This is the north-of-the-border version of the Blues Music Awards (BMAs) in the U.S. And it’s a big deal. The kind of gala event we’re used to seeing on prime time TV here in the States.
And Of Course They’re Well-Behaved
Yep! Just as you’d expect from *Canada*, voting is polite and easy.
Essentially anyone in Canada can vote. They just need a valid email address and an opinion. Votes are accepted even if the voter’s living outside of the country. That’s sooo Canada aye?
One proviso though.
General folks can’t vote for anyone in the instrumental categories – that’s taken care of by the Nominating Panel. The powers-that-be figure instrumentals are a little more “inside baseball,” and best left up to the experts.
But everything else is open. All other categories.
This is the 25th time The Maple Blues Awards have been given out and most of the winners are no strangers to the general world Blues scene.
…The Maple Blues Awards are Canada’s National Blues awards. The program goal is to promote Blues music across Canada, and to recognize outstanding achievement in the field.
Maple Blues Awards 2022 Winners
- Male Vocalist of the Year – Colin James
- Female Vocalist of the Year – Miss Emily
- Drummer of the Year – Lindsay Beaver
- Keyboard Player of the Year – David Vest
- New Artist /Group of the Year – The Lowdown Dirty Mojos
- Blues Booster of the Year (tied) – Claude Cloutier & Terry Parsons
- Acoustic Act of the Year – Steve Marriner/David Gogo
- Electric Act of the Year – Colin James
- Harmonica Player of the Year – Steve Marriner
- Horn Player of the Year – Allison Young
- Guitarist of the Year – Sue Foley
- Bassist of the Year – Keith Picot
- International Artist of the Year – Bonnie Raitt
- Recording/ Producer of the Year – Steve Marriner – Hope Dies Last (Stony Plain)
- Blues With A Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement Award) – Shakura S’Aida
- Songwriter of the Year – Steve Marriner
- Entertainer of the Year – Sue Foley
…You can get more Maple Blues Awards info H E R E!
Editor’s Note: If you use this list as an entry point into discovering new Blues artists and their music, you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks for reading!
Jon Beres
I’m one part Blues Fan and one part Digital Native (with a dash of Curmudgeon.) I’m also the publisher of AlltheWayBlue.com. If you love the Blues, I have a feeling we’ll get along just fine - cheers!
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