FIVE ALLIGATOR ARTISTS RECEIVE 10 LIVING BLUES CRITICS AND READERS AWARDS

Shemekia Copeland Leads All Artists With Four Wins, Including Both The Readers And Critics Awards For Blues Artist Of The Year (Female)

Christone "Kingfish" Ingram Named Blues Artist Of The Year (Male)

Charlie Musselwhite, Marcia Ball And Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith (of The Cash Box Kings) Also Honored

Living Blues magazine, in its new issue #285 (July/August), announced the winners of of the 30th Annual Living Blues Critics and Readers Awards. This year, five Alligator artists received a total of 10 awards: five Readers Awards and five Critics Awards.

Leading all artists with four wins is beloved blues and soul vocalist Shemekia Copeland. She received both the Readers and the Critics Award for Blues Artist Of The Year (Female), and also won the Readers Award for Most Outstanding Blues Singer. Copeland's 2022 Grammy-nominated release, Done Come Too Far, won the Critics Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album of 2022. Additionally, the album's producer, musician Will Kimbrough, won the Critics Award for Producer Of The Year.

Grammy Award-winning guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Christone "Kingfish" Ingram won the Readers Award for Blues Artist Of The Year (Male), and the Critics Award for Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar).

Blues icon Charlie Musselwhite won both the Readers and Critics Award for Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica).

Texas pianist/vocalist Marcia Ball won the Readers Award for Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboards). And Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith (drummer for The Cash Box Kings) won the Readers Award for Most Outstanding Musician (Drums).

The full list of winners can be found here.

Alligator artists and their awards follow:

CRITICS AWARD
Blues Artist Of The Year (Female)
Best Blues Album Of 2022:
New Recording/Contemporary Blues - Done Come Too Far

READERS AWARD
Blues Artist Of The Year (Female)
Most Outstanding Blues Singer

CRITICS AWARD
Blues Artist Of The Year (Male)

READERS AWARD
Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar)

CRITICS AWARD
Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica) 

READERS AWARD
Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica) 

 

READERS AWARD
Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboards)

 

CRITICS AWARD
Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith - Most Outstanding Musician (Drums)