Established in 1985, the Toronto Blues Society describes itself as “the premier promoter of blues music in Canada.” Since 1996, the society has been awarding the annual Maple Blues Awards to the world’s most gifted and influential blues artists. This year’s 2018 Maple Blues nominations include three artists signed to Alligator Records– Rick Estrin, Shemekia Copeland and Lindsay Beaver. Both Estrin and Copeland were nominated for the prestigious B.B. King International Artist of the Year Award, while Beaver received a nomination for Drummer of the Year Award.

The Toronto Blues Society selects its yearly nominees through a panel of 45 blues experts, including Canadian radio hosts, journalists, and festival organizers. The Nominating Panel chooses nominees within the instrument categories: drums, guitar, harmonica, piano/keyboard, bass, and horn. Nominees of the other categories are chosen by blues fans across Canada. The winners will be announced on February 4, 2019 in Toronto’s famous Koerner Hall.

Earlier this year, The Memphis-based Blues Foundation nominated Estrin for 6 separate awards in their 39th Annual Blues Music Awards: Album of the Year, Traditional Blues Album of the Year, and Band of the Year for his band Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, along with three individual artist nominations for B.B King Entertainer of the Year, Instrumentalist-Harmonica, and Song of the Year for his original song, “The Blues Ain’t Going Nowhere.” In September, Shemekia Copeland was featured in OffBeat following the release of her critically-acclaimed album, America’s Child. Nova Scotia-native Lindsay Beaver relocated to Austin this year. She has self-released five albums with her band, including her newest release, Tough As Love, and has toured around Canada, the U.S., and Europe.

For more information, visit the official website for the Toronto Blues Society.