The Blues Foundation has announced the 2018 calls of Blues Hall of Fame inductees. The list includes a Queen, two members from the early days of the Blues, two members from the Golden Age, and a Gospel and R&B artist from the modern era. And the King gets an album inducted.

The induction ceremony will be held on May 9 at the Halloran Centre in Memphis, Tennessee and includes a cocktail reception. The Blues Hall of Fame Museum will be installing memorabilia from the new Hall of Fame inductees.

On May 10 the Blues Foundation will present the annual Blues Music Awards in Memphis’ Cook Convention Center.

One of the few Halls of Fame to recognize works of literature, the Blues Hall of Fame is inducting the book “I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Broonzy by Bob Reisman.

Blues legend B.B. King has his third Live album being inducted into the Hall of Fame with “Blues is King”.

The Blues Hall of Fame is also inducting a handful of songs:
“See See Rider Blues” by M Rainey
“I’m a Man” by Bo Diddley
“Roll “Em Pete” by Joe Turner
“Green Onion” by Booker T. and the M.G.’s
“Cross Cut Saw” by Albert King

The inductees to the 2018 Blues Hall of Fame are:
Grammy Award winning Staples Singers leader Roebuck “Pops” Staples who formed the group with his children – Pervis, Cleotha, Mavis, and Yvonne.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer Sam Lay who spent 60 years behind the drums and still performs occasionally even though he is in his 80’s. Over the years, he has performed with Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, James Cotton, Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, Lightinin’ Hopkins, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and Bob Dylan to name a few.

Trailblazing Blues artist Mamie Smith who crossed the colour lines with her fans and was a pioneer in “Race Music”. A posthumous induction, Smith died in 1946.

Thomas A. “Georgie” Dorsey began playing the piano while still in his teens and was a member of Ma Rainey’s band. He was known for penning, what for the times were, some very racey songs. He later became known as the Father of Gospel Music and penned the popular tunes “Precious Lord” and “Peace in the Valley”.

The Chicago Blues band The Aces only stayed together for a few years, but made their mark on the Blues as a group and singularly having worked with a number of artists including Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Sonny Boy Will, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, John Lee Hooker Louis Jordan, and Koko Taylor.

Chicago DJ Al Benson (born Arthur Leaner) has been mentioned in songs by Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. Benson had a television show, record stores, was a concert promoter, owned record labels, and owned a nightclub.

 

feature photo credit: By John Phelan – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55291211