The British Blues Awards 2015

....An award is great but the greatest reward is having an audience and being loved for what you do....(I said that...)

The British Blues Awards were announced this evening on Richard Dunning's splendid radio show. A full list of all the brilliant Winners and Runners-Up can be seen at the foot of this page...Congratulations guys!

First. Thanks should be pointed smartly in the direction of that brave small band of BBA organisers, who despite the predictable hail-storm of casual criticism and the sad loss of main man Barry Middleton, once again donned their Hard Hats and Body Armour and made it possible for the awards to carry on in 2015. (There is to be a memorial celebration for Barry at The Navigation public house in Nottingham on October 17 at which winners will be able to collect their awards....check the BBA pages for details).

There will be those who will be disappointed. Others who will be surprised and many who will be running round the kitchen with their knickers on their head shouting 'Oh, Yeah, Oh Yeah!'. Huge and noisy congratulations to those whose names have appeared and commiserations to those who were nominated but never made it to the final list. 
The Blues Community is, above all else, a hugely supportive and appreciative band of friends, that regardless of experience and expertise, age or youth, can appreciate excellence and talent whether it gets an award or not. We know about the graft, the practice, the road miles and long hours that go into what musicians do to get their music into our world. An award is great but the greatest reward is having an audience and being loved for what you do. You know that. I know that. Don't let anyone tell you any different...

And now...

A few HatWords for those picking up an award this year. The Hat along with nearly 50 others is on the BBA original nominations panel. None of us, or the sponsors, have the slightest involvement in the voting or the counting. It is a public vote. This year, as everyone knows, there was the usual outbreak of what has become the traditional criticism of the awards, the nominations panel, the omissions, the arrangements and, for all I know, the shape of the award. It was a particularly bitter and noisy open house free-for-all this year, with the world and his wife weighing in with their tuppence and their personal prejudices. Even The Hat felt obliged to write a 'calm down' piece about 'The Blues Eating Itself' a few weeks ago. 

There is no question that the BBAs certainly need an overhaul and there are many things that need fixing - not least is the need for a much higher profile and a proper awards venue which must be priorities. That is the least that British Blues deserve. However, as before, the awards survived and right now it is important that we all acknowledge and celebrate with all those winners.

Sadly this year, the flak being thrown around about the awards seemed more vindictive and generalised than usual. Even The Hat got caught up as collateral damage...being characterised on a public page, along with others, (by a rather sneery critic, who seemed dead set on torching everything within reach about the BBAs - especially the nomination panel) - as being 'one of those bloggers who we all know just write about their mates'. Er...what? Well, for the record (mine, not his) let me say, I have never met this opinionated expert and, as far as I am aware, he knows nothing at all about my dodgy background or even my magic ability to write complicated joined-up words. He is not 'a mate' but I still somehow managed to give him a name-check in a blog I wrote over two years ago. A lot of jaundiced criticism has been offered up, some helpful and some ego-tripping nonsense - but now it is important that we move on and get some constructive debate going....quickly.

I make this personal point (unusually) partly because I'm quite comfortable with proper grown-up criticism and also I am old enough and blues-world-weary enough to shrug off any sweeping observations from people who are looking to devalue and criticise everything about the Blues Awards - whatever their motive. But hear this. Some of the louder and unhappy shouters should remember that any musician setting out or established, working their butt off and looking for appreciation may not see critical ill-informed generalisations and disdainful dismissal from those opposed to the awards as particularly helpful or encouraging. Devaluing their aspirations from behind your Facebook page because you don't like the awards system is not smart.

What I do say is this – to those of you have found yourselves celebrating this week...

Don't let yourself be caught up in the inevitable peripheral drum-beating background static. Enjoy your award, it is well deserved. You are damn good. You worked hard and then worked harder. You deserve to be recognised. Put it on your website. Take it down the pub. Put it on your mantelpiece. Hang it on your wall. Balance it on the end of the bath and admire it. Brag to your mates and anyone else who will listen. You're good – don't let anyone else tell you anything any different.

Bravo! Trebles all round!

The Blues Man in The Hat

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British Blues Awards 2015

Winners and Runners Up

Male Vocals Sponsored by Blues in the South

1 Alan Nimmo

2 Aynsley Lister

3 Marcus Bonfanti

Female Vocals Sponsored by Digital Blues

1 Dani Wilde

2 Katie Bradley

3 Zoe Schwarz

Band Sponsored by Tuesday Night Music Club

1 The Nimmo Brothers

2 The Hoax

3 Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion

Acoustic Sponsored by The Half Moon, Putney

1 Ian Siegal

2 Marcus Bonfanti

3= Joel Fisk and Jon Amor

3= Matt Woosey

Guitar Sponsored by New Crawdaddy Club

1 Aynsley Lister

2 Alan Nimmo

3 Chantel McGregor

Harmonica Sponsored by Wall to Wall Blues

1 Paul Lamb

2 Will Wilde

3 Trevor Steger

Keyboards Sponsored by Sarah's Sussex Blues

1 Paddy Milner

2 Steve Watts

3 Lee Spreadbury

Bass Sponsored by The Blues and Soul Show

1 Norman Watt Roy

2 Lindsay Coulson

3 Roger Inniss

Drums Sponsored by The Blues and Soul Show

1 Wayne Proctor

2 Sam Kelly

3 Mark Barrett

Instrumentalist Sponsored by Raven and the Blues

1 Becky Tate

2 Sarah Skinner

3 Kyla Brox

Young Artist Sponsored by Pablo and the Blues

1 Laurence Jones

2 Alex Butler

3 Lucy Zirins

Festival Sponsored by Blues and Roots Radio

1 Upton Blues Festival

2 Blues on the Farm

3 Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival Colne

Overseas Artist Sponsored by Sunday Morning Soul

1 Walter Trout

2 Kenny Wayne Shepherd

3 The Billy Walton Band

Independent Blues Broadcaster Sponsored by The Blues Session

1 Dave Raven

2 Gary Grainger

3 Kevin Beale

Album Sponsored by Sedgefield Rock and Blues Club

1 Going Back Home - Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey

2 Man and Guitar - Ian Siegal

3 Temperature Rising - Danny Bryant

Song Sponsored by GMH Promotions

1 Mud Honey - Joanne Shaw Taylor

2 Bitter Moon - Malaya Blue

3 Long Way To Heaven - Wily Bo Walker and Karena K

Barry Middleton Memorial Award for Emerging Artist Sponsored by Blues in Britain

1 Kaz Hawkins

2 Red Butler

3 Catfish

Kevin Thorpe Memorial Award for Songwriter Sponsored by Worthing Pier

1 Katie Bradley and Dudley Ross

2 Matt Woosey

3 Trevor Sewell

Lifetime Achievement Award Sponsored by Friday Night Blues with Hugh Fee

Paul Dean New Crawdaddy Club

British Blues Great Sponsored by Blues and Roots PR

John Mayall

British Blues Great Sponsored by Ian McKenzie Presents

Chris Barber