MP Media Congratulates Its Artists for Garnering 8 Blues Blast Music Award Nominations

Mark Pucci Media is happy to announce that our artists have received 8 nominations for the upcoming Blues Blast Music Awards! Here’s the entire list of our nominees & we’d appreciate your consideration in voting for these well-deserved artists. Information on how & when to vote is listed at the end.

2015 Blues Blast Music Award Nominations

Traditional Blues Album

·         Mud Morganfield & Kim Wilson - For Pops (A Tribute to Muddy Waters)

Soul Blues Album

·         Otis Clay & Johnny Rawls - Soul Brothers

·         Tad Robinson - Day Into Night

Rock Blues Album

·         Tinsley Ellis - Tough Love

Acoustic Blues Album

·         Big Dave Mclean - Faded But Not Gone

·         Rory Block - Hard Luck Child

Live Blues Recording

·         John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - Live in 1967

Historical Or Vintage Recording

·         John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - Live in 1967

Voting Is Open To The Public - Fan voting begins July 15, 2015 and continues until September 15, 2015 on our website at www.BluesBlastMagazine.com. Voting is free and open to anyone who is a Blues Blast Magazine subscriber. You do not have to be a current subscriber to vote! You are automatically signed up as part of the voting process on our website if you are not currently a subscriber. Blues Blast Magazine subscriptions are FREE and you may unsubscribe at anytime!

2015 Blues Blast Music Awards Ceremonies - The 2015 Blues Blast Music Awards ceremonies will be held at The Fluid Events Center in Champaign, Illinois on Friday, September 25th, 2015. The awards ceremony will feature music by the artists nominated. Tickets for the event will go

MARK PUCCI MEDIA ARTISTS GARNER 17 NOMINATIONS FROM THE BLUES FOUNDATION FOR THE 34th BLUES MUSIC AWARDS

ONLINE VOTING AND TICKET SALES NOW OPEN TO

BLUES FOUNDATION MEMBERS

ATLANTA, GA – Mark Pucci Media proudly congratulates all of our artists who received a total of 17 nominations when The Blues Foundation announced yesterday (December 12) the list of nominees for the 34th Annual Blues Music Awards. The Blues Music Awards are universally acknowledged as the highest honor for musicians and songwriters in Blues music. Winners will be announced on May 9, 2013, at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis. Online voting is now open to Blues Foundation members at www.blues.org.

Heading the list of Mark Pucci Media honorees with three nominations each are Mud Morganfield, who garnered nominations for Album of the Year, Traditional Blues Album and Traditional Blues Male Artist for his Severn Records label debut CD, Son of the Seventh Son; as well as Mighty Sam McClain, who earned nominations for Soul Blues Album, Soul Blues Male Artist and Song of the Year for “Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey),” the title track from his Mighty Music label CD release.

Canadian roots label powerhouse Stony Plain Records gathered nominations for Eric Bibb, who was tapped for Acoustic Album and Acoustic Artist based on his label debut CD, Deeper in the Well; and perennial nominee Maria Muldaur, who once again received a nomination for the Koko Taylor Award as Traditional Blues Female based on the response to her latest CD, …First Came Memphis Minnie.

El Paso-based Catfood Records had another strong year, capped by former BMA-winner Johnny Rawls, who received two nominations: in the Soul Blues Male Artist and Soul Blues Album categories for his Soul Survivor CD. Johnny is joined this year by singer (and current Living Blues magazine cover girl) Barbara Carr, who received a nod as Soul Blues Female Artist for her Catfood Records debut, Keep the Fire Burning.

Other Mark Pucci Media artists receiving nominations include folk-blues singer/songwriter Doug MacLeod (whose new CD will be coming out in March on Reference Recordings) for Acoustic Artist; Ruf Records’ artists Royal Southern Brotherhood for Rock Blues Album for their eponymous label debut CD; Fabulous Thunderbirds leader Kim Wilson for Instrumentalist – Harmonica; Sweetspot Records artist Al Basile for Instrumentalist – Horn; and Blue Duchess Records artist and former multiple BMA winner David Maxwell for the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Award.

“It is not uncommon in any arts genre for beloved artists with strong releases to pull in a number of nominations, and that is one of the factors at work this year,” Jay Sieleman, The Blues Foundation’s President, said in announcing the nominations. “Yet there are also more than a dozen first-time nominees, plus the six Best New Artist nominees.  It is gratifying to see both groups rewarded—those who have been near the top for a while and those who are getting the recognition they have been long seeking.”

