2010 Blues Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

The Blues Foundation has announced the inductees for the Blues Hall of Fame in 2010, including Louisiana-born, Chicago-based bluesman Lonnie Brooks, highly-esteemed blues singer and harpist Charlie Musselwhite and singer, songwriter, guitarist and social activist Bonnie Raitt.

Among the other individuals that are being recognized by the Foundation this year include "The Father of the Blues" W.C. Handy, jug band pioneer Gus Cannon and Cannon's Jug Stompers, and the writer of many great "drinking songs," including "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer," Amos Milburn.

American roots music writer Peter Guralnick and the legendary host of the King Biscuit Time program on KFFA radio in Helena, Arkansas Sonny Payne, are the non-performers being inducted this year. Sam Charters' groundbreaking research on the blues in the 1950s and '60s resulted in several books including this year's Classics of Blues Literature inductee - The Bluesmen.

The following singles or album tracks will be inducted during the ceremony: "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" by Otis Rush, "Fever" by Little Willie John, "Key to the Highway' by Big Bill Broonzy, "Match Box Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson and "Spoonful" by Howlin' Wolf. These albums are also being honored: Strong Persuader by Robert Cray, Hung Down Head by Lowell Fulson and I Hear Some Blues Downstairs by Fenton Robinson.

The induction ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 5, at the Memphis Marriott Downtown in Memphis, Tennessee, the night before the 31st Blues Music Awards. Plans are underway now individually honor each of the inductees that night.

The Hall of Fame committee, consisting of scholars, record producers, radio programmers, and historians, is chaired by Jim O'Neal, founding editor of Living Blues.

On May 6, the night after the Blues Hall of Fame inductions, The Blues Foundation will present the Blues Music Awards for the 31st time. Performers, industry representatives, and fans from around the world will celebrate the best in Blues recording, songwriting and performance from the previous year at the Memphis Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis.

The presenting sponsors are The Gibson Foundation and BMI. ArtsMemphis, bandVillage, Casey Family Programs, Eagle Rock Entertainment, FedEx, I 55 Productions, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Tennessee Arts Commission and Vividpix and Design also sponsor the Blues Music Awards.

The following are the new inductees in each of the categories:

Performers

•Lonnie Brooks - One of Chicago's top blues performers, Brooks plays a unique combination of Louisiana and Chicago blues. The singer/guitarist started his career in the in the mid-50's with zydeco's Clifton Chenier and soon had a couple of regional hits on Goldband Records. After moving to Chicago, he started doing session work (Jimmy Reed's Big Boss Man) but it wasn't until the late-70's that he came into his own as a performing artist, recording a series of albums for Alligator Records.

•Charlie Musselwhite - A firm member of the San Francisco club scene in the 70's, Musselwhite actually started his career in Chicago sitting in with greatest such as Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson. After his first album, Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's South Side Band, became popular on San Francisco radio, he moved west and worked with Harvey Mandel, Robben Ford and Luther Tucker, among others. It wasn't until the late-80's that Charlie ventured out to tour worldwide, causing his career to finally take off.

•Bonnie Raitt - In a career that has seen numerous changes in style, Raitt has always held her commitment to the blues and has been one of the most vocal supporters for organizations and charities that provide services for older blues performers. Her earlier albums contained a good portion of blues music and critics applauded both her soulful voice and her superb guitar playing. Even after becoming a mainstay of rock and pop radio with her 1989 album Nick of Time, Raitt continued to insist on taking some of the great names in blues on tour with her.

•W.C. Handy - Known as the Father of the Blues, Handy brought the traditional music of the rural south into the mainstream, popularizing existing songs and writing new ones in the style. In 1914, he started his own publishing company in Memphis and began writing songs that would go on to become classics such as The St. Louis Blues, Beale Street Blues and Crazy Blues.

•Gus Cannon and Cannon's Jug Stompers - Cannon, a banjo player, along with his group the Jug Stompers, recorded for Victor between 1928 and 1930. Those records were not only popular in their original day but also were big among folk and rock artists of the 60's who turned out covers of his songs (Walk Right In by the Rooftop Singers, Viola Lee Blues by the Grateful Dead and Prison Wall Blues by the Lovin' Spoonful who revamped the song into Younger Girl).

•Amos Milburn - Milburn was famous for his driving boogie piano playing which he recorded for Aladdin Records in the late-40's and 50's. Among his 19 top ten R&B hits were Chicken Shack Boogie, Bewildered, Hold Me Baby, Roomin' House Boogie and Bad, Bad Whiskey. He also worked frequently with Charles Brown.





Non-Performers

•Peter Guralnick - One of great music writers, Guralnick has had three of his books inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, Feel Like Going Home, Searching for Robert Johnson and Sweet Soul Music. He also worked with Martin Scorsese on his Blues series for PBS.

•Sonny Payne - Payne has been the host of King Biscuit Time on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas since 1951 and still broadcasts the show today, racking up over 14,000 broadcasts. The show, which actually started in 1941, is the longest running regularly scheduled blues program in the world.

Classics of Blues Literature

•The Bluesmen by Sam Charters

Classics of Blues Recording: Singles and Album Tracks

•All Your Love (I Miss Loving) by Otis Rush
•Fever by Little Willie John
•Key to the Highway by Big Bill Broonzy
•Matchbox Blues by Blind Lemon Jefferson
•Spoonful by Howlin' Wolf

Classics of Blues Recording: Albums

•Strong Persuader by Robert Cray
•Hung Down Low by Lowell Fulson
•I Hear Some Blues Downstairs by Fenton Robinson