The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album was awarded from 1988 to 2011 and from 2017 onwards. Until 1992 the award was known as Best Contemporary Blues Performance and in 1989 was awarded to a song rather than to an album.
The award was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. From 2012 onwards, the category was merged with the Best Traditional Blues Album category to form the new Best Blues Album category. However, in 2016 the Grammy organisation decided to revert the situation back to the pre-2012 era, with two separate categories for traditional and contemporary blues recordings respectively.
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for music released in the previous year. Buddy Guy and Keb' Mo hold the record of most wins in the category with four each, followed by Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Taj Mahal and Fantastic Negrito, all with three wins.
Recipients
1980s Year Work Artist 1988 Strong Persuader The Robert Cray Band After All Bobby "Blue" Bland Glazed Earl King On a Night Like This Buckwheat Zydeco "Standing on the Edge of Love" B. B. King 1989 Don't Be Afraid of the Dark The Robert Cray Band Blues You Can Use Bobby "Blue" Bland "Low Commotion" Ry Cooder Seven Year Itch Etta James Talk to Your Daughter Robben Ford
1990s Year Work Artist 1990 In Step Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble King of the Blues: 1989 B. B. King Live from Austin Delbert McClinton Midnight Run Bobby "Blue" Bland "Wang Dang Doodle" Koko Taylor 1991 Family Style Jimmie Vaughan and Stevie Ray Vaughan Jump for Joy Koko Taylor Midnight Stroll The Robert Cray Band featuring the Memphis Horns "Red Hot & Blue" B. B. King and Lee Atwater Stickin' to My Guns Etta James 1992 Damn Right, I've Got the Blues Buddy Guy Iceman Albert Collins Let Me In Johnny Winter Live! Simply the Best Irma Thomas Signature Charlie Musselwhite 1993 The Sky Is Crying Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble I Was Warned The Robert Cray Band Peace to the Neighborhood Pops Staples Robben Ford and the Blue Line Robben Ford and the Blue Line The Right Time Etta James 1994 Feels Like Rain Buddy Guy Hey, Where's Your Brother? Johnny Winter Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters Paul Rodgers Mystic Mile Robben Ford and the Blue Line Wake Up Call John Mayall 1995 Father Father Pops Staples Bow Wow Johnny "Guitar" Watson Force of Nature Koko Taylor Shame + A Sin The Robert Cray Band Strange Pleasure Jimmie Vaughan 1996 Slippin' In Buddy Guy Blue Night Percy Sledge Live '92-'93 Albert Collins and the Icebreakers The Man Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown Some Rainy Morning The Robert Cray Band 1997 Just Like You Keb' Mo' Live! The Real Deal Buddy Guy with G. E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band Long Way Home Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown A Man Amongst Men Bo Diddley Phantom Blues Taj Mahal Sad Street Bobby "Blue" Bland 1998 Señor Blues Taj Mahal Come On Home Boz Scaggs Reckless Luther Allison Sweet Potato Pie The Robert Cray Band Trippin' Live Dr. John 1999 Slow Down Keb' Mo' Deuces Wild B. B. King Heavy Love Buddy Guy Life, Love & the Blues Etta James Sing It! Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas and Tracy Nelson
2000s Year Work Artist 2000 Take Your Shoes Off The Robert Cray Band Continental Drifter Charlie Musselwhite Live in Chicago Luther Allison Wander This World Jonny Lang Welcome to Little Milton Little Milton 2001 Shoutin' in Key Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band Hoochie Man Bobby Rush Royal Blue Koko Taylor Shake Hands with Shorty North Mississippi Allstars Wicked Shemekia Copeland 2002 Nothing Personal Delbert McClinton Creole Moon Dr. John The Door Keb' Mo' Matriarch of the Blues Etta James Sweet Tea Buddy Guy 2003 Don't Give Up on Me Solomon Burke 51 Phantom North Mississippi Allstars Burnin' Down the House Etta James and The Roots Band One Night in America Charlie Musselwhite Room to Breathe Delbert McClinton 2004 Let's Roll Etta James Rediscovered Howard Tate The Road We're On Sonny Landreth So Many Rivers Marcia Ball Wait for Me Susan Tedeschi 2005 Keep It Simple Keb' Mo' I'm a Bluesman Johnny Winter N'Awlinz Dis Dat or d'Udda Dr. John Sanctuary Charlie Musselwhite