The 20th Annual W.C. Handy Awards . . .

. . . ceremony took place Thursday, May 27, 1999, 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.

For more information about The Blues Foundation, phone (901) 527-2583, fax (901) 529-4030, or write The Blues Foundation, 49 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103.

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
Johnny Adams, B.B. King, Taj Mahal, Rod Piazza, Bobby Rush, Joe Louis Walker

Blues Band of the Year
Anson Funderburg & The Rockets with Sam Myers, The B.B. King Orchestra, Magic Slim & The Teardrops, Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, Roomful of Blues, Walter "Wolfman" Washington & The Roadmasters

Contemporary Blues -- Male Artist of the Year
Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Keb' Mo', Joe Louis Walker, Carl Weathersby

Contemporary Blues -- Female Artist of the Year
Marcia Ball; Deborah Coleman; Shemekia Copeland; Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas, Tracy Nelson; Susan Tedeschi

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

Soul/Blues -- Female Artist of the Year
Ruth Brown, Etta James, E.C. Scott, Irma Thomas, Lavelle White

Traditional Blues -- Male Artist of the Year
Johnnie Bassett, R.L. Burnside, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Big Jack Johnson, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Snooky Pryor, Magic Slim

Traditional Blues -- Female Artist of the Year
Rory Block, Bonnie Lee, Annie Raines, Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women, Koko Taylor

Acoustic Blues -- Artist of the Year
Guy Davis, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, John Hammond, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Keb' Mo'

Best New Blues Artist
Bernard Allison, Johnnie Bassett, Shemekia Copeland, Chris Thomas King, Susan Tedeschi

Blues Artist Most Deserving Wider Recognition
W.C. Clark, Eddy Clearwater, Roy Gaines, Larry Garner, Larry McCray, Darrell Nulisch, Finis Tasby, Carl Weathersby

Blues Instrumentalist -- Guitar
Johnnie Bassett, Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, Otis Rush, Joe Louis Walker, Carl Weathersby

Blues Instrumentalist -- Harmonica
Carey Bell, Paul De Lay, Charlie Musselwhite, Rod Piazza, Snooky Pryor, Kim Wilson

Blues Instrumentalist -- Keyboards
Marcia Ball, Charles Brown, Dr. John, Pinetop Perkins, Honey Piazza

Blues Instrumentalist -- Bass
Sarah Brown, Johnny B. Gayden, Nick Holt, Willie Kent, Bill Stuve

Blues Instrumentalist -- Drums
Ray Allison, Sam Carr, Popsy Dixon, Sam Lay, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

Blues Instrumentalist -- Other
Gatemouth Brown (violin), Kaz Kazanof (saxophone), Sonny Rhodes (lap steel), Freddie Roulette (lap steel), Eddie Shaw (saxophone)

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
Sing It -- Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas, Tracy Nelson
Turn Up The Heat -- Shemekia Copeland
Blues On The Bayou -- B.B. King
Any Place I'm Going -- Otis Rush
Just Won't Burn -- Susan Tedeschi
Preacher And The President -- Joe Louis Walker

Soul/Blues Album of the Year
Man Of My Word -- Johnny Adams
Live On Beale Street -- Bobby "Blue" Bland
Lover's Plea -- W.C. Clark
Life, Love & The Blues -- Etta James
For Real -- Little Milton
Journey -- Mighty Sam McClain

Traditional Blues Album of the Year
Cadillac Blues -- Johnnie Bassett
The World Don't Owe Me Nothing -- David "Honeyboy" Edwards
You Don't Know My Mind -- Guy Davis
Long As I Have You -- John Hammond
I Got To Find Me A Woman -- Robert Lockwood Jr.

Comeback Album of the Year
Nothin' But The Truth -- Texas Johnny Brown
The Robert Johnson Songbook -- Peter Green
I Was Raised On The Blues -- Johnny Jones
It's Rough Out Here -- Al King
For Pete's Sake -- Pete Mayes
You Can't Do That -- Dave Myers

Acoustic Blues Album of the Year
Confessions Of A Blues Singer -- Rory Block
Blues After Sunset -- Henry Butler
You Don't Know My Mind -- Guy Davis
Territory -- Alvin Youngblood Hart
Red Mud -- Chris Thomas King

Reissue Blues Album of the Year
Hand Me Down My Moonshine -- Luther Allison
Fast Fingers -- Jimmy Dawkins
Live At The Regal -- B.B. King
Bricks In My Pillow -- Robert Nighthawk
Now You Can Talk About Me -- George Smith
Blues Hit Big Town -- Junior Wells

Blues Song of the Year
Cadillac Blues -- Johnnie Bassett (Cadillac Blues)
Cool Blues Walk -- Eddy Clearwater (Cool Blues Walk)
Fourteen Dollars In The Bank -- Paul De Lay (Nice & Strong)
Soon As I Get Paid -- Keb' Mo' (Slow Down)
Turn The Heat Up -- Shemekia Copeland (Turn The Heat Up)