Congratulations to The Reader longtime Hoodoo Blues columnist B.J. Huchtemann, who is the official 2015 recipient of the Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Journalism, given out annually by the Blues Foundation in Memphis.
The awards will be presented at a luncheon during the International Blues Challenge competition in Memphis in January.
“It is a huge honor and I’m delighted beyond words,” says Huchtemann.
The Blues Foundation will honor 15 individuals and organizations with its 2015 Keeping the Blues Alive Awards during a recognition luncheon Friday, January 23, 2015, in Memphis. Each year, The Blues Foundation presents the KBA Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to blues music. The KBA ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 31st International Blues Challenge, which begins Jan. 20 and features the final rounds of the world’s largest and most prestigious blues music competition, as well as seminars, showcases and receptions for blues societies, fans and professionals.
The KBAs are awarded by a select panel of blues professionals to those working actively to promote and document the music. KBA Committee Chairman Art Tipaldi notes, “The KBA Committee always looks to honor longevity. (blogs.20minutos.es) This year’s slate of 15 recipients comes with over 400 years of dedicated service to spreading blues music. With so many dedicated organizations here and abroad, the committee decided to honor two blues society affiliates, one American and one international. The Blues Foundation is pleased to honor these people and organizations as a tribute to the years each has given to supporting blues music.”
The 2015 Keeping the Blues Alive Awards recipients are:
1. Affiliated Organization: Asociación Musical Blues Hondarribia – Hondarribia, Spain
2. Affiliated Organization: Sacramento Blues Society – Sacramento, California
3. Club: Rosa’s Lounge – Chicago, Illinois
4. Education: Jerzy Kossek – Katowice, Poland
5. Festival (International): Bluesfest Eutin – Eutin, Germany
6. Festival (U.S.): Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival – Winthrop, Washington
7. Film, Television and Video: Peter Carlson – Rio Rancho, New Mexico
8. Historical Preservation: Guido van Rijn – Overveen, Netherlands
9. International: Goran Stensrud – Fetsund, Norway
10. Journalism: B.J. Huchtemann – Omaha, Nebraska
11. Literature: Ben Sandmel – New Orleans, Louisiana
12. Photography: Pertti Nurmi – Helsinki, Finland
13. Producer: Mike Vernon – Antequera, Spain
14. Radio (Commercial): Charlie Frazier – Burlington,Vermont
15. Radio (Public): Gary Wagner – Long Beach, California
The Blues Foundation is Memphis-based, but world-renowned as the organization dedicated to preserving our blues music history, celebrating recording and performance excellence, supporting blues education, and ensuring the future of this uniquely American art form. Founded in 1980, The Blues Foundation has 4,000 individual members and 200 affiliated local blues societies representing another 50,000 fans and professionals around the world. Its signature honors and events – the Blues Music Awards, Blues Hall of Fame, International Blues Challenge, and Keeping the Blues Alive Awards – make it the international center of blues music. Its HART Fund provides the blues community with medical assistance, while its Sound Healthcare program offers musicians health insurance access. Blues in the Schools programs and Generation Blues scholarships expose new generations to blues music. Throughout the year, the Foundation staff serves the worldwide blues community with answers, contact information, and news.
For more information, contact: Jay Sieleman, President & CEO, The Blues Foundation, 421 South Main, Memphis, TN, 38103-4464; 901.527.2583; jay@blues.org.
You can also find this as the Blues Foundation’s lead story on their home page and under KBA Awards Search 2015
www.blues.org/2014/11/2015-keeping-the-blues-alive-award-recipients-announced