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.
The nominees are selected by a distinguished panel of blues DJs and journalists from across Canada. Members of the
Nominating Panel are not eligible for any of the awards.
The winners are selected by the votes of blues fans from across Canada. Blues fans cast their votes online, at
www.mapleblues.ca (designed by KMP Designs, Inc). The voting will begin on November 13, 2006, and continue until midnight (EST) December 16,
2006.
The winners will be announced at the annual 9th Annual Maple Blues Awards Gala in Toronto, on January 15, 2007. 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. Special guests joining the band this
year will be announced soon. The host this year is Jim Byrnes.
And the nominees are....
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jim
Byrnes
Downchild Blues Band
Jack de Keyzer
Dawn Tyler Watson
Kenny 'Blues Boss' Wayne
ELECTRIC
ACT OF THE YEAR
Mel Brown
John Campbelljohn
Colin James
Garrett Mason
The Perpetrators
ACOUSTIC ACT OF THE YEAR
Rick Fines & Suzie Vinnick
Hot Toddy/Isaac & Blewitt
Harrison
Kennedy
Harry Manx
Tim Williams
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Jim
Byrnes
David Clayton-Thomas
Donald Ray Johnson
Harrison Kennedy
John Mays
FEMALE
VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Rita Chiarelli
Ndidi Onukwulu
Roxanne Potvin
Suzie Vinnick
Dawn Tyler
Watson
NEW ARTIST/GROUP
OF THE YEAR
The Agnostic Mountain Gospel
Choir
DiggingRoots
Treasa Levasseur
Ndidi Onukwulu
Ricky Paquette
Trouble & Strife
B.B. KING INTERNATIONAL ARTIST
Solomon Burke
James Hunter
Bettye Lavette
Keb' Mo'
Watermelon
Slim
RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Mel Brown: Blues - A Beautiful Thing (Electro-Fi)
Producers: Mel Brown & Andrew Galloway
Jim Byrnes: House of Refuge (Black Hen)
Producer:
Steve Dawson
JW-Jones Blues Band: Kissing in 29 Days (NorthernBlues)
Producer: JW-Jones
Diana
Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley: Morning Sun (Electro-Fi)
Producers: Diana Braithwaite &
Chris Whiteley
Ndidi Onukwulu: No, I Never (Jericho Beach)
Producer: Sam Goldberg
GUITARIST OF THE YEAR
Kevin Breit
Mel Brown
John Campbelljohn
Sue Foley
Bill
Johnson
HARMONICA PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dave Hoerl
Carlos del Junco
Al
Lerman
Paul Reddick
David Rotundo
KEYBOARD/PIANO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lance
Anderson
Richard Bell
Julian Fauth
Graham Guest
Kenny 'Blues Boss' Wayne
HORN
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Pat Carey
Mike Clark
Johnny Ferreira
Chris Murphy
Chris Whiteley
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
Geoff Arsenault
Bucky Berger
Al Cross
Mike Sloski
Bob Vespaziani
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Alec Fraser
Russell Jackson
Gary Kendall
Omar Tunnoch
Suzie
Vinnick
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD presented by SOCAN
Ray Bonneville
Jim
Byrnes
Rick Fines & Suzie Vinnick
Harry Manx
Chris Whiteley
BLUES WITH A FEELING
Toronto
Blues Society Lifetime Achievement Award
Alec Fraser
Amos Garrett
Tom Lavin
Colin Linden
Big Dave McLean
Ellen McIlwaine
Joe Murphy
Chris
Whiteley
Ken Whiteley
Terry Wilkins
