# Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album

The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album was awarded from 1988 to 2011 and from 2017 onwards. Until 1992 the award was known as Best Contemporary Blues Performance and in 1989 was awarded to a song rather than to an album.
The award was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. From 2012 onwards, the category was merged with the Best Traditional Blues Album category to form the new Best Blues Album category. However, in 2016 the Grammy organisation decided to revert the situation back to the pre-2012 era, with two separate categories for traditional and contemporary blues recordings respectively.
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for music released in the previous year. Buddy Guy and Keb' Mo hold the record of most wins in the category with four each, followed by Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Taj Mahal and Fantastic Negrito, all with three wins.

## Recipients

| Year | Performing artist(s) | Work | Nominees |
| 1988 | The Robert Cray Band | Strong Persuader | B.B. King – "Standing on the Edge of Love" Bobby Bland – After All Buckwheat Zydeco – On a Night Like This Earl King – Glazed |
| 1989 | The Robert Cray Band | Don't Be Afraid of the Dark | Bobby Bland – Blues You Can Use Etta James – Seven Year Itch Robben Ford – Talk to Your Daughter Ry Cooder – "Low Commotion" |
| 1990 | Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble | In Step | B.B. King – "King of the Blues: 1989" Delbert McClinton – Live from Austin Bobby "Blue" Bland – Midnight Run Koko Taylor – "Wang Dang Doodle" |
| 1991 | Jimmie Vaughan & Stevie Ray Vaughan | Family Style | The Robert Cray Band featuring The Memphis Horns – Midnight Stroll Koko Taylor – Jump for Joy B.B. King and Lee Atwater – "Red Hot & Blue" Etta James – Stickin' to My Guns |
| 1992 | Buddy Guy | Damn Right, I've Got the Blues | Albert Collins – Iceman Charlie Musselwhite – Signature Irma Thomas – Live! Simply the Best Johnny Winter – Let Me In |
| 1993 | Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble | The Sky Is Crying | Robert Cray – I Was Warned Robben Ford & The Blue Line – Robben Ford & the Blue Line Etta James – The Right Time Pops Staples – Peace to the Neighborhood |
| 1994 | Buddy Guy | Feels Like Rain | Robben Ford and the Blue Line – Mystic Mile John Mayall – Wake Up Call Paul Rodgers – Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters Johnny Winter – Hey, Where's Your Brother? |
| 1995 | Pops Staples | Father Father | The Robert Cray Band – Shame + A Sin Koko Taylor – Force of Nature Jimmie Vaughan – Strange Pleasure Johnny "Guitar" Watson – Bow Wow |
| 1996 | Buddy Guy | Slippin' In | Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown – The Man Albert Collins & the Icebreakers – Live '92-'93 Robert Cray – Some Rainy Morning Percy Sledge – Blue Night |
| 1997 | Keb' Mo' | Just Like You | Bobby "Blue" Bland – Sad Street Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown – Long Way Home Bo Diddley – A Man Amongst Men Buddy Guy – Live! The Real Deal Taj Mahal – Phantom Blues |
| 1998 | Taj Mahal | Señor Blues | Luther Allison – Reckless Robert Cray Band – Sweet Potato Pie Dr. John – Trippin' Live Boz Scaggs – Come On Home |
| 1999 | Keb' Mo' | Slow Down | Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas & Tracy Nelson – Sing It! Buddy Guy – Heavy Love Etta James – Life, Love & the Blues B.B. King – Deuces Wild |
| 2000 | The Robert Cray Band | Take Your Shoes Off | Luther Allison – Live in Chicago Johnny Lang – Wander This World Little Milton – Welcome to Little Milton Charlie Musselwhite – Continental Drifter |
| 2001 | Taj Mahal & the Phantom Blues Band | Shoutin' in Key | Shemekia Copeland – Wicked North Mississippi Allstars – Shake Hands with Shorty Bobby Rush – Hoochie Man Koko Taylor – Royal Blue |
| 2002 | Delbert McClinton | Nothing Personal | Dr. John – Creole Moon Buddy Guy – Sweet Tea Etta James – Matriarch of the Blues Keb' Mo' – The Door |
