39th Annual Blues Music Awards Nominees to be Announced Jan. 9 on Ditty TV

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Press Release) – The Blues Foundation is thrilled that, for the first time ever, the announcement of the nominees for its annual Blues Music Awards will be broadcast around the world. The Blues Foundation has teamed up with the Ditty TV Network and William Bearden Productions for this special presentation that will take place on January 9th at 10 a.m. CT. Blues and roots music fans everywhere will be able to discover who are the contenders for the 2018 Blues Music Awards as they are publically revealed.  

The broadcast can be watched on Ditty TV from any connected device at https://dittytv.com/watch/ or by going to AppleTV (https://apple.co/2lYhCxq), Roku (http://bit.ly/2Cxgjwh) and FireTV (http://amzn.to/2AxBGfi). It can be viewed too on the Blues Foundation’s own Facebook page, http://bit.ly/2EbCGbf.  
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Serving as hosts for the nomination announcements will be legendary bluesmen Bobby Rush, John Nemeth, and Kenny Neal. Besides being winners of numerous BMA Awards, the three musicians also are colorful entertainers who will certainly make for a memorable broadcast. This year, the prestigious Blue Music Awards will give out honors in 26 categories, including two new ones: Blues Rock Artist of the Year and Instrumentalist: Vocals. A complete list of the nominees will be made available on the Blues Foundation’s website, www.blues.org following the broadcast.  

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The 39th Annual Blues Music Awards will be held on Thursday, May 10th at 7 p.m. at Memphis’ Cook Convention Center. Individual tickets are $150 per person; Regular Tables for 10 are $1,500 and Premium Tables for 10 are $1,800 each. All tickets can be purchased at www.blues.org/ beginningJanuary 9th. The Blues Foundation’s hotel block of rooms at the Sheraton Memphis Downtown will be open for reservations on January 9th; Sheraton reservation links can be found on the Blues Foundation’s website on the 9th too. Blues Foundation membership costs as little as $25 per year, which includes a ballot to vote for the 2018 Blues Music Awards. Visit www.blues.org and click on the Join Now button.  

Honoring the past year’s superior achievements in blues performance, songwriting, and recording, the Blues Music Awards are internationally recognized as the highest accolade for blues musicians and the premier event for blues professionals, musicians, and fans throughout the world. Nearly every nominee not only attends the Awards show, but they also perform at it – creating a lineup that presents the best of the best in blues all in one evening.  

Major funding for the Blues Music Awards is provided by ArtsMemphis and Tennessee Arts Commission. The 39th BMAs are also sponsored by AutoZone, BMI, Ditty TV, First Tennessee Foundation, Gibson Foundation, and Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau.  

Ditty TV celebrates Americana and Roots styles of music. Based out of Memphis, this television networkairs live concerts, music videos, interviews, documentaries, and other music-related programming. They produce and broadcast original live shows along with featuring programs from a variety of passionate music-inspired video producers. Available anywhere, anytime, and always free, Ditty TV can be enjoyed on cable TV using a TiVo-equipped cable box or on connected devices like SmartTVs, Roku, AppleTV, FireTV, ChromeCast, mobiles, computers, and tablets.  
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The Blues Foundation is known around the world as being THE organization whose mission is to preserve blues heritage, celebrate blues recording and performance, expand worldwide awareness of the blues, and ensure the future of this uniquely American art form. Founded in 1980, the Memphis-based Blues Foundation has approximately 4,000 individual members and 200 affiliated local blues societies representing another 50,000 fans and professionals around the world. Its signature honors and events - the Blues Music Awards, Blues Hall of Fame, International Blues Challenge and Keeping the Blues Alive Awards - make the Blues Foundation the international center of blues music. The recent opening of the Blues Hall of Fame Museum, in Memphis, TN, now adds the opportunity for music lovers of all ages to interact with the music and the history. Visit www.blues.org/ for more information.