Yesterday (February 20), the Blues Foundation unveiled this year’s Blues Music Awards nominees.
Some of the names preparing to square off in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 7, for the 2026 Blues Music Awards shouldn’t surprise lovers of the genre. For example, blues legend Buddy Guy earned himself a nomination for Traditional Blues Album (Ain’t Done With The Blues). Following his star-studded appearance in Ryan Coogler’s box office smash Sinners and the success of his latest album, this category appears to be Guy’s for the taking.
Powerhouse guitarist Christone ”Kingfish” Ingram is favored to win in his sole nomination category — Contemporary Blues Male Artist. Rhiannon Giddens, another beloved instrumentalist, is a top contender for both Acoustic Blues Artist and Traditional Blues Female Artist (Koko Taylor Award).
Yet this year’s most nominated entertainers are John Nemeth (of John Nemeth and the Blue Dreamers), Brandon Santini, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Nemeth is up for Band of the Year (John Nemeth and the Blue Dreamers), Instrumentalist – Harmonica, Instrumentalist – Vocals, and Soul Blues Male Artist.
Santini will fight it out in the Contemporary Blues Album (Which Way Do We Go?), Contemporary Blues Male Artist, Instrumentalist – Harmonica, Song of the Year (“Mile After Mile” written with Jeff Jensen) categories.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd is also nominated for Song of the Year (“Who Was That?” written with Emmett Ellis Jr.), as well as Album of the Year (Young Fashioned Ways with Bobby Rush), Blues Rock Artist, and Traditional Blues Album (Young Fashioned Ways).
Vanessa Collier, Southern Avenue, and Alligator Records labelmates D.K. Harrell & Tommy Castro. Collier is up for B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, Band of the Year, and Contemporary Blues Female Artist. Southern Avenue will fight for Band of the Year, Contemporary Blues Album (Family), Song of the Year (“Upside”).
Labelmates D.K. Harrell and Tommy Castro are two of this year’s most nominated entertainers with three nods apiece. Harrell’s Talkin’ Heavy and Tommy Castro’s joint album with The Painkillers, Closer To The Bone, will battle it out for Album of the Year.
Talkin’ Heavy also secured a nomination for Contemporary Blues Album. Harrell is up for Contemporary Blues Male Artist. While Castro snagged a nomination for Blues Rock Artist. Castro’s final nomination is for Song of the Year. The songwriter snatched a nod for “Can’t Catch a Break,” which was written alongside collaborative partner Christoffer Andersen.
The most nominated label is none other than Alligator Records with Album of the Year (D.K. Harrell’s Talkin’ Heavy and Tommy Castro & The Painkillers’ Closer To The Bone), Contemporary Blues Album (Carolyn Wonderland’s Truth Is, D.K. Harrell’s Talkin’ Heavy, and Southern Avenue’s Family), and Traditional Blues Album (Roomful Of Blues’ Steppin’ Out) nods.
The 2026 Blues Music Awards presented by The Blues Foundation will be held on May 7, 2026, in Memphis, Tennessee. Find more information here. Continue below to view the full list of 2026 Blues Music Awards nominees.
Acoustic Blues Album
Catfish Keith — Sugar for Sugar – Vol. 1 2025 Summer Sessions (via self-released)
Doug MacLeod — Between Somewhere and Goodbye (via self-released)
Erin Harpe — Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me: A Tribute to Mississippi John Hurt (via Erin Harpe Music)
Hudspeth & Taylor — Kimuziki Live in Des Moines (via self-released)
Johnny Iguana — At Delmark (via Delmark Records)
Acoustic Blues Artist
Catfish Keith
Doug MacLeod
Eric Bibb
Kevin Burt
Rhiannon Giddens
Album of the Year
Blood Brothers Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia — Help Yourself (via Gulf Coast Records / SRG – ILS Group)
Bobby Rush & Kenny Wayne Shepherd — Young Fashioned Ways (via Deep Rush Records / RAM Records)
D.K. Harrell — Talkin’ Heavy (via Alligator Records)
Larry McCray — Heartbreak City (via Keeping The Blues Alive Records)
Tommy Castro & The Painkillers — Closer To The Bone (via Alligator Records)
B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
Castro Coleman (Mr. Sipp)
Rick Estrin
