The Blues Foundation to Honor Blues Patrons at January Awards Ceremony in Memphis

Honorees Include Key Movers

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Blues Foundation will honor 20 individuals and organizations with its 2014 Keeping the Blues Alive Awards during a recognition luncheon Friday, January 24, 2014, in Memphis, Tennessee. Each year, The Blues Foundation presents the KBA Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to blues music. The KBA ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 30th International Blues Challenge, which begins January 21 and features the final rounds of the world's largest and most prestigious blues music competition, as well as seminars, showcases, and receptions for blues societies, fans, and professionals.

The KBAs are awarded by a select panel of blues professionals to those working actively to promote and document the music. The 20 recipients represent an outstanding cross-section of blues advocates. The KBA Committee selected Blue Star Connection for a Special Committee Award, because its gifting of musical instruments to children and young adults with cancer and other serious medical challenges did not fall into any of the established categories. The Blues Foundation is pleased to honor these people and organizations as a tribute to the years each has given to supporting the blues.

The 2014 Keeping the Blues Alive Awards recipients are:

Affiliated Organization: Crossroads Blues Society of Illinois – Rockford, Illinois
Art: Cristen Craven Barnard – Senatobia, Mississippi
Club: Kingston Mines – Chicago, Illinois
Education: Tas Cru – Chaumont, New York
Festival (International): BluesCazorla – Cazorla, Spain
Festival (U.S.): Mississippi Valley Blues Festival – Davenport, Iowa
Film, Television, and Video: Stefan Grossman – Sparta, New Jersey
Historical Preservation: George Mitchell – Fort Myers, Florida
International: Royal Mail Hotel – Goodna, Queensland, Australia
Journalism: Gene Tomko – Lafayette, Louisiana
Literature: Gerard Herzhaft – Lyon, France
Manager: Marcia Weaver – Jackson, Mississippi
Photography: Dick Waterman – Oxford, Mississippi
Producer: Tom Hambridge – Nashville, Tennessee
Promoter: Myron Mu – San Francisco, California
Publicist: Frank Roszak – North Hills, California
Radio (Commercial): Jerry Schaefer – East Islip, New York
Radio (Public): Larry Lisk – St. Petersburg, Florida
Record Label: Stony Plain Records – Edmonton, Alberta
Special Committee Award: Blue Star Connection – Winter Park, Colorado

A summary for each recipient is available at www.blues.org.

Tickets to the KBA ceremony are available online at www.blues.org or by calling 901-527-2583. The International Blues Challenge is sponsored in significant part by ArtsMemphis, Beale Street Merchants Association, Catfood Records, the Consulate General of Canada – Atlanta, FedEx, First Tennessee Foundation, Gibson Guitars, Handy Family Beverages, Jontaar Creative Studios, Lee Oskar Harmonicas, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Levitt Shell, Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau, St. Blues Guitars, Tennessee Arts Commission, and VividPix & Design.

Media sponsors include Beale Street Caravan, Big City Rhythm and Blues, Blues Festival Guide, Downtowner, Elwood's Bluesmobile, Living Blues, Memphis Flyer, and Music on the Couch.

The Blues Foundation is Memphis-based, but world-renowned as the organization dedicated to preserving our blues music history, celebrating recording and performance excellence, supporting blues education, and ensuring the future of this uniquely American art form. Founded in 1980, The Blues Foundation has 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 it the international center of blues music. Its HART Fund provides the blues community with medical assistance, while its Sound Healthcare program offers musicians health insurance access. Blues in the Schools programs and Generation Blues scholarships expose new generations to blues music. Throughout the year, the Foundation staff serves the worldwide blues community with answers, contact information, and news.

For more information, contact: Jay Sieleman, President & CEO, The Blues Foundation, 421 South Main, Memphis, TN, 38103-4464l 901.527.2583; [email protected]

SOURCE The Blues Foundation