Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album

The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album was awarded from 1983 to 2011 and from 2017 onwards. Until 1992 the award was known as Best Traditional Blues Performance and was twice awarded to individual tracks rather than albums.

Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album
Awarded for	quality traditional blues albums
Country	United States
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded	1983
Currently held by	Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder – Get On Board (2023)
Website	Grammy.com

The award was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. From 2012 onwards, the category was merged with the Best Contemporary Blues Album category to form the new Best Blues Album category. However, in 2016 the Grammy organisation decided to revert the situation back to the pre-2012 era, with two separate categories for traditional and contemporary blues recordings respectively.^[1]

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for music released in the previous year. B.B. King holds the record of most wins in the category with ten.

Recipients

 

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was the first recipient of the award.

 

Ten-time winner B.B. King.

 

Three-time winner John Lee Hooker.

 

Two-time winner Eric Clapton.

 

2005 winner Etta James.

 

Two-time winner Bobby Rush.

 

2022 winner Cedric Burnside.

Year^[I]	Performing artist(s)	Work	Nominees	Ref.
1983	Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown	Alright Again	Johnny Otis – The New Johnny Otis Show Hound Dog Taylor & the HouseRockers – Genuine Houserocking Music Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson & Roomful of Blues – "He Was a Friend of Mine" Sippie Wallace – Sippie
1984	B.B. King	Blues 'N' Jazz	Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown – One More Mile Albert King – San Francisco '83 Big Joe Turner & Roomful of Blues – Blues Train Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – Texas Flood
1985	John P. Hammond, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Sugar Blue, Koko Taylor & the Blues Machine, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson & J.B. Hutto & the New Hawks	Blues Explosion	Bobby Bland – You've Got Me Loving You Albert King – I'm in a Phone Booth, Baby Big Joe Turner – Kansas City Here I Come Johnny Winter – Guitar Slinger
1986	B.B. King	"My Guitar Sings the Blues"	Bobby Bland – Members Only Roy Buchanan – When a Guitar Plays the Blues Koko Taylor – Queen of the Blues Big Joe Turner & Jimmy Witherspoon – Patcha, Patcha, All Night Long Big Joe Turner with Knocky Parker & His Houserockers – Big Joe Turner with Knocky Parker & His Houserockers Johnny Winter – Serious Business
1987	Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland	Showdown!	Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown – Pressure Cooker James Cotton – Live from Chicago: Mr. Superharp Himself! Willie Dixon – Live! Backstage Access John Lee Hooker – Jealous
1988	Professor Longhair	Houseparty New Orleans Style	Albert Collins – Cold Snap James Cotton – Take Me Back Koko Taylor – Live from Chicago: An Audience with the Queen Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson – "Old Maid Boogie"
1989	Willie Dixon	Hidden Charms	Johnny Copeland – Ain't Nothin' But a Party James Cotton – Live at Antone's Nightclub Guitar Slim Jr. – Story of My Life Rockin' Dopsie – Saturday Night Zydeco
1990	John Lee Hooker & Bonnie Raitt	"I'm in the Mood"	Ruth Brown – "If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sitting on It" Willie Dixon – Ginger Ale Afternoon John Lee Hooker – The Healer Memphis Slim – Memphis Blues: The Paris Sessions
1991	B.B. King	Live at San Quentin	Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown – Standing My Ground Ruth Brown & Linda Hopkins – "T'aint Nobody's Bizness If I Do" John Lee Hooker, Earl Palmer, Tim Drummond, Miles Davis & Roy Rogers – "Coming to Town" Little Milton – Too Much Pain
