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The W.C. Handy Awards are the most well-known part of the Blues Foundation's events, but the show is only one part of a weekend of activities beginning April 30. The 19th annual awards show is April 30 at the Orpheum and honors the best of the blues for the past year. But the following two days offer a variety of panel discussions and events that make up two Blues Symposiums. On May 1, two panel discussions lead up to the Keeping the Blues Alive Banquet and a Moonlight Cruise on the Mississippi. More panels follow the next day, and the weekend culminates in a Blues Brunch on May 3. One $20 ticket gets you entry into all the blues panels on both days. The first panel is titled "Booking the Blues," and will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Willie Mitchell's Rhythm & Blues Club on Beale Street. The panel will offer a step-by-step look at booking blues bands, and promoting and financing shows. From 1-4 p.m. at the New Daisy on Beale, a panel will discuss "When Down Home Blues Became Sweet Soul Music." Ruth Brown, who will again host the Handy Awards show, will be one of the presenters/performers on this panel, which will focus on the birth of R&B and its growth. Brown will perform in the last hour of the session. The Keeping the Blues Alive Banquet will be the evening of May 1 at The Peabody. The KBA Awards honor the behind-the-scenes professionals in the blues industry, as well as educators and blues societies. Tickets for the event are $45 and must be purchased in advance. Dinner is included. The Moonlight on the Mississippi cruise on the Memphis Showboat boards at 10:30 p.m. May 1 at the cobblestones at Monroe Avenue. The cruise goes till 2 a.m. and features live music. Tickets are $20. The second day of the Blues Symposium begins May 2 with a panel discussion titled "Lesson Plan: Teaching the Blues with 21st Century Technology." The two-hour session begins at 11 a.m. at Willie Mitchell's on Beale. It will be an interactive workshop that spotlights the "Blues in the Schools" program. The last panel is "No White, No Black, Just Blues," which will look at the lack of African Americans involved in the creation, recording, promotion and purchasing of blues music. Sunday's Blues Brunch also takes place on the Memphis Showboat. The boat leaves the cobblestones at 11 a.m. and returns at 2 p.m. The $30 ticket includes a breakfast buffet and music. Boarding begins at 10:30 a.m. Of course, the awards show remains the biggest event of the weekend. It begins at 7:30 p.m. on April 30, and will feature numerous live performances. Tickets range from $10 to $60. The top-priced ticket includes admission to a post-show jam at the Hard Rock Cafe on Beale Street, which begins at 11 p.m. For more information or to order tickets, call the Blues Foundation at (901) 527-2583. Here is the complete list of nominees. 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 Art-ist of the Year:
Acoustic Blues-Artist of the Year: Corey Harris
Best New Blues Artist:
Blues Instrumentalist-Guitar:
Blues Instrumentalist-Har-monica:
Blues Instrumentalist-Key-boards:
Blues Instrumantalist-Bass:
Blues Instrumentalist- Drums:
Blues Instrumentalist-Other:
Conteporary Blues Album of the Year:
Soul/Blues Album of the Year:
Traditional Blues Album of the Year:
Comeback Blues Album of the Year:
Acoustic Blues Album of the Year:
Reissue Blues Album of the Year:
Blues Song of the Year: Song Title-Composer (Artist/Album Title):
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