It is awards season again. This is the time of year when folks from all walks of life, race, creeds, political affiliations and places of origin can roll their eyes as one. We can laugh together at those who take such things seriously. Awards shows are the glue that brings people together and makes them sticky. There are so many awards shows on television it surprises me that there isn’t an awards show for awards shows. Mark my words there will be someday and it will be called, The Awardees.

It took me many years to realize that Woody Allen was onto something when he played clarinet on Monday nights and wouldn’t miss his regular gig for something as trivial as the Academy Awards. The Academy then changed the broadcast to Sunday nights and the filmmaker found another excuse not to attend. Bravo Woody!

Typically the folks who get nominated for awards let everyone know they have been nominated and the ones who don’t, let everyone know that awards shows are a crock of shit. I can appreciate the sentiment on both sides. I don’t get too excited about awards shows but they do make for good fodder and can serve as a basis for a lively discussion. This in and of itself almost makes these things worthwhile...almost.

Take for example last month’s nominee announcements for the Blues Music Awards (“BMAs”). An informed individual can view this spectacle for what it is, a spectacle. It could be argued that a spectacle is what the blues world needs. On the other hand I think we should celebrate excellence as opposed to politics, publicity and posturing.

One of the problems with the blues industry is that, to a very large extent, we don’t understand our own product. The blues world seems to emulate the worst features of some other more successful branches of the larger music tree.

Let’s take country music for instance. They have lots of awards shows. Do these awards shows make country music any better? Country music has morphed from a tradition laden, true American roots music form into a watered down, self parody with pop stars wearing cowboy hats. Yahooooooooooo!

I think the same thing has happened to blues music, just with different hats. Should mass taste dictate awards? I don’t know for sure but with an art form that is as misunderstood as blues music maybe, just maybe, musicologists, educators and music historians should be involved in this process to a greater degree. Instead it seems than people who would rather spend their money on membership dues and t-shirts than CDs have seized control of the biz. If the BMAs are designed to elevate the status of this music and create greater awareness of the form what model should be used, the Academy Awards or the People’s Choice Awards? The Blues Foundation chose the latter. In my view that’s a shame. 

Either way, it is always a risky proposition to view art as a sporting contest. I think the reason I like sport is that there is a scoreboard. The reason I like art is that there isn’t one. I know the general consensus is that that awards shows are good for business and Lord knows our business needs some good. Yet no matter how you slice it, you have to appreciate that awards shows are not terribly dignified. That should be OK by me. I’m not either.

I think in the case of the BMAs, the blues community does what it always does, and that is find a way to shoot themselves in the foot. I am not here to step on the toes of a foot that has just been shot, but to help. I make no illusions that this successful organization would want help from the likes of an independent, free thinker whose loyalties aren’t tied to any organization, society or foundation, but to the music and the people who make it. I am here for you anyway Memphis.   

Let’s start with the nominating process. I urge our readers to check the Blues Foundation website under the tab that reads, Blues Music Awards and then click the tab that reads, The Nominating Process. Are these procedures fair or, much more importantly, are they likely to produce excellence in the pool of potential winners? I don’t know but I do know it would appear that some thought was put into it. Just not enough thought. The results through the years reflect this.

In my view, the system has some obvious flaws, the biggest is that the secret nominators let the music come to them. This is of course a nod to fairness and I respect that. However it has been my experience that bad music will find its way into the hands of industry types all day long. This is because very often the folks who are the best self promoters are the worst musicians. The musicians who have a deep understanding of this music tend to exhibit greater humility. They often have a better understanding as it relates to their own place in blues history. The artists who woodshed as opposed to spending their days trying to expand their web presence and schmooze on social media might just be better blues musicians. I think this is a concept that deserves at least some consideration?

One might surmise that a foundation that is dedicated to promoting this music would want to reach out to these artists who would rather play music than play the game. I know in this day and age musicians have to do both but why not at least attempt to put just a little more emphasis on the art and a little less on self promotion. Again, just a thought...  

To be fair, I know how difficult it is to get your hands on quality material. It takes some effort but the rewards are great. Sometimes (now sit down for this one) you have to actually buy the CD. If one is relying on publicists and record labels to provide you with material, you are in big trouble right out of the chute. The mainstream blues labels put out some terrific recordings this past year. This output however only reflects a small fraction of the good material that was produced last (or any) year. It is easy to put your head in the sand and say, “out of ear, out of mind” but I don’t think this serves the best interests of the industry.

I am not just talking about the hard to find “indies” out there struggling to be heard. Take for example the 2011 nominees. They didn’t include two very high profile artists who made two very impressive recordings, Greg Allman and Jimmie Vaughan. Neither of these guys kowtow to the Blues Foundation. They might not (gasp) even be members. So therefore those recordings don’t even exist as far as the Blues Foundation is concerned. I would think directing the public to recognizable names like Allman and Vaughan would do more to attract fans outside the blues community and it would also give folks a chance to hear two very well crafted, executed, contemporary recordings rooted in decades old traditions. Isn’t this the idea in the first place, to do right by the genre? You know, “Keep the Blues Alive.” God, I hate that expression.

The problem with the BMAs, as they currently exist, is that they stand a real good chance to be just as irrelevant as the Grammy’s are to blues music. Maybe that is a good thing. Remember jazz music, our very close relative who survives at least as poorly as we do, manages to retain its dignity. The people who care about jazz music and its future made a decision a long time ago not to remind everyone at every turn that it might be having its own health issues. I am sure many of our readers have visited our close family member from time to time and attended a jazz festival, concert or nightclub show. Do any of you remember a bunch of folks begging for money to, “Keep Jazz Alive” and then try and give you a pledge pin for your lapel letting others know you, “drank the Kool-Aide.” I know what you are thinking, we are blues fans we don’t wear garments with lapels. I understand, as I have been accused from time to time of being an overly casual dresser who doesn’t even wear long pants until after Chanukah.

However, I digress. What I am suggesting is that even though it takes a little effort and erudition to be in a position rewarding musicians based solely on merit, it is worth a try. I know of course many of the choices by the secret nominators are perhaps the best available to them based on eligibility. I think there is tremendous merit in making more choices available to these secret nominators, who we take at face value are “blues experts.”

Perhaps make the process more transparent. I understand there is merit to keeping the names of the nominators secret, but clearly just as cogent of an argument could be mounted as to why the names of the nominators should not be secret. The Blues Foundation appears to have gone to great lengths to insure that there is no impropriety, but maybe they haven’t gone far enough. This might be another step in the right direction. Again, I am just here to help.

Since the barbeque sauce is already out of the bottle, the Blues Foundation and their BMAs aren’t going away anytime soon. So I wish them success as far as anything they might do to help this quintessential American art form thrive and move forward. They do many things right. Much of what they do as it relates to the BMAs is worthwhile. However they have gone completely unchecked in the blues media as nobody has ever called them on anything. In my view, this is not a healthy situation.

As far as the folks who got nominated for these awards, I have already congratulated many of you personally. Your hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated. At the end of the day I am just a fan and it is great fun to see you get the recognition you deserve.

I too may start giving out awards. I won’t make a big deal out of it and if no one shows up to get one of these that would be appreciated. With this in mind the BLUES JUNCTION awards may either be called the BJs or the Woodies just to let you know I wasn’t fooling about being undignified. For whatever it’s worth, in this month’s edition of our ezine you can find a complete list of this year’s BMA nominees accompanied by my thoughts as it relates to all of this. Additionally we have our own best of list. Please don’t take any of this any more seriously than I take the BMAs. As always your thoughts on all of this silliness is greatly appreciated.

- David Mac