Tag Archives: Liz Mandeville

This is the third edition of the Blues411 Annual Awards, somehow they seem to have taken on the name of ‘The Jimi’s“ which is fine with me. Yet whatever we call them, they serve as a vehicle to pay tribute to all the fine musicians and friends that have come into contact with Blues411 this past year. Remember only releases which have been received at our headquarters are eligible for an award, so if ya wanna get one of these babies then get your stuff to us for review.

This third year has seen many changes, new look for site, a 200+ fold of readers, fancy-schmanzy email campaign, regular appearances on Music On The Couch, festival and media partnerships, Tier1 Supporters and so on. It has been unbelieveable to me the growth and success of this venture, thank you all.

The Special Drink of 2012:
Two years we sat back and poured a straight Jameson, last year we were kicking back with a pitcher of  The Gingerbread Housewrecker - this year we are imbibing with a classic cocktail ‘The Manhattan‘. This is mostly due to the fact that it was my departed brother Emil’s long standing favorite. We now raise a glass to him whenever we get together. . So here’s to you ‘old  man’ rest well. For info (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_(cocktail).

….and away we go (winners in Bold)!

Best Live Recording:
Colin Linden “Still Live”
Suzie Vinnick: “Live at Bluesville”
Sauce Boss: “LIVE at the Green Parrot”
Harper & The Midwest Kind: “LIVE at the Blues Museum”
Sybil Gage: “NOLA Calling”
there was something inside this recording that captured the soul of Harper and the band.

Acoustic Blues Album:
Steve Strongman: “Natural Fact”
Brandon Isaak:  ”Ghost Town”
Rory Block: “I Belong To The Band: A Tribute to the Reverend Gary Davis ”
Smokin’ Joe Kubek & Bnois King: “Close To The Bone”
Eric Bibb: “Deeper In The Well”
an absolute stunning release featuring the voice of B’nois King and guitar work of Smokin’ Joe Kubek (who shares my birthday).

Best Soul, R&B Release:
Lady Bianca: “Servin’ Notice”
Dorothy Moore: “Blues Heart”
Johnny Rawls: “Soul Survivor”
John Lee Hooker, Jr.: “All Hooked Up”
Barbara Carr: “Keep The Fire Burning”
Mr. Hooker pulls no punches with this one and beats out some very, very excellent releases.

Best Roots Album:
Paul Thorn: “What The Hell Is Goin’ On?”
Little Joe McLerran: “Facebook Blues”
Peter Novelli: “Louisiana Blues & Roots”
Corey Lueck & Smoke Wagon  Blues Band: “It Ain’t Easy”
Tas Cru: “Tired of Bluesmen Cryin’”
Davis Coen: “Hard Luck Cafe”
Davis is a modern day songwriter who covers all his bases with a wide brush and a vocal pallete that is unmistakable. 

Best New Debut Release:
Sena Ehrhardt: “Leave The Lights On”
Ron Tanski: “Dragged You Down”
Royal Southern Brotherhood: “Royal Southern Brotherhood”
Tyler Mac: “Already Home”
Little G Weevil: “The Teaser”
Memphis Cradle: “Love, Lies, Burning”
Cassie Taylor: “Blue”
Solid and formidible start to what may be the next ‘super-group’ of the Blues. Lots of good first releases this year.

Female Vocalist:
Ruthie Foster: “Let It Burn”
Dorothy Moore: “Blues Heart”
Janiva Magness: “Stronger For It”
Cee Cee James: “Blood Red Blues”
Lawrence Lebo: “The Best of Don’t Call Her Larry”
All these ladies are deserving of the award, but Ms. Moore brought something just the other side of ‘spot on’ perfection in all her vocal treatments.

Male Vocalist:
Ian Siegal
Mike Finnigan (Phantom Blues Band)
Bnois King
Dion
Freddie Cunningham (Root Doctor)
Dion’s voice has not faltered at all since his younger days, in fact it has mellowed and grown along with his understanding of how to deliver a song.

Guitar Hero (Electric):
Debbie Davies
Jimmy Thackery
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Anders Osborne
Rick Holmstrom
Anthony Gomes
Ms. Davies and Mr. Thackery stand apart from these other worthy folks, I can see no arguement here. Each of these folks brings a new light to the guitar-hero phase of rockin’ blues.

Badass Bass:
Todd Edmunds: Otis Taylor Band
Larry Fulcher: Phantom Blues Band
Joseph Veloz: Mississippi Heat
Lisa Mann: Lisa Mann Band
Mark Bumgarner: Jimmy Thackery Band
This cat can flat out play any style, pace or pattern, a true badass bassist.

Radiating Them 88′s Piano Player:
David Maxwell: “Blues In Other Colors”
Scottie Miller: “Rise Up”
Lee Pons: “Togged To The Bricks”
Joe Fingers: “Tales of Love and Coffee”
Ron Tanski: “Dragged You Down”
Some new, some familiar here, but Mr. Miller showed me much with his versatility and prowess and takes this one home.

