Shemekia Copeland, Bobby Rush, Bettye LaVette among Blues Music Awards winners

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Singer Shemekia Copeland and guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram are among this year’s top winners at the Blues Music Awards.

Veteran musicians Charlie Musselwhite and Elvin Bishop also won multiple awards for their album “100 Years of Blues” during Sunday’s awards show, which was held online due to COVID-19 pandemic precautions.

Winners were chosen by members of The Blues Foundation, based in Memphis. The awards have been held for 42 years.

Copeland won the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award, the show’s top honor. She also won the contemporary blues female artist and the contemporary blues album awards.

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Ingram, who won five times last year, took home the contemporary blues male artist and guitar instrumentalist awards.

The collaboration between Bishop and Musselwhite led to awards for album of the year and traditional blues album of the year.

Mike Zito won in the categories of blues rock artist and blues rock album for “Mike Zito and Friends-Rock ‘n’ Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry.”

Blues Hall of Fame members Bettye LaVette and Bobby Rush also won awards.

Performers in the show included Rush, Ingram, John Németh & the Blue Dreamers, Shaun Murphy, Don Bryant, Watermelon Slim and Southern Avenue.