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13th ANNUAL
MAPLE BLUES AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED!
VOTING OPENS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30TH
Nominees from across
Canada have
been announced for the 13th Annual Maple Blues Awards!
The
Maple Blues Awards is
Canada’s
national blues awards program. Its goal is to promote blues music across
Canada, and
to recognize outstanding achievement in the field.
Voting opens Friday, October 30th
at noon (DST) and is open to Sunday, December 13th at noon (EDT).
Blues fans cast their votes online, at
www.mapleblues.ca.
Ottawa’s
Monkey Junk received six
nominations and
Vancouver’s
The Twisters received five. Swamp Boogie-band Monkey Junk
received nods in the Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, and
Recording of the Year, for their record
Tiger In Your Tank, categories as well as Male Vocalist of the
Year and Harmonica Player of the Year for Steve Marriner and Guitar Player
of the Year for Tony D. The Twisters are nominated for Electric Act of the
Year, Recording of the Year for Come Out
Swingin’, Harmonica Player of the Year for David Hoerl, Keith
Picot for Bass Player of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year for Brandon
Isaak.
Close behind is Hamilton, Ontario’s
Harrison Kennedy receiving four nominations for Acoustic Act of
the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Recording
of the Year for his record, One Dog
Barkin’.
Downchild
and its respective members have earned four nominations between them.
Whitby’s local Guitar Slinger
Jack de Keyzer has received three
nominations including Guitarist of the Year.
Toronto’s
Paul Reddick received three
nominations including Recording of the Year for
Sugarbird. From
Dartmouth,
Nova Scotia,
Garrett Mason has picked up two
nominations for Electric Act of the Year and Guitarist of the Year.
Easley, Stevenson, Arsenault from
Nova Scotia have picked up
nominations for Bassist of the Year, Piano/Keyboard Player Of The Year, and
Drummer of the Year, respectively.
New
Artist of the Year nominees include Toronto’s
Blackburn, Montreal’s
Blues Delight, Quebec City’s
Clio & The Blues Highway,
Fredericton’s Ross Neilsen,
and
Toronto’s
Scott McCord & The Bonafide Truth.
This year's winners will be announced at the 13th Annual Maple
Blues Awards Gala in
Toronto, on
January
18,
2010 at Koerner Hall.
This very special evening is
Canada's
national annual celebration of homegrown blues talent. It's also a night of
great music by the Maple Blues Band, comprised entirely of Maple Blues
Awards winners and nominees.
Koerner Hall is the newest addition to
Toronto’s fine list of cultural
centres and theatres. The intimate and elegant hall opened in September 2009
with 1,140 seats and features state-of-the-art acoustic treatment.
Danny Marks,
Host of BLUZ FM and David Gogo,
Cordova Bay Recording Artist, will be hosting the Maple Blues Awards.
13th ANNUAL
MAPLE BLUES NOMINEES
Entertainer Of The Year
Downchild
Jack de Keyzer
Little Miss Higgins
Monkey Junk
Shakura S’Aida
Electric Act Of The Year
David Gogo
Garrett Mason
Jack de Keyzer
Monkey Junk
The Twisters
Acoustic Act Of The Year
Big Dave McLean
Braithwaite & Whiteley
Harrison Kennedy
Harry Manx
Julian Fauth
Male Vocalist Of The Year
Harrison Kennedy
Jim Byrnes
John Mays (Fathead, Maple Blues Revue)
Paul Reddick
Steve Marriner (Monkey Junk)
Female Vocalist
Of The Year
Jolene “Little Miss”
Higgins
Roxanne Potvin
Shakura S’Aida
Suzie Vinnick
Treasa Levasseur
New Artist/Group
Of The Year
Blackburn
Blues Delight
Clio & The
Blues Highway
Ross Neilsen
Scott McCord & The Bonafide Truth
Recording
Of
The Year
Come Out Swingin' (NorthernBlues)
The Twisters
Producers: Chris & Brandon Isaak
One Dog Barkin’
(Electro-Fi)
Harrison Kennedy
Producer: Harrison Kennedy
Songs From The Road
(Stony Plain)
Jeff Healey
Producer:
Alec Fraser
SugarBird (NorthernBlues)
Paul Reddick
Producer: Colin Linden
Tiger In Your Tank
(Beefy)
Monkey Junk
Producers: Steve Marriner and Monkey Junk
Blues With A Feeling Award
(Lifetime Achievement)
Alec Fraser
Chris Whiteley
Danny Brooks
Ellen McIlwaine
Joe Murphy
Ken Whiteley
Michael Fonfara
Paul James
Terry Wilkins
Tom Lavin
BB King
International Artist
Of The Year
John Mayall
Maria Muldaur
Taj Mahal
Tommy Castro
Watermelon Slim
Guitarist
Of
The Year
Garrett Mason
Jack de Keyzer
Steve Dawson (Jim Byrnes)
Steve Strongman
Tony D (Monkey Junk)
Harmonica Player
Of The Year
Carlos del Junco
David Hoerl (The Twisters)
David Rotundo
Jerome Godboo
Steve Marriner (Monkey Junk)
Piano/Keyboard
Player
Of The Year
Bill Stevenson
(Easley Stevenson Arsenault)
Julian Fauth
Kenny "Blues Boss"
Wayne
Lance Anderson
Michael Fonfara (Downchild, Maple Blues Revue)
Horn Player
Of The Year
Al Lerman
(Fathead, Maple Blues Revue)
Chris Murphy
(Maple Blues Revue)
Chris Whiteley (Maple Blues Revue)
Johnny Ferreira
Pat Carey (Downchild, Maple Blues Revue)
Drummer
Of
The Year
Al Cross
Bucky Berger (Fathead)
Chris Nordquist
Geoff Arsenault (Easley Stevenson Arsenault)
Tom Bona (Raoul & The Big Time, Maple Blues Revue)
Bassist
Of
The Year
Alan Duffy (Jack
de Keyzer)
Alec Fraser
(Broken Joe, Jeff Healey)
Gary Kendall (Downchild, Maple Blues Revue, Gary Kendall Band)
Keith Picot (The Twisters)
Tom Easley (Easley Stevenson Arsenault)
Songwriter
Of
The Year
Brandon Isaak (The
Twisters)
Chris Whiteley & Diana Braithwaite
Harrison Kennedy
Paul Reddick
Treasa Levasseur
The
Maple Blues Awards are supported by FACTOR and the Government of Canada
through the Canadian Music Fund, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario
Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation, the City of Toronto through the
Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Ministry of Culture, KMP Designs Inc.,
Long & McQuade Musical Instruments, DAWG FM, Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, Stony
Plain, Saturday Night Blues, and Lee Oskar.
-30-
For more information,
photos, interviews, please contact:
Tim
Des Islets
Toronto
Blues Society
416-538-3885
info@torontobluessociety.com