Blues greats gather in Memphis for Handy Awards

Blues artists and fans are descending on Memphis this week for the 20th annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards and a weekend of festival events and music. The Awards, sponsored by Gibson Musical Instruments, will be presented on Thursday May 27, 1999, at The Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee. The W.C. Handy weekend will be followed by a two-day Blues festival on Beale Street plus educational symposia and the Keeping the Blues Alive Awards. Awarded in 24 categories, the Handy Award is the highest honor given to artists in the Blues genre.

B.B. King, Johnny Bassett, Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers, and Keb' Mo' are among the artists to receive multiple nominations this year. Look here to see the list of nominees. Ruth Brown will return to host the award show along with Joe Louis Walker, who has received four Handy nominations himself in 1999. The pair will usher the audience through a night of star-studded Blues appearances and performances by many of the nominees.

Don't miss the "Ultimate Guitar Exhibit" featuring almost 40 celebrity-autographed, historic and the rarest of vintage Gibson and Epiphone guitars at the at Willis Gallery at 156 Beale Street. It opens Wednesday the 26th and runs through Sunday. Here is a partial list of guitars including Gibsons autographed by the Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. The exhibit even features a 1952 Gibson EBO Bass from Memphis Recording Service. The violin bass guitar, Serial #56351 is the ultimate rock and roll bass. It is the first electric bass made by Gibson and played at Sun Records on 75% of Sun's recording from 1956 into the 1960's. Songs by Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and hits such as: "Red Hot" by Billy Lee Riley; "Raunchy" by Bill Justis; "Flying Saucer Rock and Roll" -Billy Lee Riley; The Frank Frost Blues LP; "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis.

Since its inception in 1980, the W.C. Handy Blues Awards have celebrated excellence in performance and recording in the Blues. The awards are named in honor of W.C. Handy, "Father of the Blues." The award ceremony officially opens the W.C. Handy Weekend (May 28-30) sponsored by Gibson Musical Instruments, Budweiser, BMI Music Publishing and Northwest Airlines, The Official Airline of The Blues Foundation.

Friday afternoon, May 28 will kick off with the Handy Winners Walk, as current and previous Handy winners stroll parade-style down Beale Street. The night continues with the Handy Awards festival in the clubs along Beale Street spotlighting Handy nominees. The all-Blues festival will continue Saturday evening with more top Blues talent. The Blues Symposium, the educational component of Handy Weekend is also on Saturday. It will feature panel discussions, a grant workshop and a children's workshop with storytelling and interactive Blues activities. The weekend wraps up on Sunday with the Keeping the Blues Alive Awards Banquet, honoring the non-performers of the Blues industry.

An international group of Blues industry experts, through two rounds of voting, choose the nominations for the W.C. Handy Blues Awards final ballot. Final Ballots are sent to over 26,000 Blues fans world-wide including members of The Blues Foundation and subscribers to Blues Access, Blues Revue and BluePrint (U.K.) magazines.

For ticket and event information call The Blues Foundation at 901-527-2583 or visit www.blues.org.

The Blues Foundation is a 501(c ) 3 corporation dedicated to preserving and promoting Blues music. It is the umbrella organization for a world-wide network of 86 affiliated organizations and members in 27 countries. The Foundation produces the annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards, the International Blues Talent Competition and the Lifetime Achievement Award and the internationally syndicated Blues radio program Beale Street Caravan.

For more information call The Blues Foundation at 901-527-2583 or visit www.blues.org.