Shaw Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female) Ruthie Foster Pinetop Perkins Piano Player (Instrumentalist – Piano) Victor Wainwright Blues Rock Album Tedeschi Trucks Band – Everybody’s Talkin’ Song of the Year Janiva Magness – I Wont Cry (Songwriter: Janiva Magness & Dave Darling) Soul Blues Album Curtis Salgado – Soul Shot Soul Blues Female Artist Irma Thomas Soul Blues Male Artist Curtis Salgado Traditional Blues Album The Mannish Boys – Double Dynamite Traditional Blues Male Artist Magic Slim
Preisträger 2014 Die Preisträger wurden am 8. Mai 2014 bei einer Gala in Memphis verkündet.
Kategorie Gewinner Acoustic Blues Album Doug MacLeod – There’s a Time Acoustic Blues Artist Doug MacLeod Album of the Year Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, James Harman – Remembering Little Walter B.B. King Entertainer Buddy Guy Band of the Year Tedeschi Trucks Band Best New Artist Debut Shawn Holt & the Teardrops – Daddy Told Me Contemporary Blues Album Trampled Under Foot – Badlands Contemporary Blues Female Artist Susan Tedeschi Contemporary Blues Male Artist Gary Clark Jr. DVD Ruf Records – Songs from the Road (Royal Southern Brotherhood) Historical Blues Album Bear Family – The Sun Blues Box Blues Instrumentalist – Bass Danielle Schnebelen Blues Instrumentalist – Drums Cedric Burnside Blues Instrumentalist – Guitar Ronnie Earl Blues Instrumentalist – Harmonica Charlie Musselwhite Blues Instrumentalist – Horns Eddie Shaw Instrumentalist – Piano (Pinetop Perkins Piano Player) Victor Wainwright Blues Rock Album Tedeschi Trucks Band – Made Up Mind Song of the Year Lurrie Bell – Blues in My Soul Soul Blues Album Bobby Rush – Down in Louisiana Soul Blues Female Artist Irma Thomas Soul Blues Male Artist John Németh Traditional Blues Album Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, James Harman – Remembering Little Walter Traditional Blues Female Artist (Koko Taylor Award) Diunna Greenleaf Traditional Blues Male Artist James Cotton
Preisträger 2015 Die Preisträger wurden am 7. Mai 2015 bei einer Gala in Memphis verkündet.