About Maple Blues Awards
About Winners and Nominees Tickets Maple Blues Band Archive
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The Maple Blues Awards is Canada’s national blues awards program. Its goal is to promote blues music across Canada, and to recognize outstanding achievement in the field.
The winners of the Sixteenth Annual Maple Blues Awards will be announced at the Annual Maple Blues Awards Gala in Toronto. This very special evening is Canada’s national annual celebration of homegrown blues talent. It’s also a night of great music by the Maple Blues Band, comprised entirely of Maple Blues Awards winners and nominees.
The awards program is proudly organized by the Toronto Blues Society. Check out videos from last year’s awards show here.
The nominees are selected by a distinguished panel of some 50+ blues experts. Co-Chaired by John Valenteyn, long-time member of the TBS, and Brent Staeben of the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in Fredericton, the panel includes radio hosts, journalists, and festival organizers regionally distributed across Canada. Members of the Nominating Panel are not eligible for any of the awards.
For most of the ballot, the winners will be selected by blues fans from across the country.
The Instrument categories, guitar, harmonica, piano/keyboards, horn, drums & bass, will be voted on by the Nominating Panel.
Voting opens Friday, October 26 at midnight ADT & closes Saturday, December 8 at midnight PST.
The Nomination Panel consists of industry professionals from across Canada:
| Brent Staeben (Chair) | Harvest Festival, Fredericton NB |
| John Valenteyn (Chair) | CIUT, Toronto ON |
| Al Wood | Saskatoon Blues Society, SK |
| Bill Lucas | CHLY, Nanaimo BC |
| Brad Wheeler | Globe & Mail, Toronto ON |
| Brant Zwicker | “At The Crossroads”, Kamloops BC |
| Brian Mortimer | Karma Productions, London ON |
| Bruce Hall | CKWS, Waterloo ON |
| Claude Cloutier | Kitchener Blues Festival |
| Dan Cherworniak | Saturday Night Blues, Edmonton AB |
| Danny Marks | BLUZFM, Toronto ON |
| David de Wolfe | Dutch Mason Blues Festival, Truro NS |
| Deborah Cartmer | CFBU, St. Catharines ON |
| Denis Parker | St. Johns NF |
| Earl Krushelnicki | Blues Underground Network, Prince George BC |
| Eric Thom | Writer, Toronto ON |
| Gord MacCauley | Canadian Blues Alliance, SK |
| Grant Stovel | CJSR, Edmonton AB |
| Greg Simpson | DAWGFM Coquitlam BC |
| James Doran | Promoter, Smith Falls ON |
| Jean-Pierre Petit | CKUT, Montreal (Québec) |
| Jim Burnett | Co-op Radio, Vancouver BC |
| John Detcheverry | CKUT, Montreal PQ |
| John Vermilyea | Blues Underground Network, Kamloops BC |
| Julie Hill | CKLN, Toronto ON |
| Larry Kurtz | Orangeville Jazz & Blues Festival |
| Liz Sykes | Ottawa Blues Society ON |
| Mako Funasaka | Talkin’ Blues Toronto ON |
| Maurice Ginzer | Calgary Blues Festival AB |
| Michel Dubois | CKRL, Quebec City PQ |
| Mike Rochette | CKIA-FM (Quebec City) |
| Paul Norton | CFRO, Vancouver BC |
| Paul Panchezak | CFMU, Hamilton ON |
| Rico Ferrara | Waterfront Blues Festival |
| Robert Mersereau | CBC New Brunswick, Fredericton NB |
| Ron Simmonds | CFRO, Vancouver BC |
| Sandy MacDonald | Halifax Daily News NS |
| Terry Parsons | CHMR, St. Johns NL |
| Tim Holek | Writer, Chatham ON |
| Vince Almond | CFBX, Kamloops BC |
| Vince Vitacco | CHRY Toronto |
| William Alexander | CKWR, Waterloo ON |
| Yves Trottier | Dawg-FM |








