W.C. Handy Award

The Blues Music Awards are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards, started in 1980, are according to Offbeat music magazine "universally recognized as the highest accolade afforded musicians and songwriters in blues music."

The awards were formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys") but were renamed in 2006 in an effort to increase public appreciation of the significance of the awards.

The awards had been presented annually in Memphis, Tennessee, where the Blues Foundation is located, although the 2008 award ceremony was held in Tunica, Mississippi. The 39th Blues Music Awards will be held on May 10, 2018, at the Memphis Cook Convention Center in Memphis. Two new award categories have been announced ('Instrumentalist - Vocals' and 'Blues Rock Artist of the Year') bringing the number of awards to be presented up to 26 in total.

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