Congratulations to Eden Brent for earning top honors in this year’s Blues Music Awards! Eden’s new album Ain’t Got No Troubles is nominated for Album of the Year (alongside releases from Buddy Guy and Charlie Musselwhite) and Eden also earned artist recognition in “Koko Taylor (Traditional Blues Female)” and “Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year” categories (the latter, for the third year in a row).
“I grew up listening to Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, and Charlie Musselwhite at the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival in Greenville,” Eden said of the announcement, “and I’m- humbled to now be mentioned among them. What a dream come true!”
The nominations cap a stellar year for Brent.- Amazon ranked Ain’t Got No Troubles its #4 Blues album of 2010 (Buddy Guy and Mavis Staples took the top spots; Eric Clapton was #6). The album debuted at #1 on the iTunes Blues chart. It received glowing reviews, too: USA Today praised Brent’s “raw vocal sound” while NPR Song of the Day called her “irresistibly fresh.”
Brent also received an artist fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission; was a featured guest on several nationally syndicated radio programs, including NPR Weekend Edition, American Routes, House of Blues Radio Hour and Beale Street Caravan; and dazzled audiences in major cities across the US with live renditions of songs from Ain’t Got No Troubles.
Congratulations also to Jimi Bott of Woodbrain, who is nominated again for Best Instrumentalist – Drums.
The Blues Music Awards (formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards) are universally recognized as the highest honor given to Blues artists. And best of all, you can vote in the awards process! Visit The Blues Foundation to join, and then this link to vote once you are a member. Voting is open now through March 1.