Harmonica Player:
Dennis Gruenling
Pierre LaCocque
Sugar Blue
Marco Pandolfi
(Peter) Harper
Mr. Blue still is the most original harp player anywhere on this earth.

Drum Thumper Award:
Eric Selby: Billy Thompson Band
Drum Counselor (Go-Go Ray): Samantha Fish Band
Justin Headley: Sauce Boss/Fatty Waters Band
Larry Thompson: Otis Taylor Band
D’Mar: Paula Harris Band, Chris Gill
His work with Samantha Fish adds such power and feel to her music that he is the rock-solid foundation that all else is built upon.

Instrumentalist Other:
(Peter) Harper: Didgeridoo
Anne Harris: Violin
Phil Parlapiano: Accordian
Harry Manx: Mohan Veena
Chris DiFrancesco: Saxaphone
Ms. Harris has  revitalized the violin in blues music restoring it to a place of prominence.

Coolest Release Title:
JR Clark: “Icicles On My Ceiling”
Mighty Sam McClain: “Too  Much Jesus (And Not Enough Whiskey)”
Kerry Kearney: “Ghosts of Psychedelta”
Paula Harris: “Turning On The Naughty”
RJ Knapp & Honey Robin: “Don’t Blame The Dynamite…If You Can’t Light The Fuse”
Some great titles here, but gotta go with Mr. McClain’s.

Best Traditional Release:
Liz Mandeville: “Clarksdale”
Guy Davis: “The Adventures of Fishy Waters: In Bed With The Blues”
Mississippi Heat: “Delta Time”
Tim ‘Too Slim’ Langford: “Broken Halo”
Brad Vickers & The Vestapolitans: “Dallas Blues”
A recreation of an old timey songs- done with the perfect feel and sense of timing that deserves the award. 

International Release of the Year:
Hans Theessink & Terry Evans: “Delta Time”
Philipp Fankhauser: “Try My Love”
The 24th Street Wailers: “Unshakable”
Ian Siegal: “Candy Store Kid”
Marco  Pandolfi: “Close The Bottle When You’re Done”
This was an amazing year for International releases, if I could, I would put them all up for an awards. No shame in not winning but Mr. Frankhauser gets this award for his stunning release.

Song of The Year:
“Turn Off Your TV”: Walter Trout
“Running From The Devil”: Zac Harmon
“Hard Pressed (Wha Da Fuzz?)”: Ian Siegal
“Hard Times”: John Lee Hooker, Jr.
“I Won’t Cry”: Janiva Magness
“Coming Down With The Blues”: Dorothy Moore
“Mind of A Junkie”: Anders Osborne
This sing-song track whose simple structure and catchy beat hides a deep rooted problem, wins in a very tough category.

Album of the Year:
Otis Taylor: “Contraband”
Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps: “Come On Home”
Lady Bianca: “Servin’ Notice”
Anders Osborne: “Black Eye Galaxy”
Zac Harmon: “Music Is Medicine”
John Lee Hooker, Jr. “All Hooked Up”
Overall Mr. Taylor (and band)’s work on this release sets him atop the pinnacle of his career.

22^st Century Distribution Channel Award:
Bea B & The Axxemann: “Born With The Blues”
Franc Robert: “Why Do I Never Win”
Beth McKee: “Next To Nowhere”
- spice packet included in press kit wins it!
Lawrence Lebo: “Don’t Call Her Larry”
Gaye Adegblola: “Blues In All Colors”
Some great new ideas out there, but Ms. McKee wins it with the spice packet and instructions for a god time. 

Blues Book of the Year:
When I Left Home: Buddy Guy w/David ritz
Blues Highway Blues: Eyre Price
The Language of The Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu: Debra Devi
The Beautiful Music All Around Us – Field recordings and the Amercian Experience: Stephen Wade
Mr. Price has given us a thriller full of blues, rock and roll and music history complete with rapscallions, thugs, and bad people too!

Outstanding Fan/Supporter of Blues411:
Martin Goettsch
Billy Thompson
Vinny Marini
Pete Enright
Marcia Goodwin Adams
Host of ‘Music On The Couch’ Mr. Marini is live every Monday with Musicians You Should Know, and has found time to feature Blues411 every first Monday of the month.

There were so many great releases and songs this year I am thrilled to have had them in my life. Thanks to Mark Pucci, Frank Roszak, Betsie Brown, Doug Deutsch and all the artists who took the time to feed me the goods so that I may share with all of you.Thank you  to my readers and supporters (as well as artists) who make this worth the  effort. So until next time, this edition of “The Jimi’s” is signing off, see ya in cyber-space.

Until next time,
Love, Peace & Chicken Grease
chefjimi
©Blues411.com 2012
Where Blues Thrives

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