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" Clarke wins three awards posthumously. "
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By Heather Gates
For the second year in a row, the W.C. Handy Awards were a coronation of Luther Allison as the reigning king of the blues. Allison took home the top three honors at the 18th annual awards presentation May 1 at the Orpheum Theatre. Allison won the Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year, Blues Band of the Year (for Allison and the James Solberg Band) and the top award, Entertainer of the Year. It was the second consecutive year Allison won the top three awards. He picked up two more last year for best album and best song. William Clarke, who died in March, won three awards for his last record, The Hard Way. Clarke was honored for best album, best song (for "Fishing Blues") and as best harmonica player. As always, the highlight of the Handy's was the live performances during the show. R.L. Burnside turned the elegant Orpheum stage into a Mississippi juke joint with a stirring performance. Pinetop Perkins and James Cotton raised the ghost of Muddy Waters with a duet on piano and harmonica. Johnny "Clyde" Copeland took the stage for his first big gig since a heart transplant. Other great performances were turned in by Bobby Rush, Rory Block, host/emcee Ruth Brown and Allison. Technical glitches marred a short set by Little Milton, but they didn't slow down his enthusiasm. There were a few other technical difficulties for presenters, and it was disappointing more winners were not present. But the show, which was filmed for broadcast by Japanese television, remains the highlight of the blues year. New Blues Foundation director Howard Stovall predicted great things for future Handy shows. The winners were:
Blues Entertainer of the Year: Luther Allison.
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