FIRST ANNUAL 2008 BLUES BLAST MUSIC AWARDS TO DEBUT

 AT BUDDY GUY’S LEGENDS

 NOVEMBER 2, 2008

Who: Blues Blast Magazine from IllinoisBlues.com

What: 2008 Blues Blast  Music Awards Ceremony

Where: Buddy Guy’s Legends; 754 S. Wabash Ave. Chicago, IL 60605; (312)-427-1190

When: Sunday November 2^nd, 2008 -- 7:00pm to 12:00 midnight (Doors open at 6:00pm)

Tickets: $25 and will be available online at www.illinoisblues.com starting October 7^th

The first-ever 2008 Blues Blast Music Award Ceremonies, to be held at the famous Buddy Guy’s Legends on November 2, will include confirmed appearances by nominees Magic Slim & the Teardrops, Lurrie Bell, Nick Moss, John Nemeth, The Kilborn Alley Blues Band, Dave Riley & Bob Corritore, Eden Brent, Sugar Ray Norcia, Teeny Tucker, Tim "Too Slim" Langford (from Too Slim and the Taildraggers), and Gina Sicilia. There may be a few surprise appearances by other nominees as well.

The 2008 Blues Blast Music Awards are brought to you by Blues Blast Magazine from IllinoisBlues.com. Blues Blast Magazine is a popular, free weekly internet webzine read by over 11,000 Blues fans in all 50 states and in more than 40 countries.

In July, the Blues Blast Magazine staff, along with music writers, managers, musicians and other industry professionals, worked together to create a list of nominees for eight different categories for the 2008 Blues Blast  Music Awards.

The Categories are:

Best Contemporary Blues Recording, Best Traditional Blues Recording, Best Blues Song,

Best Blues Band, Best Male Blues Artist, Best Female Blues Artist, Best New Artist Debut Recording, The Sean Costello Rising Star Award.

(The complete list of nominees is included at the bottom of the page; scroll down)

In July and August, Blues Blast magazine readers voted for their favorites on the IllinoisBlues.com website. These awards truly are the “People’s Choice” without any filter. The voting was free and more than 2,000 fans from all over the globe voted their choices. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on November 2.

This event promises to be a great show with music by some of the best established and new contemporary Blues artists from all over the country. The show will likely sell out so get your tickets as soon as possible.

Complete list of 2008 Blues Blast Music Award Nominees

Best Contemporary Blues Recording

• Too Slim and the Taildraggers – The Fortune Teller
• Bryan Lee – Katrina Was Her Name
• Mem Shannon – Live: A Night At Tipitina’s
• Watermelon Slim & The Workers - The Wheel Man
• Holmes Brothers - State Of Grace

Best Traditional Blues Recording

• Omar Dykes & Jimmy Vaughan  - On The Jimmy Reed Highway
• Bobby Rush - Raw
• Lurrie Bell - Let's Talk About Love
• Dave Riley & Bob Corritore  - Travelin’ the Dirt Road
• David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Roamin’ & Ramblin’

Best  Blues Song

• Nick Moss -  Mistakes From the Past
• The National Debonaires - Ain't Gonna Happen Again
• Sugar Ray Norcia - Little Green Talking Frog
• Omar Dykes & Jimmy Vaughan - Jimmy Reed Highway
• Watermelon Slim & The Workers - The Wheel Man

Best  Blues Band

• Nick Moss & the Fliptops
• Kilborn Alley Blues Band
• Bryan Lee & The Blues Power Band
• Magic Slim & The Teardrops
• Back Door Slam

Best Male Artist

• Lurrie Bell
• Buddy Guy
• Bobby Rush
• Nick Moss
• Bryan Lee

Best Female Artist

• Koko Taylor
• Teeny Tucker
• Diunna Greenleaf
• Betty Harris
• Bettye LaVette

Best New Artist Debut Recording

• Gina Sicilia - Allow Me To Confess
• The Soul of John Black - The Good Girl Blues
• Moreland & Arbuckle - 1861
• Diunna Greenleaf & Blue Mercy - Cottonfields to Coffee
• John Nemeth  - Magic Touch

Sean Costello Rising Star Award

• John Nemeth
• Homemade Jamz Blues Band
• John-Alex Mason
• Seth Walker
• Eden Brent

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