The 22nd Annual W.C. Handy Awards . . .

. . . ceremony took place Thursday, May 24, 2001, at the historic Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Tennessee. Presented to the world's greatest bluesmakers, the W.C. Handy Awards have become the industry's equivalent to the Grammy's, with the nominees and recipients determined by the collective membership of The Blues Foundation.

The nominees follow. The recipients are in bold italic. Congratulations, and thank you to the bluesmakers everywhere!

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Blues Entertainer of the Year
Shemekia Copeland, B.B. King, Little Milton, Taj Mahal, Rod Piazza, Bobby Rush

Blues Band of the Year
Johnnie Bassett & the Blues Insurgents, Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets featuring Sam Myers, The B.B. King Band, Magic Slim & the Teardrops, Taj Mahal & the Phantom Blues Band, Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers

Contemporary Blues -- Male Artist of the Year
James Armstrong, Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater, Roy Gaines, Larry Garner, Carl Weathersby

Contemporary Blues -- Female Artist of the Year
Marcia Ball, Deborah Coleman, Shemekia Copeland, Debbie Davies, Susan Tedeschi

Soul/Blues -- Male Artist of the Year
Bobby "Blue" Bland, Mighty Sam McClain, Little Milton, Bobby Rush, Johnnie Taylor

Soul/Blues -- Female Artist of the Year
Etta James, Trudy Lynn, E.C. Scott, Irma Thomas, Toni Lynn Washington

Traditional Blues -- Male Artist of the Year
R.L. Burnside, James Cotton, Big Jack Johnson, Robert Lockwood Jr., Magic Slim, Snooky Pryor

Traditional Blues -- Female Artist of the Year
Alberta Adams, Ruth Brown, Carol Fran, Ann Rabson, Koko Taylor

Acoustic Blues -- Artist of the Year
Cephas & Wiggins, Guy Davis, Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Keb' Mo', Jerry Ricks

Best New Blues Artist Debut
Cuttin' In -- Sean Costello
Goin' Down South -- Calvin Jackson
Freedom Creek -- Willie King & the Liberators
Shake Hands With Shorty -- The North Mississippi Allstars
Back in Business -- Beverly Watkins

Blues Instrumentalist -- Guitar
Ronnie Earl, Roy Gaines, Kid Ramos, Duke Robillard, Carl Weathersby

Blues Instrumentalist -- Harmonica
Carey Bell, James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Rod Piazza, Snooky Pryor

Blues Instrumentalist -- Keyboards
Marcia Ball, Henry Butler, Dave Maxwell, Pinetop Perkins, Honey Piazza

Blues Instrumentalist -- Bass
Nick Holt, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, Willie Kent, Bill Stuve, Michael "Mudcat" Ward

Blues Instrumentalist -- Drums
Sam Carr, Sam Lay, Chris Layton, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, R.J. Spangler

Blues Instrumentalist -- Horns
"Sax" Gordon Beadle, Kaz Kazanoff, The Memphis Horns, Roomful Of Blues, Eddie Shaw

Blues Instrumentalist -- Other
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (violin), Sonny Rhodes (lap steel guitar), Freddie Roulette (lap steel guitar), Otha Turner (fife), Claude "Fiddler" Williams (violin).

Comeback Album of the Year
Neck Bones & Caviar -- Mel Brown
Adlib -- Don Covay
Singin' With The Sun -- Little Arthur Duncan
Memphis Tennessee -- Rosco Gordon
Leavin' This Old Town -- Charles Walker

Acoustic Blues Album of the Year
Home To Me -- Eric Bibb
Butt Naked Free -- Guy Davis
Vu-Du Menz -- Corey Harris and Henry Butler
Delta Crossroads -- Robert Lockwood Jr.
Many Miles Of Blues -- Jerry Ricks

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down -- R.L. Burnside
Reservation Blues -- Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater
Wicked -- Shemekia Copeland
West Coast House Party -- Kid Ramos
Riding With The King -- B.B. King and Eric Clapton

Soul/Blues Album of the Year
Blues For The Soul -- Mighty Sam McClain
I Like It That Way -- Darrell Nulisch
Hoochie Man -- Bobby Rush
Masterpiece -- E.C. Scott
My Heart's In Memphis: The Songs Of Dan Penn -- Irma Thomas

Traditional Blues Album of the Year
Jukin' -- Willie Cobbs
Roots Stew -- Big Jack Johnson
Snakebite -- Magic Slim
Double Shot -- Snooky Pryor and Mel Brown
Lettin' Go -- Son Seals

Blues Album of the Year
Reservation Blues -- Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater
Wicked -- Shemekia Copeland
Vu-Du Menz -- Corey Harris and Henry Butler
Roots Stew -- Big Jack Johnson
Lettin' Go -- Son Seals

Historical Blues Album of the Year
Tip Of The Top -- William Clarke
Mo' Na'kins Please! -- James Harman
Live On Maxwell Street 1964 -- Robert Nighthawk
Last Call -- Otis Spann
And This Is Maxwell Street -- Various

Blues Song of the Year
It's 2 A.M. -- Shemekia Copeland (Wicked)
Pennies And Picks -- James Armstrong (Got It Goin' On)
So Long Frank Frost -- Big Jack Johnson (Roots Stew)
Waiting On The Cards To Fall -- Guy Davis (Butt Naked Free)
Winds Of Change -- Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater (Reservation Blues)