What's Wrong with This Picture? Van Morrison 2006 Cost of Living Delbert McClinton Bring 'Em In Buddy Guy Electric Blue Watermelon North Mississippi Allstars Make Do with What You Got Solomon Burke Twenty The Robert Cray Band 2007 After the Rain Irma Thomas Hope and Desire Susan Tedeschi Live from Across the Pond The Robert Cray Band Sippiana Hericane Dr. John and the Lower 911 Suitcase Keb' Mo' 2008 The Road to Escondido J. J. Cale and Eric Clapton Into the Blues Joan Armatrading Is It News Doyle Bramhall The Scene of the Crime Bettye LaVette Truth Robben Ford 2009 City That Care Forgot Dr. John and the Lower 911 Like a Fire Solomon Burke Maestro Taj Mahal Peace, Love & BBQ Marcia Ball Simply Grand Irma Thomas
2010s Year Work Artist 2010 Already Free The Derek Trucks Band Back to the River Susan Tedeschi Live: Hope at the Hideout Mavis Staples This Time The Robert Cray Band The Truth According to Ruthie Foster Ruthie Foster 2011 Living Proof Buddy Guy Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook Bettye LaVette Live! in Chicago Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Bryan Lee and Buddy Flett Nothing's Impossible Solomon Burke Tribal Dr. John and the Lower 911 2017 The Last Days of Oakland Fantastic Negrito Bloodline Kenny Neal Everybody Wants a Piece Joe Louis Walker Give It Back to You The Record Company Love Wins Again Janiva Magness 2018 TajMo Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' Got Soul Robert Randolph and the Family Band Live from the Fox Oakland Tedeschi Trucks Band Recorded Live in Lafayette Sonny Landreth Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm Robert Cray and Hi Rhythm 2019 Please Don't Be Dead Fantastic Negrito Cry No More Danielle Nicole Here in Babylon Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps Out of the Blues Boz Scaggs Victor Wainwright and the Train Victor Wainwright and the Train
2020s Year Work Artist 2020 This Land Gary Clark Jr. Brighter Days Robert Randolph and the Family Band Keep On Southern Avenue Somebody Save Me Sugaray Rayford Venom & Faith Larkin Poe 2021 Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? Fantastic Negrito Blackbirds Bettye LaVette The Juice G. Love Live at the Paramount Ruthie Foster Big Band Up and Rolling North Mississippi Allstars 2022 662 Christone "Kingfish" Ingram Delta Kream The Black Keys featuring Eric Deaton and Kenny Brown Fire It Up Steve Cropper Royal Tea Joe Bonamassa Uncivil War Shemekia Copeland 2023 Brother Johnny Edgar Winter Bloodline Maintenance Ben Harper Crown Eric Gales Done Come Too Far Shemekia Copeland Set Sail North Mississippi Allstars 2024 Blood Harmony Larkin Poe Death Wish Blues Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton Healing Time Ruthie Foster LaVette! Bettye LaVette Live in London Christone "Kingfish" Ingram 2025 Mileage Ruthie Foster Blame It on Eve Shemekia Copeland Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 Joe Bonamassa Friendlytown Steve Cropper and the Midnight Hour The Fury Antonio Vergara 2026 Preacher Kids Robert Randolph Breakthrough Joe Bonamassa Family Southern Avenue Paper Doll Samantha Fish A Tribute to LJK Eric Gales
Artists with multiple wins
4 wins Buddy Guy Keb' Mo'
3 wins The Robert Cray Band Fantastic Negrito Taj Mahal Stevie Ray Vaughan (2 with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble)
2 wins Delbert McClinton
Artists with multiple nominations
12 nominations Robert Cray (11 with The Robert Cray Band)
8 nominations Buddy Guy
7 nominations Etta James
6 nominations Dr. John (3 with Dr. John and the Lower 911) Keb' Mo'
5 nominations North Mississippi Allstars
4 nominations Bobby "Blue" Bland Solomon Burke Shemekia Copeland Robben Ford (2 with Robben Ford and the Blue Line) Ruthie Foster (1 with Ruthie Foster Big Band) B. B. King Bettye LaVette Delbert McClinton Charlie Musselwhite Koko Taylor Irma Thomas Jimmie Vaughan
3 nominations Marcia Ball Joe Bonamassa Steve Cropper (1 as Steve Cropper and the Midnight Hour) Fantastic Negrito Robert Randolph (2 as Robert Randolph and the Family Band) Susan Tedeschi Johnny Winter
2 nominations Luther Allison Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown Albert Collins Samantha Fish Eric Gales Christone "Kingfish" Ingram Sonny Landreth Larkin Poe Boz Scaggs Southern Avenue Pops Staples
References