This Week in BluesWax:

 

BluesWax Artist and Album of the Year

 

- In the E-zine: And the winner is...The votes are in and they have been counted. Check out whom you voted for as the BluesWax Artist and Album of the Year!

- On the News Page: Gene McFadden Passes; International Blues Challenge Winners; Blues Grammy Nominees; Roxy Perry's Back in Bluesville Wins Best Self-Produced CD; John Nemeth Signs With Blind Pig; Bluesville Picks To Click; Delta Music Experience News; and much more news that's Blues!

- On the Photo Page: Artist of the Year Winner live from the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, courtesy of Joe Rosen and www.josepharosen.com.

- On the Blues Bytes page: Rev. Billy C. Wirtz returns with his Slipped Discs column, this time featuring the great piano master, Otis Spann.

- On the Blues Beat page: This week's BluesWax Spotlight is on Mofro. Join Phil Reser as he takes a look at this Florida musicians take on the Blues, life, and more.

- Under BluesWax Picks: Bob Gersztyn reviews Dion DiMucci's Bronx in Blue; Kyle Palarino reviews Son Lewis' The Country Blues and Johnny Adams' The Great Johnny Adams Blues Album; plus reviews of the various artist compilation Festival, Sista Monica's Can't Keep A Good Woman Down, and David Allan Coe's Penitentiary Blues.

- One Year Ago Today In BluesWax: And the winners were...The votes were in and counted for the BluesWax Artist and Album of the Year for 2004. Check out whom you voted as the BluesWax Artist and Album of the Year in 2004.

- Don't forget to play the Blues Trivia Game: Remember, everyone who plays is in the drawing for the prize! This week's prize: a two-CD pack that includes Billy Boy Arnold's Consolidated Mojo, courtesy of Electro-Fi Records, and Sky High's On the Cover: 25 Years of Madness, courtesy of Virgin Records Sweden. Play Today!

 

 

And the Winners Are...

 

Joe Bonamassa and Tab Benoit!

 

BluesWax Artist of the Year
Joe Bonamassa

Photo by Chris Marksbury of CM Photos

 

Yes, the readers of BluesWax, the largest subscribed Blues publication in the world, have selected their BluesWax Artist of the Year 2005 and BluesWax Album of the Year 2005. Through the month of December, through your nominations, you created a final ballot of five artists and five albums and then for the past few weeks you voted. As the largest subscribed Blues publication in the world, these awards are open to more fans than any other awards in the Blues. The final ballot for BluesWax Blues Artist of the Year 2005 was:

 

Joe Bonamassa

Chris Cotton

Anthony Gomes

Candye Kane

Ana Popovic

 

With record voting in both categories this year, you selected Joe Bonamassa as BluesWax Blues Artist of the Year 2005. With a record number of first place votes Bonamassa becomes the first two-time winner of the BluesWax Artist of the Year Award. Joe Bonamassa is a true ambassador for the Blues and his commitment to the Blues in the Schools program and the high-energy shows have continued to develop new fans of his music as well as the music that we all love and support. Congratulations Joe and we wish you all the luck! BluesWax wasn't able to catch up with Bonamassa before he boarded a plane for Europe, but I am sure we will hear from Joe very soon. Be sure to stay tuned for an interview with Bonamassa in a future BluesWax.

 

 

BluesWax Album of the Year

 

Tab Benoit's

Fever For The Bayou

Click Cover For More Info

 

As with the Artist of the Year Award, the nominating process for BluesWax Album of the Year 2005 began back in the beginning of December when our readers began making nominations. The nominating process created the final ballot of:

 

A New Day Yesterday Live-Joe Bonamassa

About Them Shoes-Hubert Sumlin

Fever For The Bayou-Tab Benoit

I Watched The Devil Die-Chris Cotton

White Trash Girl-Candye Kane

 

These were all great nominations and we loved every one of them! In the final voting, again, with record returns, you selected Tab Benoit's Fever For The Bayou as BluesWax Album of the Year 2005. 

 

BluesWax caught up with Tab Benoit at home in Louisiana. Tab was taking some time to take care of a lot of cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina. As he related to BluesWax, "There is still a lot of work to be done and a lot of help is still needed." Winning the Album of the Year award for Fever For The Bayou elicited this response from Benoit, "First I make these records for them, the people that come and see us night in and night out and buy these CDs. Supporting us at the shows and taking our music home to listen to on their own time. I don't even think about the awards. If an award is given, this is the way, by the people, it makes it worth it. I make these records to make a connection between us and the fans and to help us all get through the hard times. A song can cheer you up when words just can't. This award confirms that it's working and the connection is working. We're just trying to keep the music clear."

 

The staff of BluesWax congratulates Joe Bonamassa and Tab Benoit for winning the BluesWax Artist and Album of the Year Awards! And we thank the thousands of you who participated in this year's nominating and voting process. You have spoken!