1992	B.B. King	Live at the Apollo	Charles Brown – All My Life Johnnie Johnson – Johnnie B. Bad John Lee Hooker – Mr. Lucky Taj Mahal – Mule Bone
1993	Dr. John	Goin' Back to New Orleans	Charles Brown – Someone to Love Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown – No Looking Back John P. Hammond – Got Love If You Want It Various Artists – Roots of Rhythm and Blues: A Tribute to the Robert Johnson Era
1994	B.B. King	Blues Summit	Albert Collins – Collins Mix: The Best Of John Lee Hooker – Boom Boom Taj Mahal – Dancing the Blues Various Artists – The Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Tour
1995	Eric Clapton	From the Cradle	James Cotton – Living the Blues John P. Hammond – Trouble No More Charlie Musselwhite – In My Time Otis Rush – Ain't Enough Comin' In
1996	John Lee Hooker	Chill Out	Charles Brown – Charles Brown's Cool Christmas Blues Lowell Fulson – Them Update Blues The Last Real Texas Blues Band featuring Doug Sahm – The Last Real Texas Blues Band featuring Doug Sahm Roomful of Blues – Turn It On! Turn It Up!
1997	James Cotton	Deep in the Blues	John P. Hammond – Found True Love The Muddy Waters Tribute Band – You're Gonna Miss Me (When I'm Dead & Gone) Junior Wells with Guest Slide Guitarists – Come on in This House Jimmy Witherspoon – Live at the Mint
1998	John Lee Hooker	Don't Look Back	Ruth Brown – R + B = Ruth Brown Charlie Musselwhite – Rough News Pinetop Perkins – Born in the Delta Junior Wells – Live at Buddy Guy's Legends
1999	Otis Rush	Any Place I'm Going	Henry Gray, Calvin Jones, Sam Lay, Colin Linden & Hubert Sumlin with Special Guests – A Tribute to Howlin' Wolf John P. Hammond – Long as I Have You Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson & The Magic Rockers – Got to Find a Way Robert Lockwood Jr. – I Got to Find Me a Woman
2000	B.B. King	Blues on the Bayou	Bobby "Blue" Bland – Memphis Monday Morning Ruth Brown – A Good Day for the Blues Odetta – Blues Everywhere I Go Pinetop Perkins & Hubert Sumlin – Legends
2001	B.B. King & Eric Clapton	Riding with the King	James Cotton, Billy Branch, Charlie Musselwhite & Sugar Ray Norcia – Superharps B.B. King – Let the Good Times Roll Robert Lockwood Jr. – Delta Crossroads Willie Nelson – Milk Cow Blues
2002	Jimmie Vaughan	Do You Get the Blues?	Maria Muldaur & Various Artists – Richland Woman Blues Ike Turner & The Kings of Rhythm – Here and Now James Blood Ulmer – Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions Various Artists – Hellhound on My Trail: The Songs of Robert Johnson
2003	B.B. King	A Christmas Celebration of Hope	R. L. Burnside – Burnside on Burnside James Cotton Blues Band – 35th Anniversary Jam of the James Cotton Blues Band Alvin Youngblood Hart – Down in the Alley Various Artists – Preachin' the Blues: The Music of Mississippi Fred McDowell
2004	Buddy Guy	Blues Singer	Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater featuring Los Straitjackets – Rock ‘n’ Roll City Jay McShann – Goin' to Kansas City Roomful of Blues – That’s Right! Kim Wilson – Lookin' for Trouble!
2005	Etta James	Blues to the Bone	Eric Clapton – Me and Mr. Johnson James Cotton – Baby, Don't You Tear My Clothes John Lee Hooker Jr. – Blues with a Vengeance Pinetop Perkins – Ladies Man
2006	B.B. King & Friends	B.B. King & Friends: 80	Marcia Ball – Live! Down the Road John P. Hammond – In Your Arms Again Maria Muldaur – Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul Hubert Sumlin – About Them Shoes
2007	Ike Turner	Risin' with the Blues	Tab Benoit with Louisiana's LeRoux – Brother to the Blues Dion – Bronx in Blue James Hunter – People Gonna Talk Duke Robillard – Guitar Groove-A-Rama
2008	Henry James Townsend, Pinetop Perkins, Robert Lockwood Jr. & David "Honeyboy" Edwards	Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live in Dallas	Pinetop Perkins – Pinetop Perkins on the 88's – Live in Chicago Otis Rush – Live... and in Concert from San Francisco Kenny Wayne Shepherd featuring Various Artists – 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads Koko Taylor – Old School
