Jeff Healey Blues Band Has Most Maple Blues Award Nominations

The name that’s really hit the top of the list is the Jeff Healey Blues Band. This legendary blues band and its various members have been nominated for Maple Blues Awards – more than any other band this year. Some may find that somewhat surprising as Jeff Healey died in March after a long battle with cancer. He was also blind, so to not only forge a successful career but also a noteworthy reputation must have taken plenty of guts, determination and hard work. Healey has been given three posthumous nominations, namely: entertainer of the year, guitarist of the year and electric artist of the year. But Healey is not the only member of his band that has been chosen as a potential Maple Blues Award winner. His music group, known as the Jeff Healey Blues Band, has also been nominated for a few things, including recording of the year for their album, Mess of Blues. Drummer Al Webster, bassist Alec Fraser and keyboardist Dave Murphy have also been nominated for awards in their respective instrument categories. No doubt, fans of the Toronto-based group are ecstatic. After the group, pianist Julian Fauth and well-established act Downchild have the most nominations, with four each. Treasa Levasseur (vocalist), Paul Reddick (vocalist), Garret Mason (guitarist) and Amos Garret (guitarist) have each received three nominations.

The Maple Blues Awards is a national award program that was designed and instated to promote blues music in Canada by recognizing any outstanding musicians or bands in the country’s blues music industry. They were launched in 1997 and are run under the direction of the Toronto Blues Society. The 2008 Maple Blues Awards gala will take place in Toronto on January 19. If you want to vote for your favorite artist, you will be able to do so online between Nov 1 and Dec 6.