Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album

{{Short description|Music award}} {{Infobox award | name = Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album | awarded_for = quality traditional blues albums | image = | imagesize = 100px | alt = A gold gramophone trophy with a plaque set on a table | caption = Gilded gramophone trophy presented to Grammy Award winners | presenter = National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences | country = United States | year = 1983 | holder = Buddy Guy – ''Ain't Done with the Blues'' (2026) | website = [http://www.grammy.com/ Grammy.com] }}

The Grammy Award for '''Best Traditional Blues Album''' was awarded from 1983 to 2011 and from 2017 onwards. Until 1992 the award was known as '''Best Traditional Blues Performance''' and was twice awarded to individual tracks rather than albums.

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 Contemporary 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/press-release/the-recording-academy-announces-rule-amendments-and-dates-for-the|title=THE RECORDING ACADEMY® ANNOUNCES RULE AMENDMENTS AND DATES F|date=16 June 2016|website=Grammy.org|access-date=1 August 2017}}</ref>

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for music released in the previous year. B.B. King holds the record of most wins in the category with ten.

{| class="wikitable" ! width="7%" | Year{{ref|1|[I]}} ! width="25%" | Performing artist(s) ! width="25%" | Work ! width="35%" class=unsortable|Nominees ! width="5%" class=unsortable|Ref. |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1983 | Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown | ''Alright Again'' |{{smalldiv| * Johnny Otis – ''The New Johnny Otis Show'' * Hound Dog Taylor & the HouseRockers – ''Genuine Houserocking Music'' * Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson & Roomful of Blues – "He Was a Friend of Mine" * Sippie Wallace – ''Sippie''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1984 | B.B. King | ''Blues 'N' Jazz'' |{{smalldiv| * Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown – ''One More Mile'' * Albert King – ''San Francisco '83'' * Big Joe Turner & Roomful of Blues – ''Blues Train'' * Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – ''Texas Flood''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| 1985 | John P. Hammond, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Sugar Blue, Koko Taylor & the Blues Machine, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson & J.B. Hutto & the New Hawks | ''Blues Explosion'' |{{smalldiv| * Bobby Bland – ''You've Got Me Loving You'' * Albert King – ''I'm in a Phone Booth, Baby'' * Big Joe Turner – ''Kansas City Here I Come'' * Johnny Winter – ''Guitar Slinger''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1986 | B.B. King | "My Guitar Sings the Blues" |{{smalldiv| * Bobby Bland – ''Members Only'' * Roy Buchanan – ''When a Guitar Plays the Blues'' * Koko Taylor – ''Queen of the Blues'' * Big Joe Turner & Jimmy Witherspoon – ''Patcha, Patcha, All Night Long'' * Big Joe Turner with Knocky Parker & His Houserockers – ''Big Joe Turner with Knocky Parker & His Houserockers'' * Johnny Winter – ''Serious Business''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1987 | Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland | ''Showdown!'' |{{smalldiv| * Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown – ''Pressure Cooker'' * James Cotton – ''Live from Chicago: Mr. Superharp Himself!'' * Willie Dixon – ''Live! Backstage Access'' * John Lee Hooker – ''Jealous''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1988 | Professor Longhair | ''Houseparty New Orleans Style'' |{{smalldiv| * Albert Collins – ''Cold Snap'' * James Cotton – ''Take Me Back'' * Koko Taylor – ''Live from Chicago: An Audience with the Queen'' * Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson – "Old Maid Boogie"}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1989 | Willie Dixon | ''Hidden Charms'' |{{smalldiv| * Johnny Copeland – ''Ain't Nothin' But a Party'' * James Cotton – ''Live at Antone's Nightclub'' * Guitar Slim Jr. – ''Story of My Life'' * Rockin' Dopsie – ''Saturday Night Zydeco''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1990 | John Lee Hooker & Bonnie Raitt | "I'm in the Mood" |{{smalldiv| * Ruth Brown – "If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sitting on It" * Willie Dixon – ''Ginger Ale Afternoon'' * John Lee Hooker – ''The Healer'' * Memphis Slim – ''Memphis Blues: The Paris Sessions''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1991 | B.B. King | ''Live at San Quentin'' |{{smalldiv| * Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown – ''Standing My Ground'' * Ruth Brown & Linda Hopkins – "T'aint Nobody's Bizness If I Do" * John Lee Hooker, Earl Palmer, Tim Drummond, Miles Davis & Roy Rogers – "Coming to Town" * Little