BLUES FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES

2010 BLUES HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

The Blues Foundation has announced the inductees for the Blues Hall of Fame in 2010, including Louisiana-born, Chicago-based bluesman Lonnie Brooks, blues singer and harpist Charlie Musselwhite and singer, songwriter, guitarist and social activist Bonnie Raitt.

Among the other individuals that are being recognized by the Foundation this year include "The Father of the Blues" W.C. Handy, jug band pioneer Gus Cannon and Cannon's Jug Stompers, and the writer of many great "drinking songs," including "One Scotch, One Boubon, One Beer," Amos Milburn.

American roots music writer Peter Guralnick and the legendary host of the King Biscuit Time program on KFFA radio in

Sonny Payne, are the non-performers being inducted this year. Sam Charters' groundbreaking research on the blues in the 1950s and '60s resulted in several books including this year's Classics of Blues Literature inductee - The Bluesmen.

The following singles or album tracks will be inducted during the ceremony: "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" by Otis Rush, "Fever" by Little Willie John, "Key to the Highway" by Big Bill Broonzy, "Match Box Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson and "Spoonful" by Howlin' Wolf.  These albums are also being honored: Strong Persuader by Robert Cray, Hung Down Head by Lowell Fulson and I Hear Some Blues Downstairs by Fenton Robinson.

The induction ceremony held in Memphis Marriott Downtown in Memphis, Tennessee, the night before the 31st Blues Music Awards. Plans are underway now individually honor each of the inductees that night. 

The Hall of Fame committee, consisting of scholars, record producers, radio programmers, and historians, is chaired by Jim O'Neal, founding editor of Living Blues.

BMI Giants Dominate List of 2010 Blues Hall of Fame Inductees

The Blues Foundation recently announced the 2010 list of Blues Hall of Fame inductees, the majority of whom are BMI heavyweights. Lonnie Brooks, Charlie Musselwhite, Gus Cannon and Cannon's Jug Stompers, and Amos Milburn will officially enter the hallowed hall during the annual ceremony, slated for Wednesday, May 5, at the Memphis Marriott Downtown in Memphis, Tennessee, the night before the 31st Blues Music Awards.

The Blues Foundation also recognizes the power of a single song, and will induct five blues standards, all of which are from the BMI catalog: “All Your Love (I Miss Loving),” written and recorded by Otis Rush; “Fever,” originally recorded by Little Willie John and co-written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell; “Key to the Highway,” recorded by Big Bill Broonzy and co-written by Broonzy and Charles Segar; “Match Box Blues,” originally recorded by Blind Lemon Jefferson; and Howlin’ Wolf’s iconic “Spoonful,” written by Willie Dixon.

The Blues Hall of Fame will also induct three groundbreaking albums, all from BMI journeymen: Robert Cray’s Strong Persuader; Lowell Fulson’s Hung Down Head; and Fenton Robinson’s I Hear Some Blues Downstairs.

In the non-performer category, prolific music writer Peter Guralnick and legendary radio host Sonny Payne will also be inducted. While Guralnick and Payne are not BMI songwriters, their promotion and support of BMI blues legends is unparalleled.

Read bios of 2010 Blues Hall of Fame inductees.

To learn more about the Blues Hall of Fame and the Blues Foundation, please visit blues.org.

Pictured above: Lonnie Brooks

www.bmi.com/news/entry/546832

The presenting sponsors are The Gibson Foundation and BMI. ArtsMemphis, bandVillage, Casey Family Programs, Eagle Rock Entertainment, FedEx, I 55 Productions, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Tennessee Arts Commission and Vividpix and Design also sponsor the Blues Music Awards.

From Blogger J. Hathaway

Buddy Guy will be the latest recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Blues Foundation at the 31st Blues Music Awards in Memphis on May 6.

This year's BMA ceremony will go down as one of the biggest nights for blues fans in recent memory as Guy will not only receive this award but will also join the lineup of performers.  Bonnie Raitt will present the award to Guy one night after joining Charlie Musselwhite, Amos Milburn, Gus Cannon and Cannon's Jug Stompers, Lonnie Brooks, and W.C. Handy as the Blues Hall of Fame's Class of 2010.

Blues fans don't need justification for Guy's selection as a Lifetime Achievement recipient but there is one interesting bit of BMA history that explains the Blues Foundation's decision to honor him.  The BMAs were previously known as the W.C. Handy Awards and since their inception Guy has won 28 of them — a record — and been nominated 41 times.  Like millions the world over, the Blues Foundation is a fan of Buddy Guy.  Past recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award include Bobby "Blue" Bland, Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, Ahmet Ertegun, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, B.B. King, Sam Phillips, Koko Taylor and Jerry Wexler.

In addition to Guy's performance, nominees at this year's awards will be performing.  Among those confirmed to take the stage that night are Tommy Castro Band, Rick Estrin, Louisiana Red, Duke Robillard, Super Chikan, and Joe Louis Walker.

I'll be making my first trip to Memphis to see a BMA show in person.  I love when good things happen to good people.  Oh, and I'm happy for Buddy Guy, too.  This is beyond well deserved.  Blogcritics has been providing pre-award coverage and will of course have a wrap up on all the night's events.

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/music/article/buddy-guy-to-receive-lifetime-achievement/#ixzz0nkdN4wbj