Blues Music Awards Winners May 2026
These are the winners of yesterday’s Blues Music Awards (BMAs) from Memphis, Tennessee. Thanks go to photographer Laura Carbone for this list of today’s best in blues:
Winner of the 2026 Blues Music Award is......
B.B. King Entertainer of the Year - Ronnie Baker Brooks
Album of the Year - D.K. Harrell, “Talkin’ Heavy”
Band of the Year-Tedeschi Trucks Band
Song of the Year - “Can’t Catch a Break”
Written by Tommy Castro & Christoffer Andersen
Best Emerging Artist Album - Sean McDonald, “Have Mercy!”
Acoustic Blues Album -Doug MacLeod,
“Between Somewhere and Goodbye”
Blues Rock Album- Blood Brothers Mike Zito & Albert Castiglia,
“Help Yourself”
Contemporary Blues Album -D.K. Harrell, “Talkin’ Heavy”
Soul Blues Album - Johnny Rawls, “Make Them Dance”
Traditional Blues Album - Buddy Guy, “Ain’t Done With The Blues”
International Blues Album -J.T.Lauritsen & The Buckshot Hunters,
“Still be friends”
Acoustic Blues Artist -Kevin Burt
Blues Rock Artist - Tommy Castro
Contemporary Blues Female Artist -Danielle Nicole
Contemporary Blues Male Artist - Christone ”Kingfish” Ingram
Soul Blues Female Artist Thornetta Davis
Soul Blues Male Artist - Curtis Salgado
Traditional Blues Female Artist (Koko Taylor Award) - Eden Brent
Traditional Blues Male Artist - John Primer
Instrumentalist – Bass - Scot Sutherland
Instrumentalist – Drums - Derrick D’Mar Martin
Instrumentalist – Guitar - Derek Trucks
Instrumentalist – Harmonica - Billy Branch
Instrumentalist – Horn -Trombone Shorty
Instrumentalist – Piano (Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Award)
Marcia Ball
Instrumentalist – Vocals - Danielle Nicole
The A list. Covering the Blues Music Awards for Blues Matters magazine