Six Alligator Artists Receive Blues Music Awards

The Blues Foundation announced yesterday the winners of the 44th Annual Blues Music Awards. This year, six Alligator Records artists received honors. The awards ceremony was held in Memphis, Tennessee at the Renasant Convention Center. Internationally beloved guitarist and vocalist Tommy Castro, leader of Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, won the prestigious and coveted B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year Award for the second straight year. This is Castro's 10th Blues Music Award, and the fourth time he's been named Entertainer Of The Year. Blues icon Charlie Musselwhite won the award for Acoustic Album Of The Year for his Grammy Award-nominated album Mississippi Son, on which the beloved harmonica player surprised and delighted the world with his note-perfect original country blues guitar playing. This is the 34th Blues Music Award of Musselwhite's career. Powerhouse, multi-Grammy Award-nominated vocalist Shemekia Copeland was named Best Instrumentalist -- Vocals. This is the 15th Blues Music Award of her career. She's received over 40 total nominations. Young blues guitar phenomenon Christone "Kingfish" Ingram took home the hardware for Contemporary Blues Male Artist Of The Year for the fourth straight year. Since he first burst on the scene in 2019, Ingram has been nominated for 10 Blues Music Awards and he's won them all. Legendary vocalist and songwriter Curtis Salgado won the award for Soul Blues Male Artist Of The Year for the third year in a row and for the eighth time in his career. This is Salgado's 12th Blues Music Award overall. Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith, drummer with The Cash Box Kings, was named Best Instrumentalist -- Drums. His top shelf talent can be heard on The Cash Box Kings' new album, Oscar's Motel.

See the full list of winners here.