The 5th Annual Maple Blues Awards Nominations (2001)
The wide variety of nominees for the fifth annual Maple Blues Awards to be held in Toronto on January 29, 2002 indicate that Canada's blues scene is actively flourishing.
Bands and individual musicians from coast to coast were nominated for the Awards with many new names appearing on the list for the first time
Nominees were chosen by an independent nominating panel of blues radio personalities and music journalists across Canada, except for the nominees for the Blues With a Feeling Award which were chosen by the directors of the 500-plus member Toronto Blues Society.
The annual Blues Booster Award, also chosen by the TBS directors, is Fred Litwin, owner and President of NorthernBlues Music, and when you observe the number of his releases that have made the nominee list, it's no surprise that Fred himself has been singled out for this honour despite the fact that his company is barely one year old.
The Awards are organized by the TBS, whose members vote for winners in 17 different categories, along with blues fans across Canada who are able to participate in the voting by emailing info@torontobluessociety.com to receive a ballot. Important: Include your name and full mailing address (snail mail) within your email.
Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony at the Phoenix Concert Club in Toronto on January 29, 2002. The Maple Blues Awards are presented by the Toronto Blues Society in association with CBC Radio's Saturday Night Blues, The Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, The Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, the Montreal Blues Society, the Ottawa Blues Society and the Thunder Bay Blues Society.
And now (drum roll)....here are the nominees:
The Nominees Are:
ENTERTAINER
OF THE YEAR
Rita Chiarelli
Sue Foley
Michael Pickett
Glamour Puss
Paul Reddick & The Sidemen
ELECTRIC
ACT OF THE YEAR
Big Daddy G
Carson Downey Band
Glamour Puss
Paul Reddick & The Sidemen
Michael Pickett Band
ACOUSTIC
ACT OF THE YEAR
Michael Jerome Browne
Rick Fines
Ken Hamm
Harry Manx
Tim Williams
MALE
VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Mel Brown
Trevor Finlay
John Mays (Fathead)
Michael Pickett
Paul Reddick (The Sidemen)
FEMALE
VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Rita Chiarelli
Sue Foley
Ellen McIlwaine
Dawn Tyler Watson
Nanette Workman
NEW
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Big Mark & the Blues Express
Isaac & Blewitt
JW-Jones Blues Band
Ronnie Douglas Blues Band
Dave Rotundo
INTERNATIONAL
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
Holmes Brothers
Sugar Ray Norcia
Odetta
Duke Robillard
GUITARIST
OF THE YEAR
Mel Brown
Jack de Keyzer
Sue Foley
Shawn Kellerman
Tony D
HARMONICA
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Carlos del Junco
Michael Pickett
Paul Reddick (The Sidemen)
Southside Steve Marriner (JW-Jones Blues Band)
Tortoise Blue (Big Daddy G)
PIANO/KEYBOARD
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Richard Bell (Colin Linden, David Wilcox)
Curley Bridges
Michael Fonfara (Downchild)
Michael Kaeshammer
Tyler Yarema
HORN
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Pat Carey (Downchild)
Zeek Gross (Tony D Band)
Al Lerman (Fathead)
Chris Whiteley
Dave Woodward (Powder Blues)
DRUMMER
OF THE YEAR
Bucky Berger
Tom Bona (Sue Foley, Raoul & The Big Time)
Al Cross (Big Sugar, Rita Chiarelli)
Murray Downey (Carson Downey Band)
Vince Maccarone (The Sidemen)
BASS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Stephen Barry
Russell Jackson
Gary Kendall (Downchild)
Cheung Liu (Raoul & The Big Time)
Greg Marshak (The Sidemen)
SONGWRITER
OF THE YEAR
Rita Chiarelli
Paul Reddick
Chris Whiteley
Ken Whiteley
David Wilcox
RECORDING
OF THE YEAR
Rita Chiarelli: Breakfast at Midnight (Northern Blues)
Harry Manx: Dog My Cat (Northern Blues)
Paul Reddick & The Sidemen: Rattlebag (Northern Blues)
Dawn Tyler Watson: Ten Dollar Dress (Preservation Records)
Nanette Workman: Roots `N' Blues (BROS)
PRODUCER
OF THE YEAR
Andrew Galloway for Mr. Rock `N' Soul (Curley Bridges)
Danny Greenspoon for Breakfast at
Midnight (Rita Chiarelli)
Tom Lavin for Swingin' the Blues (Powder Blues)
Colin Linden for Rattlebag (The Sidemen)
Domenic Romanelli & Dawn Tyler Watson for
Ten Dollar Dress (Dawn Tyler Watson)
BLUES
WITH A FEELING AWARD
(Toronto Blues Society Lifetime Achievement Award)
Mel Brown
Jeff Healey
Tom Lavin
Colin Linden
Big Dave McLean
Jackie
Ken Whiteley
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.ca
and Backbeat Records in Toronto.
EVENING CONSISTS OF HORS D'OERVES, CASH BAR, AN ALL-STAR BAND MADE UP OF LOCAL
BLUES LUMINARIES & SPECIAL GUESTS, AN AWARDS PRESENTATION WITH A CELEBRITY
MC, AND A CONCLUDING JAM WHEREIN NOMINEES AND AWARDS WINNERS SIT IN WITH THE
BAND.
PHOENIX
CONCERT THEATRE
410 Sherbourne Street
Toronto, Ontario
Doors open at 7pm.
For further information, please
contact
Richard Flohil (416) 351-1323 FAX (416) 351-1095
E-Mail rflohil@inforamp.net
Dan Kershaw, Toronto Blues Society (416) 538-3885 FAX (416) 538-6559
E-mail info@torontobluessociety.com
Past Awards at a Glance:
[00
Nominees] [00 Winners]
[99
Nominees] [99 Winners]
[98 Nominees] [98
Winners]
[97 Nominees] [97
Winners]