SHEMEKIA COPELAND LANDS ON DOWNBEAT CRITICS' POLL

Shemekia Copeland placed at the top of Downbeat's annual critics' poll in the category Blues Artist: Talent Deserving Wider Recognition. Her album WICKED came in second to B.B. King's Riding With The King in the Best Blues Album category. Copeland was also named Female Artist Of The Year and Best Blues Artist (Female) in the Living Blues Readers' Poll and Critics' Awards, respectively.

For their album vu-du menz, Corey Harris and Henry Butler received the Living Blues Critics' Award in the category Best Blues Albums of 2000 - New Recordings, Traditional & Acoustic.