European Blues Awards Vote 2017

Voting is now closed in 37th European Blues Awards and winners will be announced at Manchester Blues Festival UK on Sunday 26 November before being repeated during a #BluesHour Special on Twitter Monday 27 November 20.00 GMT/21.00 CET/15.00 EST. The Lifetime Contribution Award that this year for the first time has been decided by followers of #BluesHour will also be announced at that time.

 

Here for reference are this years finalists;

Best Band

Thorbjorn Risager and the Black Tornado (DEN) – Catfish (UK) – Kaz Hawkins Band (UK) – Band of Friends (EU)

 

Best Guitarist

Dudley Taft (USA) – Erja Lyytinen (FIN) – Innes Sibun (UK) – Laurence Jones (UK)

 

Best Male Vocalist

Marcus Malone (USA) – Ian Siegal (UK) – Paul Jones (UK)

 

Best Female Vocalist

Sari Schorr (USA) – Beth Hart (USA) – Elles Bailey (UK)

 

Best Solo/Acoustic

Dan Owen (UK) – Bex Marshall (UK) – Gwyn Ashton (UK) – Ryan McGarvey (USA)            Matt Andersen (CAN)

 

Best Publication

Blues News (NO) – Blues Matters (UK) – Blues Magazine (NL)

 

Best Album/Recorded Session

Blues Overdrive – Overdrive Live (DEN) – Marcus Malone – A Better Man  (USA) – Walter Trout – We’re All in This Together (USA) – Selwyn Birchwood – Pick Your Poison (USA) – Starlite Campbell Band – Blueberry Pie (UK)

 

Best Radio Show

Charlie Hussey Blues Train (IRE) – Paul Jones Blues Show (UK) – Blues Moose Radio (NL) Gary Grainger Blues Show (UK)

 

Best Musician (Performance)

Anthony Gomes (CAN) – Paul Lanb (UK) – Katie Bradley (UK)

 

Best Festival/Event

Linton Blues (UK) – R & B Festival Colne (UK) – Ribs en Blues (NL) – Relache Festival (FR) Upton Blues (UK)

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Final Award Presentations Before 2017 Vote

          

Last action of this European Blues Awards season has been to present the final awards to winners from 2016. Both Beth Hart (USA) and Layla Zoe (Can) were in Europe on 1st November and received their awards. Beth was presented hers for Best Album 2016 with Fire on the Floor before taking the stage at Forum Bath UK and Layla is seen being given hers by Rob van Elst of Blues Moose Café in the Netherlands (photo courtesy Joachim Brookes, Rock Times). Paul Jones BBC Radio 2 (UK) for Best Radio Show and Julian Sas (NL) for Best Musician (performance) will also be receiving theirs.

Please get ready for this years vote to commence late Saturday 4th November. The voting will end exactly a week later and winners will be announced on Sunday 26th November at Manchester Blues Festival UK who have kindly stepped in at last minute to do it following cancellation of this due to technical reasons at Lucerne. There will also be a European Blues Awards results special #BluesHour via twitter on Monday 27th November.

EBA Team

Pete Feenstra receives a Lifetime Contribution Award in London UK

On Thursday 26th October Pete Feenstra received his 2016 European Blues Lifetime Contribution Award and entered the EBA Hall of Fame. The award was presented at the Beaverwood Blues Club in Chislehurst London by UK events coordinator Bluesman Mike Francis on a European tour date for Carvin Jones Band at the venue. Pete has been instrumental in promoting and playing blues music on the UK scene for many years and is a very worthy recipient of the award.

The award presentation is one of four happening before the public vote begins for European Blues Awards 2017 on Saturday 4th November. Beth Hart is to receive her Best Album Award for 2016 release Fire on the Floor during her European tour three days earlier on Wednesday 1st. Thank again to all the tens of thousands who voted to make this all work and get ready to do it all again very soon.

EBA Team.  Photo courtesy of Phil Honley

Festivals Update for November 2017

Delighted to report we have 3 very important European Festivals happening in November all with European Blues Awards connections. Here is the round up;

Tenby Blues Festival, Wales 10 – 12 November. Venue for European Blues Awards results 2016 this year the line up includes Aynsley Lister and Rebecca Downes. Tickets are £55 in advance from the festival box office.

This years home of the European Blues Awards results will be Lucerne Blues Festival, Switzerland 11-19 November. Line up includes Denise Lasalle and Kaz Hawkins. It is the first time the awards have been announced in that part of the world and we all look forward to it.

Finally the festival that hosted European Blues Awards presentations 2015 Manchester Acoustic Blues Festival, UK returns on Sunday 26 November at Met Theatre Manchester. Originally cancelled due to terrible local tragedy we are glad to see it is back on again. Tickets £9 in advance from venue or £12 on the day if available.

European Blues Awards 2017 are about to roll again!

The 2017 European Blues Awards process is about to begin. Public voting is expected to commence at the start of November and for this, the 36th year Awards. Results will be announced at Lucerne Blues Festival, Switzerland 11-19 November. The details will be posted on the website and during the social media forum #BluesHour on twitter Monday 30th October 20.00 GMT/21.00 CET/15.00 EST. As always the online vote is open to everyone and after record turnout last year is expected to be totally off the scale!

In preparation for this there are two specific things you can do to assist the process. Please feed back as soon as you can any particular artists, radio presenters, events and publications that you feel deserve a place in the final vote process within the 8 categories of Best Guitarist, Best Band, Best Vocalist (male), Best Vocalist (Female), Best Musician (performance), Best Solo/Acoustic, Best Publication and Best Event/Festival.

It has been a very busy year for us evaluating what is on offer and running the forum. However we cannot be everywhere and therefore rely on your help. Please publicly post to the awards twitter account @BluesHour during a forum or send by direct message. You can also email using our new email address europeanbluesawards (at) gmail (dot) com    Any artists suggested must have played live in Europe since November 16. A reminder of course that by posting your nominations during the Monday #BluesHour forums 20.00 GMT/21.00 CET/15.00 EST, there is a massive opportunity to influence and engage a big part of the voter base.

Best album/recorded session category of the European Blues Awards is entirely by public choice and many very worthy considerations have already been received. This year by way of total change the Lifetime Contribution Award will be decided by public consensus. Please email your choice and most importantly a 50 word or less reason (preferably in English but not essential), why your nomination has been made. Once again open to all but no previous winners can be considered of course. This ideally needs to be with the awards team by Tuesday 7th November.

Many thanks EBA Team

28th Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival Colne UK 2017

28th Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival Colne UK 25-27 August 2017

Solo finalist 2016 Dave Arcari headlines acoustic stage Little Theatre Sunday

2013 awards finalist Tim Aves with Wolfpack on the Muni stage on Sunday

Ted McKenna finally receives Best Musician Award at Linton Blues Festival UK

Ted McKenna from Band of Friends receives the award for Best Musician 2015 from Bluesman Mike Francis last Friday 7th July at the Linton Blues Festival UK 2017

     

Audience were then treated to a totally amazing set from Ted and the band on a very warm Ross on Wye midsummer’s evening