Washington Blues Society’s “Best of the Blues Awards” Winners Revealed

The Washington Blues Society’s annual Best of the Blues Awards (“BB Awards”) was held at the Kirkland Performance Center on Sunday, April 3^rd to honor musicians and artists nominated by blues society members in 31 award categories.

Of the 17 nominations received by the Stacy Jones Band and its individual members, bandleader Stacy Jones took home the BB Award plaque in the Blues Songwriter category, and the band’s latest CD,Whiskey, Wine and Water, was voted Best Washington Blues Recording. Drummer Rick Bowen received the BB Award for Best Blues Writer and Tom Jones received the BB Award for Best Blues Bass. Frequent Stacy Jones Band guest guitarist Kevin Sutton received BB Awards in the Mark DuFresne Male Vocalist, Acoustic Blues Guitar and Blues Performer categories.

Earlier this year, Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons represented the Washington Blues Society and the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and won first place in the solo/duo category in Memphis. At this year’s BB Awards, Ben and Joe received BB Awards in the Solo/Duo Act and Little Bill and the Blue Notes Traditional Blues Act categories, and another first-time nominee, the CD Woodbury Trio, won the BB Award for Best New Blues Band.

Award-winning harmonica player and community blues festival sponsor Jim McLaughlin received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to Washington’s blues community, the Best Community Blues Festival Award for the Ebey Island Freedom Fest, and was inducted into the Washington Blues Society Hall of Fame. Tacoma’s Junkyard Jane was inducted as a band into the Washington Blues Society Hall of Fame and Angelo Ortiz received the BB Award in the Instrumentalist – Other category for his work on the congas.

Mike Marinig received the BB Award for Best Blues Horn, Mike “Papa” Baxter for Best Blues Piano/Keyboard, Nick Vigarino for Slide Blues Guitar and Mark DuFresne won the Paul Green Blues Harmonica Award. Polly O’Keary received the Blues Female Vocalist award and the Rafael Tranquilino Band was voted Best Blues Act.  Due to a tie, the Sunbanks Music Festival and the Winthrop Rhythm and Blues Festival each received a BB Award in the Best Blues Festival category.

“The BB Awards is a signature event of the Washington Blues Society and we are pleased to have returned to the Kirkland Performance Center,” said Washington Blues Society President Tony Frederickson. “It was an outstanding night of music that honored the past, the present and the future of blues music in the Pacific Northwest.  The evening featured many of the nominees and winners performing live and our after-party at Hector’s in downtown Kirkland was amazing!”

Check out the full list of winners and categories below.