Grammy Nominations: Congratulations to the nominees: For Best Contemporary Blues Album: , The Black Keys – Delta Kream, Joe Bonamassa – Royal Tea, Shemekia Copeland – Uncivil War, Steve Cropper – Fire It Up, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – 662. And the nominees for Best Traditional Blues Album are Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite – 100 Years of Blues, Blues Traveler – Traveler’s Blues, Cedric Burnside – I Be Trying, Guy Davis – Be Ready When I Call You, Kim Wilson – Take Me Back.The Grammys will be held on January 31st in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on CBS.

Blues on The Rideau on Hold (again):
Promoter James Doran of Choose the Blues Productions has regrettably cancelled the winter spring session at the Cove Inn due to Covid restrictions. James writes, “When we got the news from the Ontario government last month that full capacity and dancing (with masks) was once again being allowed but last Thursday we got a memo from the Leeds Grenville Health Region stating that establishments with dancing are now also restricted to 25% capacity with 2 meter distancing between tables. I can’t live with this. There is no way I can make BOTR work at 25% capacity. I need at least 80% just to break even.”
The venue however remains committed to continuing with regular live music and while BOTR is on hold he will be doing some Blues/ Soul/R&B shows – solo/duos “sit-and-listen” style. Stay tuned.