VETERAN ACT DOWNCHILD LEADS 2008 MAPLE BLUES AWARD NOMINATIONS;

DAWN TYLER WATSON SET TO HOST CEREMONIES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VETERAN ACT DOWNCHILD LEADS 2008 MAPLE BLUES AWARD NOMINATIONS;
DAWN TYLER WATSON SET TO HOST CEREMONIES

What: The Maple Blues Awards
Where: The Mod Club Theatre, 722 College St. , Toronto
When: Monday, January 21, 2008, 8PM
Website: www.torontobluessociety.com
Tickets: www.ticketpro.ca

TORONTO – Monday, October 29th, 2007 –The 11th annual Maple Blues Awards, Canada 's national award program that promotes and recognizes outstanding achievement in blues music, has announced the nominees for 2008. The Gala Awards Ceremony will take place at 8 pm on Monday, January 21st at the Mod Club, 722 College St. in Toronto . Tickets are available through Ticketpro at www.ticketpro.ca .

Downchild, the ever-popular Canadian blues band, which has been making albums and rocking audiences for 38 years, leads the nominations with a total of eight, including entertainer, electric act and recording of the year (for Live at the Palais Royale). In fact, every current member of the band has been nominated in a category this year including Downchild’s founder and leader, Donnie Walsh, as producer of their latest of 15 albums.

Legendary Toronto soul man Danny Brooks has earned four nominations while Western Canadian artists Jim Byrnes, Colin James and Harry Manx each garnered three. Blues talents Suzie Vinnick, Roxanne Potvin and Shakura S’Aida are in the running with two each.

Montreal’s Queen of the Blues, Dawn Tyler Watson, will host the Gala event and is also nominated for acoustic act of the year (with Paul Deslauriers) and female vocalist of the year. Like Jim Byrnes, who hosted last year’s event, she is an accomplished actor, earning herself the lead role of Curly Brown opposite famed Quebec heartthrob Roy Dupuis in the feature film Jack Paradise – Les Nuits de Montreal . Her most recent achievement is the new acoustic album entitled en Duo a blend of folk, rock, roots and blues at its best and recorded with singer/songwriter and guitarist Paul Deslauriers. Dawn will also be among a strong line up of performers in the upcoming Women’s Blues Revue taking place on December 1st.

Other multiple nods go to Ontario ’s Johnny Max, Kevin Breit, Jack de Keyzer, Chris Whiteley, Paul Reddick and Fathead. Hot Toddy’s Tom Easley and Geoff Arsenault along with Garrett Mason represent the East coast contingent.

This year’s Blues Booster award, which honours individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Canadian Blues industry, will be given to the Globe and Mail’s longtime blues and pop critic/reviewer, Brad Wheeler. This award goes to members of the blues community who aid in the advancement and appreciate of Canadian Blues and is selected by the Toronto Blues Society Board of Directors.

All nominees are selected by a distinguished panel of blues experts from across Canada , and winners are selected by the votes of Canadian blues fans. Voting begins online at www.mapleblues.ca from November 4th until midnight (PT) December 8th, 2007.


2008 MAPLE BLUES NOMINEES

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jim Byrnes
Jack de Keyzer
Downchild
Colin James
Shakura S’Aida

ELECTRIC ACT OF THE YEAR
Downchild
Sue Foley/Deborah Coleman/Roxanne Potvin
Colin James & the Little Big Band
Garrett Mason
Johnny Max Band

ACOUSTIC ACT OF THE YEAR
Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley
Michael Jerome Browne
Harry Manx & Kevin Breit
Big Dave McLean
Dawn Tyler Watson & Paul Deslauriers

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Danny Brooks
Jim Byrnes
Chuck Jackson
Harrison Kennedy
John Mays

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Ndidi Onukwulu
Roxanne Potvin
Shakura S'Aida
Suzie Vinnick
Dawn Tyler Watson

NEW ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
(The winner will also receive the Galaxie Rising Stars of the CBC Award)
Little Miss Higgins
Steve Marriner
Son Roberts Band
Steve Strongman
Thom Swift

RECORDING OF THE YEAR
No Easy Way Out (Rockin’ Camel)
Artist: Danny Brooks
Producer: Johnny Sandlin
Live at the Palais Royale (Linus)
Artist:Downchild
Producer: Donnie Walsh
3 (MapleMusic)
Artist: Colin James & the Little Big Band
Producers: Colin Linden & Colin James
In Good We Trust (Stony Plain)
Artist: Harry Manx & Kevin Breit
Producers: Kevin Breit & Harry Manx
A Lesson I've Learned (Pour Soul)
Artist: Johnny Max Band
Producers: Martin Alex Aucoin & Johnny Max

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
James Hunter
Bettye LaVette
Duke Robillard
Bobby Rush
Watermelon Slim and the Workers

GUITARIST OF THE YEAR
Kevin Breit
Mel Brown
Jack de Keyzer
Shawn Kellerman
Garrett Mason

HARMONICA PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dave Hoerl
Steve Marriner
Michael Pickett
Paul Reddick
David Rotundo

PIANO/KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Lance Anderson
Richard Bell
Michael Fonfara
Bill King
Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne

HORN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Pat Carey
Johnny Ferreira
Al Lerman
Chris Murphy
Chris Whiteley

DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
Geoff Arsenault
Bucky Berger
Al Cross
Mike Fitzpatrick
Mike Sloski

BASSIST OF THE YEAR
Tom Easley
Alec Fraser
Russell Jackson
Gary Kendall
Suzie Vinnick

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Martin Alex Aucoin & Johnny Max
Danny Brooks
Jim Byrnes
Harry Manx
Paul Reddick

BLUES WITH A FEELING
Danny Brooks
Michael Fonfara
Alec Fraser
Amos Garrett
Tom Lavin
Big Dave McLean
Ellen McIlwaine
Joe Murphy
Chris Whiteley
Ken Whiteley
Terry Wilkins

BLUES BOOSTER (LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD)
Brad Wheeler

What: The Maple Blues Awards
Where: The Mod Club Theatre, 722 College St. , Toronto
When: Monday, January 21, 2008, 8 PM
Website: www.torontobluessociety.com
Tickets: www.ticketpro.ca

The Maple Blues Awards are supported by FACTOR and the Government of Canada through the Canadian Music Fund, GALAXIE - CBC's Continuous Music Network, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, KMP Designs Inc., Cordova Bay, Stony Plain Records, Long & McQuade Musical Instruments and CBC Radio/Saturday Night Blues,

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For more information, photos, interviews, please contact:

Beverly Kreller
SPEAK Music
www.speak-music.com
bev@speak-music.com
416.922.3620

Toronto Blues Society
416.538.3885
info@torontobluessociety.com