Below are the nominees for the 2004 W.C. Handy Blues

Awards, selected by an international voting panel of

blues fans and blues society members. The awards will

be presented April 29 at the Cook Convention Center in

Memphis.

ACOUSTIC ALBUM

"Natural Light," Eric Bibb (Earthbeat)

"Last Fair Deal," Rory Block (Telarc Records)

"Chocolate to the Bone," Guy Davis (Red House)

"Blues Singer," Buddy Guy (Silvertone)

"Blues 2.0," Fruteland Jackson (Electro-Fi)

"Big Lonesome Radio," Mark Lemhouse (Yellow Dog

Records)

ACOUSTIC ARTIST

Eric Bibb

Rory Block

Guy Davis

John Hammond

Corey Harris

Alvin Youngblood Hart

BEST NEW ARTIST DEBUT

"Sweet Talk," Renee Austin (Blind Pig)

"Doctor Velvet," Nick Curran (Blind Pig)

"Up Your Mind," Ellis Hooks (Evidence)

"Southern Comfort," EG Kight (Blue South Records)

"Big Lonesome Radio," Mark Lemhouse (Yellow Dog

Records)

BLUES ALBUM

"Which Way Is Texas?," Anson Funderburgh and the

Rockets Featuring Sam Myers (Bullseye Blues)

"Blues Singer," Buddy Guy (Silvertone)

"A Woman Like Me," Bettye Lavette (Blues Express)

"Truth Is Not Fiction," Otis Taylor (Telarc Records)

"Lookin' for Trouble," Kim Wilson (MC Records)

BLUES BAND

Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets w/Sam Myers

Little Charlie and the Nightcats

Magic Slim Band

Bob Margolin's All Star Blues Band

Rod Piazza Band

Roomful of Blues

ENTERTAINER

Solomon Burke

Shemekia Copeland

BB King

Bobby Rush

Kim Wilson

INSTRUMENTALIST--BASS

Johnny B. Gayden

Calvin Jones

Willie Kent

Bob Stroger

Bill Stuve

INSTRUMENTALIST--DRUMS

Jimi Bott

Sam Carr

Sam Lay

Joe Maher

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

INSTRUMENTALIST--GUITAR

Michael Burks

Ronnie Earl

Anson Funderburgh

Duke Robillard

Junior Watson

INSTRUMENTALIST--HARMONICA

James Harmon

Charlie Musselwhite

Rod Piazza

Snooky Pryor

Kim Wilson

INSTRUMENTALIST--HORNS

Gordon Beadle - Saxophone

Mark Kazanoff - Saxophone

Calvin Owens -Trumpet

Roomful of Blues - Horns

Eddy Shaw - Saxophone

INSTRUMENTALIST--KEYBOARDS

Marcia Ball

Henry Butler

Dr. John

Honey Piazza

Jay McShann

INSTRUMENTALIST--OTHER

Gatemouth Brown - Fiddle

Andra Faye (Mandolin/violin)

Robert Randolph - Pedal Steel

Sonny Rhodes - lap steel

Otis Taylor - Banjo

SONG

"Foreclose on the House of Love," Lee Sanders, writer

("So Many Rivers," Marcia Ball)

"Hard Times Won," Barry Levenson/Johnny Dyer, writers

("Hard Times Won," Johnny Dyer)

"I Smell Smoke," Michael Burks, writer ("I Smell

Smoke," Michael Burks)

"Lookin' for Trouble!," Kim Wilson, writer ("Lookin'

for Trouble!," Kim Wilson)

"Southern Comfort," EG Kight/Tom Horner, writers

("Southern Comfort," EG Kight)

COMEBACK ALBUM

"What You Want," Mickey Champion (Tonedef)

"Free Beer Tomorrow," Jim Dickinson (Artemis Records)

"A Woman Like Me," Bettye Lavette (Blues Express)

"Deacon John's Jump Blues," Deacon John Moore (Vetter

Communications)

"Rediscovered," Howard Tate (Private Music)

CONTEMPORARY ALBUM

"So Many Rivers," Marcia Ball (Alligator)

"I Smell Smoke," Michael Burks (Alligator)

Nick Moss & the Fliptops - Count Your Blessings - Blue

Bella

"Truth Is Not Fiction," Otis Taylor (Telarc Records)

"Lookin' for Trouble!," Kim Wilson (MC Records)

CONTEMPORARY FEMALE

Marcia Ball

Deborah Coleman

Shemekia Copeland

EG Kight

Janiva Magness

CONTEMPORARY MALE

Buddy Guy

Taj Mahal

Otis Taylor

Joe Louis Walker

Kim Wilson

HISTORICAL ALBUM

"Complete Excello Singles," Slim Harpo (Hip-O)

"The Gospel of the Blues," Sister Rosetta Tharp

(MCA/Decca)

"Muddy 'Mississippi' Waters Live," Muddy Waters

(Legacy Edition)

"The London Sessions," Howlin' Wolf (MCA/Chess)

"50 Years of Jazz and Blues," Various Artists

(Delmark)

SOUL BLUES ABLUM

"Blues at Midnight," Bobby Blue Bland (Malaco Records)

"Let's Roll," Etta James (RCA/Private)

"A Woman Like Me," Bettye Lavette (Blues Express)

"One More Bridge to Cross," Mighty Sam McClain (Mighty

Music)

"Rediscovered," Howard Tate (Private Music)

SOUL FEMALE ARTIST

Etta James

Bettye Lavette

E.C. Scott

Toni Lynn Washington

Lavelle White

SOUL MALE ARTIST

Solomon Burke

W.C. Clark

Mighty Sam McClain

Bobby Rush

Howard Tate

TRADITIONAL ALBUM

"Back to the Delta," Jimmy Burns (Delmark)

"Which Way Is Texas?," Anson Funderburgh and the

Rockets Featuring Sam Myers (Bullseye Blues)

"All Star Blues Jam," Bob Margolin (Telarc Records)

"Rockin' in the Same Old Boat," Johnny B. Moore

(Delmark)

Shout Sister Shout: Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe,"

Various Artists (MC Records)

TRADITIONAL FEMALE ARTIST

Alberta Adams

Precious Bryant

Mickey Champion

Maria Muldaur

Odetta

Koko Taylor

TRADITIONAL MALE ARTIST

Willie King

Robert Lockwood, Jr.

Magic Slim

Pinetop Perkins

Otis Rush