Tickets for the 34^th Blues Music Awards show are now on sale. Members receive seating preference at the Awards show and voting is now underway.  Blues Foundation members are the only fans who vote to decide which nominees will actually take home the Blues Music Award. Anyone can join The Blues Foundation by visiting their website at www.blues.org.

Once again, The Blues Music Awards will be broadcast live in their entirety on Sirius XM's B.B. King's Bluesville Channel and will be subsequently broadcast on public television.

Mark Pucci Media congratulates all of our artists and wishes them much success when the winners are announced in Memphis on May 9; and we encourage voters to consider all of our nominees. See you there!

www.markpuccimedia.com

Mark Pucci

Mark Pucci Media

5000 Oak Bluff Ct.

Atlanta, GA 30350-1069

(770) 804-9555

www.markpuccimedia.com

2008 Blues Foundation Recipient -
"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" -
Publicist

MARK PUCCI MEDIA ARTISTS GARNER 23 NOMINATIONS FROM THE BLUES FOUNDATION FOR THE 33RD BLUES MUSIC AWARDS

ONLINE VOTING AND TICKET SALES NOW OPEN TO

BLUES FOUNDATION MEMBERS

ATLANTA, GA – When The Blues Foundation announced yesterday (December 13) the list of nominees for the 33^rd  Annual Blues Music Awards, Mark Pucci Media’s artists were well represented with 23 total nominations. The Blues Music Awards are universally acknowledged as the highest honor for musicians and songwriters in Blues music. Winners will be announced on May 10 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis. Online voting is now open to Blues Foundation members at www.blues.org.

Heading the list of Mark Pucci Media honorees are Severn Records artists Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, who garnered a leading five nominations, including Album of the Year and Traditional Blues Album for their latest CD, Evening, along with nominations for Band of the Year, plus Sugar Ray Norcia for Instrumentalist – Harmonica, and Michael “Mudcat” Ward as Instrumentalist – Bass. Additionally, Kim Wilson, founder and leader of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, which recently signed to the label, was nominated in the Instrumentalist – Harmonica category; and Robb Stupka, a mainstay of the Severn Records studio band, was nominated again for Instrumentalist – Drums.

Canadian label powerhouse Stony Plain Records celebrated its 35^th anniversary by gathering a host of nominations for several of its artists. Rory Block was nominated for Acoustic Artist, as was her latest CD, Shake ‘em on Down, a tribute to Mississippi Fred McDowell, for Acoustic Album. Perennial nominee Maria Muldaur received a nomination for the Koko Taylor Award as Traditional Blues Female based on the response to her current CD, Steady Love; and multiple BMA-winner Duke Robillard was also nominated again this year for the Gibson Guitar Award. Previous BMA-winner Joe Louis Walker was nominated for Contemporary Blues Male Artist, and Kenny “Blues Boss’ Wayne is up for the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Award. Lastly, newly-signed Stony Plain artist Eric Bibb received nominations as Acoustic Artist and for his last CD, Troubadour Live, as Acoustic Album.

El Paso-based Catfood Records had a another strong year, capped by former BMA-winner Johnny Rawls, who received three nominations: in the Soul Blues Male Artist and Soul Blues Album categories for his Memphis Still Got Soul CD, whose titled track was also nominated for Song of the Year. In addition, singer Jackie Johnson received a nod as Soul Blues Female Artist for her Catfood Records debut, Memphis Jewel.

Other Mark Pucci Media artists receiving nominations included folk-blues singer/songwriter Guy Davis for Acoustic Artist, Ruf Records’ artist Samantha Fish as Best New Artist Debut for her Runaway CD, Al Basile for Instrumentalist – Horn, and mandolinist Rich Del Grosso in the Instrumentalist – Other category.

“The number of first-time nominees demonstrate the vitality of blues music and reflect  the releases and live performances of the past year,” Jay Sieleman, The Blues Foundation’s Executive Director, said in announcing the nominees. “The nominations prove not only the sustaining power of Blues music, but also its ability to constantly evolve and remain relevant to today’s fans.”

For the sixth consecutive year, The Blues Music Awards will be broadcast live in their entirety on Sirius XM's B.B. King's Bluesville and will be subsequently broadcast on public television.

Mark Pucci Media congratulates all of our nominees and wishes them much success when the winners are announced in Memphis on May 10. See you there!

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