Seven Alligator Artists Receive 19 Blues Music Award Nominations

SEVEN ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE 19 BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS

Elvin Bishop Receives Six, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Receive Four

Newcomers Jarekus Singleton and Selwyn Birchwood Both Nominated

Previous Winners Marcia Ball, Joe Louis Walker and Curtis Salgado Also Receive Nominations

On Wednesday, December 10, 2014, The Blues Foundation announced the nominees for the 2015 Blues Music Awards, the blues world's highest honors. Seven Alligator recording artists received a total of 19 nominations.

Legendary guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Elvin Bishop leads the pack with six nominations, with nods in all the biggest categories: Album Of The Year and Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year (for Can't Even Do Wrong Right), B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year, Band Of The Year, Song Of The Year (for the title track) and Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year. Bishop has been nominated eight previous times, though he has never won a BMA.

Harmonicist/vocalist/songwriter Rick Estrin, of Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, received two nominations, including the coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of Year and Instrumentalist Of The Year - Harmonica. The whole band received a Band Of The Year nomination. Nightcats guitarist Kid Andersen received a nomination for Instrumentalist Of The Year - Guitar. Estrin has been nominated 15 previous times and holds two BMAs.

Newcomer Jarekus Singleton received three nominations including the prestigious Album Of The Year and Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year for his Alligator debut, Refuse To Lose. He also was recognized with a nomination for Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year.

Fellow newcomer Selwyn Birchwood received a nomination for Best New Artist Album Of The Year for his breakout Alligator debut, Don't Call No Ambulance.

Austin piano queen Marcia Ball received nominations for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year and the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Of The Year. Ball has received 42 previous nominations and has won nine BMAs.

Blues Hall Of Famer Joe Louis Walker also received two nominations: one for Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year and the other for Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year for Hornet's Nest. Walker has been nominated 52 times previously, and has won four BMAs.

Vocalist/harmonicist Curtis Salgado received a nomination for Soul Blues Male Artist Of The Year. Salgado has been nominated 12 times previously and has won five BMAs, including Soul Blues Male Artist Of The year three times.

The 36th Annual Blues Music Awards will be presented in Memphis on Thursday, May 7, 2015 at the Cook Convention Center.