| 2003 | Solomon Burke | Don't Give Up on Me | Etta James & The Roots Band – Burnin' Down the House Delbert McClinton – Room to Breathe Charlie Musselwhite – One Night in America North Mississippi Allstars – 51 Phantom |
| 2004 | Etta James | Let's Roll | Marcia Ball – So Many Rivers Sonny Landreth – The Road We're On Howard Tate – Rediscovered Susan Tedeschi – Wait for Me |
| 2005 | Keb' Mo' | Keep It Simple | Dr. John – N'awlinz Dis Dat or D'udda Van Morrison – What's Wrong with This Picture? Charlie Musselwhite – Sanctuary Johnny Winter – I'm a Bluesman |
| 2006 | Delbert McClinton | Cost of Living | Solomon Burke – Make Do with What You Got Robert Cray – Twenty Buddy Guy – Bring 'Em In North Mississippi Allstars – Electric Blue Watermelon |
| 2007 | Irma Thomas | After the Rain | The Robert Cray Band – Live from Across the Pond Dr. John & The Lower 911 – Sippiana Hericane Keb' Mo' – Suitcase Susan Tedeschi – Hope and Desire |
| 2008 | J. J. Cale & Eric Clapton | The Road to Escondido | Joan Armatrading – Into the Blues Doyle Bramhall – Is It News Robben Ford – Truth Bettye LaVette – The Scene of the Crime |
| 2009 | Dr. John & The Lower 911 | City That Care Forgot | Marcia Ball – Peace, Love & BBQ Solomon Burke – Like a Fire Taj Mahal – Maestro Irma Thomas – Simply Grand |
| 2010 | The Derek Trucks Band | Already Free | The Robert Cray Band – This Time Ruthie Foster – The Truth According to Ruthie Foster Mavis Staples – Live: Hope at the Hideout Susan Tedeschi – Back to the River |
| 2011 | Buddy Guy | Living Proof | Solomon Burke – Nothing's Impossible Dr. John & The Lower 911 – Tribal Bettye LaVette – Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Bryan Lee & Buddy Flett – Live! in Chicago |
| 2012 | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album |
| 2013 | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album |
| 2014 | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album |
| 2015 | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album |
| 2016 | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album | Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album |
| 2017 | Fantastic Negrito | The Last Days of Oakland | Janiva Magness – Love Wins Again Kenny Neal – Bloodline The Record Company – Give It Back to You Joe Louis Walker – Everybody Wants a Piece |
| 2018 | Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo' | TajMo | Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm – Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm Sonny Landreth – Recorded Live in Lafayette Robert Randolph & The Family Band – Got Soul Tedeschi Trucks Band – Live from the Fox Oakland |
| 2019 | Fantastic Negrito | Please Don't Be Dead | Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps – Here in Babylon Danielle Nicole – Cry No More Boz Scaggs – Out Of The Blues Victor Wainwright & the Train – Victor Wainwright & the Train |
| 2020 | Gary Clark Jr. | This Land | Larkin Poe - Venom & Faith Robert Randolph & the Family Band - Brighter Days Sugaray Rayford - Somebody Save Me Southern Avenue - Keep On |
| 2021 | Fantastic Negrito | Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? | Ruthie Foster Big Band - Live at the Paramount G. Love - The Juice Bettye LaVette - Blackbirds North Mississippi Allstars - Up and Rolling |
| 2022 | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram | 662 | The Black Keys ft. Eric Deaton & Kenny Brown - Delta Kream Joe Bonamassa - Royal Tea Shemekia Copeland - Uncivil War Steve Cropper - Fire It Up |
| 2023 | Edgar Winter | Brother Johnny | Shemekia Copeland – Done Come Too Far Eric Gales – Crown Ben Harper – Bloodline Maintenance North Mississippi Allstars – Set Sail |
| 2024 | Larkin Poe | Blood Harmony | Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton - Death Wish Blues Ruthie Foster - Healing Time Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - Live in London Bettye LaVette - LaVette! |
| 2025 | Ruthie Foster | Mileage | Joe Bonamassa - Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 Shemekia Copeland - Blame It On Eve Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour - Friendlytown Antonio Vergara - The Fury |