Sue Foley – The Ice Queen / Stony Plain Records SPCD1398
Photo by Alan MESSER | www.alanmesser.com
Photo by Alan MESSER | www.alanmesser.com
October 31st, 2019 (Toronto) – Talented blues artists from coast-to-coast will gather in Toronto on February 3rd, 2019 to celebrate the 23rd annual Maple Blues Awards. The nominees include several newcomers and first-time nominees, as well as several Canadian blues women throughout the categories.
Leading the way for nominations is Sue Foley who has been nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Guitarist of the Year and Drummer of the Year for Tom Bona. Dawn Tyler Watson received four nominations including Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, while Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar are nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. A first-time nominee, Miss Emily has been nominated for Entertainer of the Year and New Artist of the Year.
Other newcomers and first-time nominees include Vancouver’s Robert Connely Farr who was nominated for New Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. Ontario-based supergroup Matchedash Parish has been nominated in the categories of New Artist of the Year and Recording/Producer of the Year, Bywater Call and Durham County Poets for New Artist of the Year, and Loretta Hale and Kaven Jalbert for Horn Player of the Year.
Nominees for the 23rd Annual Maple Blues Awards
Entertainer of the Year
Dawn Tyler Watson
Downchild Blues Band
Miss Emily
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar
Sue Foley
Electric Act of the Year
Colin James
Jack de Keyzer
Paul DesLauriers Band
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar
Sue Foley
Acoustic Act of the Year
Big Dave McLean
Harry Manx
Manx Marriner Mainline
Matt Andersen
Michael Jerome Browne
Male Vocalist of the Year
Harpdog Brown
Harrison Kennedy
Matt Andersen
Steve Marriner
Steve Strongman
Female Vocalist of the Year
Angel Forrest
Dawn Tyler Watson
Miss Emily
Samantha Martin
Shakura S’Aida
New Artist of the Year
Bywater Call
Durham County Poets
Matchedash Parish
Miss Emily
Robert Connely Farr
Recording/Producer of the Year
Colin Linden & Luther Dickinson – Amour / Stony Plain (Colin Linden)
Dawn Tyler Watson – Mad Love / Self (François Thiffault & Dawn Tyler Watson)
Harpdog Brown – For Love & Money / Dog House (Steve Dawson)
Matchedash Parish – Saturday Night / Make It Real (Lance Anderson)
Matt Andersen – Halfway Home By Morning / True North (Steve Dawson)
B.B. King International Artist of the Year
Buddy Guy
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Ghost Town Blues Band
Larkin Poe
Mavis Staples
Songwriter of the Year
Big Dave McLean
Colin Linden
Dawn Tyler Watson
Robert Connely Farr
Sue Foley
Blues with a Feeling Award (Lifetime Achievement Award)
Alec Fraser
Brent Parkin
Danny Brooks
Joe Murphy
Ken Whiteley
Michael Fonfara
Michael Jerome Browne
Tom Lavin
Guitarist of the Year
Anthony Gomes
Garrett Mason
Jack de Keyzer
Paul DesLauriers
Sue Foley
Harmonica Player of the Year
Al Lerman
Harpdog Brown
Jim Zeller
Roly Platt
Steve Marriner
Piano/Keyboard of the Year
David Vest
Duane Blackburn
Jenie Thai
Jesse O’Brien
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne
Horn Player of the Year
Chris Whiteley
Kaven Jalbert (Ben Racine Band)
Loretta Hale (Andre Bisson Band)
Mat “Moose” Mousseau (Ben Racine Band)
Richard Thornton (Jack de Keyzer Band)
Drummer of the Year
Chris Nordquist (Steve Kozak, Cannery Row)
Gary Craig (Colin Linden, Steve Dawson)
Lindsay Beaver
Sam Harrisson (Paul DesLauriers Band)
Tom Bona (Sue Foley)
Bassist of the Year
Alec Fraser
Alec McElcheran (Paul DesLauriers Band)
Gary Kendall
Keith Picot
Leigh-Anne Stanton (Wicked Grin)
Registration and voting for the 23rd Annual Maple Blues Awards will be open to the Canadian public from November 1st, 2019 at 12:01 am Newfoundland Daylight Time, through December 1st, 2019 at 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time.
Register at www.mapleblues.ca.
Register at www.mapleblues.ca.
The 23rd annual Maple Blues Awards will be hosted by Raha Javanfar and will be held on February 3, 2020. The gala event is considered to be the premier blues event of the year. Tickets for the Maple Blues Awards are available online at rcmusic.com or at the Koerner Hall box office (The Weston Family Box Office, located in The Royal Conservatory building at 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto) or by phone at (416) 408-0208.
Public tickets are on sale and TBS Charter Members can get the best available seats to the show for 25% discounted tickets anywhere in the hall. Tickets start at only $35.
Koerner Hall is The Royal Conservatory’s 1,135-seat performance venue. It is beloved for its architectural beauty and architectural acoustic excellence. Since opening, it has hosted hundreds of concerts and events reaching more than one million individuals around the world. Koerner Hall is celebrating its 10th anniversary season in 2018-19. To learn more or purchase tickets, please visit rcmusic.com/performance.
