Blues Grammies Go to B.B. King, Dr John

“One Kind Favor” and “City That Care Forgot” were rated the best in traditional and contemporary blues categories. The Recording Academy handed out the awards for the 51st time on Sunday 8 February 2009.

The most-coveted prizes in music business, the Grammies, were handed out on Sunday in Los Angeles. The gala was organized for the 51st time. The winners of the Grammies are determined by the Recording Academy. The Academy assures the decisions are based on artistic achievement, the commercial success notwithstanding.
In the traditional blues category, the winner was B.B. King. The album “One Kind Favor” pays tribute to the legends (Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Johnson, T-Bone Walker et al.), who inspired the young aspiring artist in the 40′s and 50′s. B.B. was not present to receive his Grammy. The prize is his fifteenth.

Dr John & The Lower 911 was considered the best in the contemporary blues category. The Doctor, in a way, celebrated double honors, as he plays on King’s album, too. Dr John was not there to get his first Grammy, as the band was on the road and having a gig in St Louis. The award was received by the producers of the album.

Grammies are awarded in 110 different categories. Other winners of interest included The Blind Boys of Alabama. They got the Grammy in the traditional gospel category. The “Oscar Gala of the Blues”, the Blues Foundation -organized Blues Music Awards, takes place in Memphis in May.

Grammy Awards Complete Winners List

The 51st annual Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles on Sunday 8 Febryary 2009. Here are the winners:

For recordings released during the Eligibility Year: October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008:

Record Of The Year
-Please Read The Letter/Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Album Of The Year
-Raising Sand/Robert Plant & Alison Krauss-In Rainbows/Radiohead

Song Of The Year
-Viva La Vida/Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay)

Best New Artist
-Adele

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
-Chasing Pavements/Adele

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
-Say/John Mayer

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
-Viva La Vida/Coldplay

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
-Rich Woman/Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Best Pop Vocal Album
-Rockferry/Duffy

Best Dance Recording
-Harder Better Faster Stronger/Daft Punk

Best Electronic/Dance Album
-Alive 2007/Daft Punk

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
-Still Unforgettable/Natalie Cole

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
-Gravity/John Mayer

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
-Sex On Fire/Kings Of Leon

Best Rock Song
-Girls In Their Summer Clothes/Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)

Best Rock Album
-Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends/Coldplay

Best Alternative Music Album
-In Rainbows/Radiohead

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
-Superwoman/Alicia Keys

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
-Miss Independent/Ne-Yo

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
-Stay With Me (By The Sea)/Al Green Featuring John Legend

Best R&B Song
-Miss Independent/M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen & S. Smith, songwriters (Ne-Yo)

Best R&B Album
-Jennifer Hudson/Jennifer Hudson

Best Contemporary R&B Album
-Growing Pains/Mary J. Blige

Best Rap Solo Performance
-A Milli/Lil Wayne

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
-Swagga Like Us/Jay-Z & T.I. Featuring Kanye West & Lil Wayne

Best Rap Song
-Lollipop/D. Carter, S. Garrett, D. Harrison, J. Scheffer & R. Zamor, songwriters (Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major)

Best Rap Album
-Tha Carter III/Lil Wayne

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
-Last Name/Carrie Underwood

Best Male Country Vocal Performance
-Letter To Me/Brad Paisley

Best Country Song
-Stay/Jennifer Nettles, songwriter (Sugarland)

Best Country Album
-Troubadour/George Strait

Best Comedy Album
-It’s Bad For Ya/George Carlin

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
-Juno/(Various Artists)

Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
-The Dark Knight/James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer, composers

Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
-Down To Earth (From Wall-E)/Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman, songwriters (Peter Gabriel)

Best Short Form Music Video
-Pork And Beans/Weezer

Link: Grammy.com