Ronnie Baker Brooks
Ruthie Foster
Vanessa Collier
Band of the Year
Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra
John Nemeth and the Blue Dreamers
Southern Avenue
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Vanessa Collier Band
Best Emerging Artist Album
Brody Buster — Redemption (via self-released)
Allison August — August Moon (via self-released)
Sean McDonald — Have Mercy! (via self-released)
Robbin Kapsalis — THE BLUES IS IN THE HOUSE (via Blues House Productions)
Kyle Rowland — NOT HOLDING BACK! (via self-released)
Blues Rock Album
Blood Brothers Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia — Help Yourself (via Gulf Coast Records / SRG-ILS Group)
Devon Allman — BLUES SUMMIT (via Ruf Records)
Kent Burnside — Hill Country Blood (via Strolling Bones Records)
Tom Hambridge — Down The Hatch (via Quarto Valley Records)
Walter Trout — Sign Of The Times (via Mascot Label Group / Provogue)
Blues Rock Artist
Ana Popovic
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Kirk Fletcher
Tommy Castro
Walter Trout
Contemporary Blues Album
Brandon Santini — Which Way Do We Go? (via self-released)
Carolyn Wonderland — Truth Is (via Alligator Records)
D.K. Harrell — Talkin’ Heavy (via Alligator Records)
Monster Mike Welch — Keep Living Til I Die (via self-released)
Southern Avenue — Family (via Alligator Records)
Contemporary Blues Female Artist
Carolyn Wonderland
Danielle Nicole
Ruthie Foster
Samantha Fish
Vanessa Collier
Contemporary Blues Male Artist
Brandon Santini
Castro Coleman (Mr. Sipp)
Chris Cain
Christone ”Kingfish” Ingram
D.K. Harrell
Instrumentalist – Bass
Benny Turner
Larry Fulcher
Michael ”Mudcat” Ward
Rodrigo Mantovani
Scot Sutherland
Instrumentalist – Drums
Chris Layton
Chris Peet
Derrick D’Mar Martin
Tom Hambridge
Tony Braunagel
Instrumentalist – Guitar
Chris Cain
Christoffer ”Kid” Andersen
Derek Trucks
Joanna Connor
Ronnie Baker Brooks
Instrumentalist – Harmonica
Billy Branch
Bob Corritore
Brandon Santini
John Nemeth
Kim Wilson
Instrumentalist – Horn
Greg Piccolo
Jimmy Carpenter
Mark Kaz Kazanoff
Regi Oliver
Trombone Shorty
Instrumentalist – Piano (Pinetop Perkins Piano Player)
Anthony Geraci
Bruce Katz
Dave Keyes
Jon Cleary
Marcia Ball
Instrumentalist – Vocals
Candice Ivory
Danielle Nicole
John Nemeth
Shemekia Copeland
Susan Tedeschi
Song of the Year
“Mile After Mile”
written by Brandon Santini & Jeff Jensen
“Bye Bye Blues”
written by Larry McCray & Charlie Walmsley
“Can’t Catch a Break”
written by Tommy Castro & Christoffer Andersen
“Upside”
written by Tierinii Jackson, Tikyra Jackson, Ori Naftaly, Dylan Altman & Marshall Altman
“Who Was That?”
written by Emmett Ellis Jr. & Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Soul Blues Album
Dave Keller — La Brea (via Tastee Tone Records)
Jimmy Burns & Soul Message Band — Full Circle (via Delmark Records)
Johnny Rawls — Make Them Dance (via Catfood Records)
Tad Robinson Band — Soul In Blue (via Delmark Records)
The Soul of John Black featuring John Arthur Bigham — Soul Salvation (via Yellow Dog Records)
Soul Blues Female Artist
Annika Chambers
Candice Ivory
Kat Riggins
Thornetta Davis
Vaneese Thomas
Soul Blues Male Artist
Alabama Mike
Curtis Salgado
John Nemeth
Johnny Rawls
Tad Robinson
Traditional Blues Album
Bobby Rush & Kenny Wayne Shepherd — Young Fashioned Ways (via Deep Rush Records/RAM Records)
Buddy Guy — Ain’t Done With The Blues (via RCA Records)
Charlie Musselwhite — Look Out Highway (via Charlie Musselwhite/Forty Below Records)
Maria Muldaur — One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey (via Nola Blue, Inc.)
Roomful Of Blues — Steppin’ Out (via Alligator Records)
Traditional Blues Female Artist (Koko Taylor Award)
Diunna Greenleaf
Eden Brent
Maria Muldaur
Rhiannon Giddens
Teeny Tucker
Traditional Blues Male Artist
Billy Branch
Jimmie Vaughan
John Primer
Jontavious Willis
Rick Estrin
International Blues Album
Brandon Isaak — Walkin With The Blues (via self-released)
Honeybear, the Band — I Was Wrong (via Playmor)
Hubert Dorigatti & The Blues Harp Masters — Poor Boy (via self-released)
J.T. Lauritsen & The Buckshot Hunters — Still Be Friends (via Hunters Records)
The Angelique Francis Band — Not Defeated (via Kiran Francis/Angelique Francis)