(October 30, 2014)
Toronto, ON – The Toronto Blues Society will be celebrating the 18th annual
Maple Blues Awards by honouring nationally and internationally recognized
Canadian blues artists from across the country on January 19th, 2015. Toronto
artists lead with twenty seven nominations, followed by Montreal (15), Vancouver
(9), Ottawa (8) and Hamilton (7).
Ottawa’s MonkeyJunk and
Toronto’s Downchild each
received five nominations followed by Montreal’s Steve Hill with four.
There are plenty of other acts each with multiple nominations including
Fathead,
Raoul & the Big
Time, The 24th Street
Wailers,
Brandon Isaak, Steve Strongman and Harrison Kennedy.
Quebec blues artists are well represented with nominations for
Jordan Officer, Angel
Forrest, Dawn Tyler Watson, and Guy Bélanger to name
a few. British Columbia’s thriving blues scene is represented with nominations
for Dave “Hurricane”
Hoerl, David Vest,
Keith
Picot and Kenny “Blues Boss”
Wayne. The nominees, selected by a panel consisting of industry professionals from
across Canada, are recognized both for their talent as well as their
contribution to the growing Canadian blues music
scene.
Voting is
open from 11:59pm Newfoundland
Daylight Time on November 5,
2014, through
11:59pm
Pacific Standard Time on
December 5, 2014.
Blues fans can cast their votes online at www.mapleblues.ca. Canadian blues fans can
cast their votes in all categories except
instrumental.
Tickets for the Maple
Blues Awards, held at the Royal Conservatory’s Koerner Hall in Toronto, are on
sale now for $28 – $65 and can be purchased at The Weston Family Box Office,
located in The Royal Conservatory building at 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, by
phone at RCM box office (416) 408-0208 or online at https://tickets.rcmusic.ca/public. Contact The
Toronto Blues Society for member discounts.
Heading in to its
30th anniversary year, The Toronto Blues
Society is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the
promotion and preservation of the Blues. 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.
Located along the Bloor
Street cultural corridor, The Royal Conservatory of
Music is one of the largest and most respected music performance
and arts education institutions in the world. Its breathtaking Koerner Hall,
“the jewel in the crown of Toronto’s Cultural Renaissance,” along with two other
concert spaces, presents 70+ concerts annually from acclaimed classical, jazz,
pop, and world music and hosts an additional 100+ concerts and events from a
wide range of not for profit arts groups, charities, and corporate
clients.
The 18th Annual Maple
Blues Awards Nominees:
The 24th Street
Wailers
MonkeyJunk
Raoul & the Big Time
Steve Hill
Steve
Strongman
Downchild
Jack de
Keyzer
MonkeyJunk
Steve Hill
Steve
Strongman
Adam Karch
Big Dave
McLean
Brandon Isaak
Harrison Kennedy
Michael Jerome
Browne
Male Vocalist of the
Year
Chuck
Jackson
Harrison Kennedy
Jon Knight
Matt Andersen
Steve
Marriner
Female Vocalist of the
Year
Angel Forrest
Dawn
Tyler Watson
Diana Braithwaite
Shakura S’Aida
Suzie
Vinnick
New Artist or Group of
the Year
Irene Torres & the
Sugar Devils
Joel Johnson Band
Jordan Officer
Sean Pinchin
Wicked
Grin
B.B. King International
Artist of the Year
Beth Hart
Elvin
Bishop
Janiva Magness
Johnny Winter
Mavis
Staples
JW-Jones
Paul
DesLauriers
Steve Dawson
Steve Hill
Steve
Strongman
Piano or Keyboard Player
of the Year
David McMorrow (Jack de
Keyzer)
David Vest
Julian Fauth
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne
Lance
Anderson
Harmonica Player of the
Year
Dave “Hurricane”
Hoerl
Guy Bélanger
Harpdog Brown
Jerome Godboo
Steve
Marriner
Al Lerman
Chris
Whiteley
Jon Wong
Pat Carey
Richard
Thornton
Bucky Berger
(Fathead)
Lindsay Beaver (The 24th Street Wailers)
Matt Sobb
(MonkeyJunk)
Sam Harrisson (Paul DesLauriers Band)
Tom Bona (Raoul and the
Big Time, Soulstack)
Alan Duffy (Jack de
Keyzer)
Alec Fraser (Fraser/Daley)
Greg Morency (Paul DesLauriers Band)
Keith Picot (Brandon Isaak)
Omar Tunnoch
(Fathead)
Angel Forrest
Brandon
Isaak
Harrison Kennedy
Raoul Bhaneja
Ray
Bonneville
Recording/Producer of
the Year
Brandon Isaak – Here On
Earth (Self) Producer: Chris Isaak
Downchild – Can You Hear the Music (Linus
Entertainment) Producer: Don Walsh
JW-Jones – Belmont Boulevard (Blind Pig
Records) Producer: Tom Hambridge
Raoul and the Big Time – Hollywood Blvd (Big
Time Records) Producer: Raoul Bhaneja
Steve Hill Solo Recordings Vol. 2 (No
Label Records) Producer: Steve Hill
Blues With A Feeling
(Lifetime Achievement Award)
Diana
Braithwaite
Alec Fraser
Danny Brooks
Ellen McIlwaine
Joe
Murphy
Ken Whiteley
Michael Fonfara
Stephen Barry
Tom
Lavin
Michael Jerome Browne
Brent Parkin
Nannette Workman
Theresa
Malenfant
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