Blues Blast Magazine has completed their 2011 Blues Blast Awards. They have had some great nominations this year, leading to some great award winners. Unlike many awards, Blues Blast is fan based; all judging is done by fans, as a result judging can take a couple of months. In this case judging ran from July until the end of August. Award winners were announced last week after collecting votes from 6500 fans.

Buddy Guy deservingly won the Contemporary Blues CD Award with his Living Proof album and Song of the Year with the single Living Proof. Buddy Guy is currently on his Living Proof tour and in fact is playing in Baltimore tonight. If you want a chance to see him live, be sure to check his tour schedule for upcoming dates near you.

The Traditional Blues CD Award was won by Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith for Joined at the Hip, which was a joined collaboration. I'm sad to say that Pinetop Perkins past on March 21, 2011 and was shortly followed by Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on September 16, 2011. Blues fans everywhere will surely miss them both.

Trampled Under Foot won two awards, Best Blues Band Award and the sought after Sean Costello Rising Star Award. Their latest album, Wrong Side of the Blues has brought out their artistic sound. They have really shined this year and deserve both of these awards.

The Female Artist Award went to Robin Rogers. Sadly, she is also a star that has passed. She died quietly in her sleep within days of hearing of her nomination. Robin Rogers had fought a hard battle with cancer and her fans will deeply miss her and her music. 

The New Artist Debut Release Award was won by the Chris O'Leary band with Mr. Used to Be. If you haven't heard this band yet, make sure that you check them out. They deliver a slightly raw sound that harmonizes to create what I can only compare to classic blues.