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" Luther Allison will perform with Koko Taylor. Those are combinations you won't see everyday. It should be great. "
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By Norm Shaw
The 17th annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards appear to be shaping up as a Luther Allison showcase. "A lot of people are predicting that," says Doug Bacon of the Blues Foundation. Allison leads the pack with six nominations for the May 2 awards presentation and show at Vincent DeFrank Auditorium at the Convention Center. Ruth Brown hosts the event, which features performances by Allison, Koko Taylor, Tracy Nelson, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Ruth Brown, Jimmy Rogers, Joe Louis Walker and several more. Among the presenters are nominees Syl Johnson, Little Milton Campbell and Coco Montoya; Delmark Records founder Bob Koester; Shelby County Mayor Jim Rout; and many others. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show are $13.50, $18.50 and $50, and are available from the Blues Foundation by calling 527-2583. "We've put together a great program," says Bacon. "We're going to have a lot of unique combinations, as far as the performances go. We'll have Charles Brown playing with Ruth Brown. Joe Louis Walker with Jimmy Rogers. Luther Allison will perform with Koko Taylor. Those are combinations you won't see everyday. It should be great." The Handy Awards kickoff a weekend of events sponsored by the Blues Foundation. On Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4, there will be a Blues Symposium from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Tickets are $25 for both sessions. Friday's panels will take place at the Blues City Cafe, and will be performance workshops. There will be demonstrations of three distinct blues styles - Delta, Piedmont and Texas - and a demonstration of jug band music. Saturday's panels will be at the Peabody. The three topics are: Who's Blues Is This, a discussion on non-African Americans performing the blues; Devil or Angel, a look at one of the biggest controversies in the blues community of whether the House of Blues and its foundation are good for the music; and Blues Talk, a session on Blues Society newsletters and blues sites on the Internet. The Keeping the Blues Alive Banquet is May 3 in the Peabody Hotel Continental Ballroom at 7 p.m. The banquet honors non-performers in the blues industry, including the Blues Society of the Year. Tickets are $35 and include dinner. That night at 11 p.m., there is the Moonlight on the Mississippi blues cruise aboard the Memphis Showboat. The boat returns at 2 a.m. Tickets are $16. Action returns to the Memphis Showboat on Sunday, May 5, with the Blues Brunch. Boarding begins at 10 a.m. Tickets are $25 and include a breakfast buffet. The nominees for 1996 Handy Awards are:
***Blues Entertainer of the Year
***Blues Band of the Year
***Contemporary Blues - Male Artist of the Year
***Contemporary Blues - Female Artist of the Year
***Soul/Blues - Male Artist of the Year
***Soul/Blues - Female Artist of the Year
***Traditional Blues - Male Artist of the Year
***Traditional Blues - Female Artist of the Year
***Acoustic Blues - Artist of the Year
***Best New Blues Artist
***Blues Instrumentalist - Guitar
***Blues Instrumentalist - Harmonica
***Blues Instrumentalist - Keyboards
***Blues Instrumentalist - Bass
***Blues Instrumentalist - Drums
***Blues Instrumentalist - Other
***Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
***Soul/Blues Album of the Year
***Traditional Blues Album of the Year
***Comeback Blues Album
***Acoustic Blues Album of the Year
***Reissue Album of the Year
***Blues Song of the Year (song, composer, artist/album)
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