Main Blues

The Blues Foundation will honor 21 individuals and organizations with its 2011 Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Award during a recognition brunch on Saturday, February 5, 2011, in Memphis, Tennessee.

There wasn't any Washington State winners this year, but there was an award recipient from the Pacific NW. Congratulations to Tom Wendt at KBOO-FM in Portland, Oregon for winning the KBA for public radio!

Each year, The Blues Foundation presents the KBA Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the blues music world. The KBAs are awarded strictly on the basis of merit by a select panel of blues professionals to those working to actively promote and document the music. Nominations are accepted from affiliated blues societies, past KBA recipients and current members of The Blues Foundation’s Board of Directors.

“The recipients of this year’s awards – as with every year – are people and organizations who are an integral part of not only promoting blues music, but of preserving it as well. Their work applies to the business of recorded music, but also to live events, print media, radio and visual broadcasts, and increasingly, the internet,” notes Art Tipaldi, KBA chairman.

The 2011 Keeping the Blues Alive Awards recipients are:

• Agent: Intrepid Artists, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Blues Club: Chan’s Fine Oriental Dining, Woonsocket, Rhode Island
• Blues Organization: Billtown Blues Society, Williamsport, Pennsylvania
• Education: Gary Allegretto, Los Angeles, California
• Festival (International) : Notodden Blues Festival, Notodden, Norway
• Festival (U.S.) : Tampa Bay Blues Festival, St. Petersburg, Florida
• Film, Television, and Video: Mako Funasaka, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Historical Preservation: Canada South Museum, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
• International: Paul Jones, London, England
• Internet: Mary4Music.com, Baltimore, Maryland
• Journalism: Tim Parsons, South Lake Tahoe, California
• Literature: Mary Lou Sullivan, Coventry, Connecticut
• Manager: Paul Nelson, Bullseye Management, Stamford, Connecticut
• Photography: Bill Steber, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• Print Media: Twoj Blues, Chorzow, Poland
• Producer: Michael Freeman, Barrington, Illinois
• Promoter: Didier Tricard, Montferrier sur Lez, France
• Publicist: Debra Regur, Blind Pig Records, San Francisco, California
• Radio (Commercial) : Mark Pasman, WCSX-FM, Detroit, Michigan
• Radio (Public) : Tom Wendt, KBOO-FM, Portland, Oregon
• Record Label: Electro-Fi Records, Toronto, Ontario, Canada