2009	B.B. King	One Kind Favor	Elvin Bishop – The Blues Rolls On Buddy Guy – Skin Deep John Lee Hooker Jr. – All Odds Against Me Pinetop Perkins & Friends – Pinetop Perkins & Friends
2010	Ramblin' Jack Elliott	A Stranger Here	The Mick Fleetwood Band featuring Rick Vito – Blue Again! John P. Hammond – Rough & Tough Duke Robillard – Stomp! The Blues Tonight Various Artists – Chicago Blues: A Living History	^[2]
2011	Pinetop Perkins & Willie "Big Eyes" Smith	Joined at the Hip	James Cotton – Giant Cyndi Lauper – Memphis Blues Charlie Musselwhite – The Well Jimmie Vaughan – Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites	^[3]
2017	Bobby Rush	Porcupine Meat	Lurrie Bell – Can't Shake This Feeling Joe Bonamassa – Live at the Greek Theatre Luther Dickinson – Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger's Songbook: Volumes I & II) Vasti Jackson – The Soul of Jimmie Rodgers	^[4]
2018	The Rolling Stones	Blue & Lonesome	Eric Bibb – Migration Blues Elvin Bishop's Big Fun Trio – Elvin Bishop's Big Fun Trio R.L. Boyce – Roll and Tumble Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi – Sonny & Brownie's Last Train	^[5]
2019	Buddy Guy	The Blues Is Alive and Well	Elvin Bishop's Big Fun Trio – Something Smells Funky 'Round Here Cedric Burnside – Benton County Relic Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite – No Mercy In This Land Maria Muldaur – Don't You Feel My Leg (The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker)	^[6]
2020	Delbert McClinton & the Self-Made Men + Dana	Tall, Dark and Handsome	Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - Kingfish Bobby Rush - Sitting on Top of the Blues Jimmie Vaughan - Baby, Please Come Home Jontavious Willis - Spectacular Class	^[7]
2021	Bobby Rush	Rawer Than Raw	Frank Bey - All My Dues Are Paid Don Bryant - You Make Me Feel Robert Cray Band - That's What I Heard Jimmy "Duck" Holmes - Cypress Grove	^[8]^[9]
2022	Cedric Burnside	I Be Trying	Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite - 100 Years of Blues Blues Traveler - Traveler's Blues Guy Davis - Be Ready When I Call You Kim Wilson - Take Me Back	^[10]
2023	Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder	Get On Board	Gov't Mule – Heavy Load Blues Buddy Guy – The Blues Don't Lie John Mayall – The Sun Is Shining Down Charlie Musselwhite – Mississippi Son	^[11]

References

1. "THE RECORDING ACADEMY® ANNOUNCES RULE AMENDMENTS AND DATES F". Grammy.org. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
2. "Complete List of Nominees for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards". E!Online. December 2, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
3. "Grammy Awards 2011: Winners and nominees for 53rd Grammy Awards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 30, 2017.^{[permanent dead link]}
4. "Grammys 2017: Complete list of winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. February 12, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.^{[permanent dead link]}
5. Lynch, Joe (November 28, 2017). "Grammys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
6. "61st Annual GRAMMY Awards". GRAMMY.com. December 6, 2018.
7. "2020 Grammy Awards nominations list". Grammy.com. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
8. "2021 Nominations List". Grammy.com. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
9. "Looking Ahead To The 2021 GRAMMYs". GRAMMY.com. 2020-08-19. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
10. "2022 GRAMMYs Awards: Complete Nominations List". Grammy.com. 2021-11-23. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
11. Bloom, Madison (February 5, 2023). "Grammys 2023 Winners: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 6, 2023.

Sources

• Grammy Awards – Past Winners Search  As noted in this article: search years are offset by one year.