Maple Blues Announce 2005 Award Winners

Monday night was a big night for the blues community in Canada, with their annual awards being handed out in a ceremony in Toronto in recognition of the contributions of artists and industry members. The Maple Blues Awards are selected by a public online voting system, with the exception of the Blues Booster of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award, which are voted by industry members. Below is a list of the winners for the 2005 Awards:

Downchild Blues Band - Entertainer of the Year

Garrett Mason/ - Best New Artist

Paul Reddick - Songwriter of the Year, Best Male Vocalist

Dawn Tyler Watson - Best Female Vocalist

Jack de Keyser - Best Guitarist

Chris Whitely - Best Horn Player

Harry Manx - Best Acoustic Act of the Year

B.B. King - International Artist of the Year

Danny Marks - Lifetime Achievement

Music promoter and publicist Richard Flohil was given the Blues Booster award in recognition of his 40 years of work on the Toronto music scene. Flohil is the former editor of Canadian Composer and current editor of Applaud. He has backed countless blues festivals and brought big-name acts to Ontario.

The Maple Blues nominees are selected by DJs and the blues community. Winners are chosen through online voting by the public.

For more information, visit www.mapleblues.ca