Milton – ''Too Much Pain''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1992 | B.B. King | ''Live at the Apollo'' |{{smalldiv| * Charles Brown – ''All My Life'' * Johnnie Johnson – ''Johnnie B. Bad'' * John Lee Hooker – ''Mr. Lucky'' * Taj Mahal – ''Mule Bone''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1993 | Dr. John | ''Goin' Back to New Orleans'' |{{smalldiv| * Charles Brown – ''Someone to Love'' * Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown – ''No Looking Back'' * John P. Hammond – ''Got Love If You Want It'' * Various Artists – ''Roots of Rhythm and Blues: A Tribute to the Robert Johnson Era''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1994 | B.B. King | ''Blues Summit'' |{{smalldiv| * Albert Collins – ''Collins Mix: The Best Of'' * John Lee Hooker – ''Boom Boom'' * Taj Mahal – ''Dancing the Blues'' * Various Artists – ''The Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Tour''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1995 | Eric Clapton | ''From the Cradle'' |{{smalldiv| * James Cotton – ''Living the Blues'' * John P. Hammond – ''Trouble No More'' * Charlie Musselwhite – ''In My Time'' * Otis Rush – ''Ain't Enough Comin' In''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1996 | John Lee Hooker | ''Chill Out'' |{{smalldiv| * Charles Brown – ''Charles Brown's Cool Christmas Blues'' * Lowell Fulson – ''Them Update Blues'' * The Last Real Texas Blues Band featuring Doug Sahm – ''The Last Real Texas Blues Band featuring Doug Sahm'' * Roomful of Blues – ''Turn It On! Turn It Up!''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1997 | James Cotton | ''Deep in the Blues'' |{{smalldiv| * John P. Hammond – ''Found True Love'' * The Muddy Waters Tribute Band – ''You're Gonna Miss Me (When I'm Dead & Gone)'' * Junior Wells with Guest Slide Guitarists – ''Come on in This House'' * Jimmy Witherspoon – ''Live at the Mint''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1998 | John Lee Hooker | ''Don't Look Back'' |{{smalldiv| * Ruth Brown – ''R + B {{=}} Ruth Brown'' * Charlie Musselwhite – ''Rough News'' * Pinetop Perkins – ''Born in the Delta'' * Junior Wells – ''Live at Buddy Guy's Legends''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1999 | Otis Rush | ''Any Place I'm Going'' |{{smalldiv| * Henry Gray, Calvin Jones, Sam Lay, Colin Linden & Hubert Sumlin with Special Guests – ''A Tribute to Howlin' Wolf'' * John P. Hammond – ''Long as I Have You'' * Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson & The Magic Rockers – ''Got to Find a Way'' * Robert Lockwood Jr. – ''I Got to Find Me a Woman''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2000 | B.B. King | ''Blues on the Bayou'' |{{smalldiv| * Bobby "Blue" Bland – ''Memphis Monday Morning'' * Ruth Brown – ''A Good Day for the Blues'' * Odetta – ''Blues Everywhere I Go'' * Pinetop Perkins & Hubert Sumlin – ''Legends''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2001 | B.B. King & Eric Clapton | ''Riding with the King'' |{{smalldiv| * James Cotton, Billy Branch, Charlie Musselwhite & Sugar Ray Norcia – ''Superharps'' * B.B. King – ''Let the Good Times Roll'' * Robert Lockwood Jr. – ''Delta Crossroads'' * Willie Nelson – ''Milk Cow Blues''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2002 | Jimmie Vaughan | ''Do You Get the Blues?'' |{{smalldiv| * Maria Muldaur & Various Artists – ''Richland Woman Blues'' * Ike Turner & The Kings of Rhythm – ''Here and Now'' * James Blood Ulmer – ''Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions'' * Various Artists – ''Hellhound on My Trail: The Songs of Robert Johnson''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2003 | B.B. King | ''A Christmas Celebration of Hope'' |{{smalldiv| * R. L. Burnside – ''Burnside on Burnside'' * James Cotton Blues Band – ''35th Anniversary Jam of the James Cotton Blues Band'' * Alvin Youngblood Hart – ''Down in the Alley'' * Various Artists – ''Preachin' the Blues: The Music of Mississippi Fred McDowell''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2004 | Buddy Guy | ''Blues Singer'' |{{smalldiv| * Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater featuring Los Straitjackets – ''Rock 'n' Roll City'' * Jay McShann – ''Goin' to Kansas City'' * Roomful of Blues – ''That’s Right!'' * Kim Wilson – ''Lookin' for Trouble!''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2005 | Etta James | ''Blues to the Bone'' |{{smalldiv| * Eric Clapton – ''Me and Mr. Johnson'' * James Cotton – ''Baby, Don't You Tear My Clothes'' * John Lee Hooker Jr. – ''Blues with a Vengeance'' * Pinetop Perkins – ''Ladies Man''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2006 | B.B. King & Friends | ''B.B. King & Friends: 80'' |{{smalldiv| * Marcia Ball – ''Live! Down the Road'' * John P. Hammond – ''In Your Arms Again'' * Maria Muldaur – ''Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul'' * Hubert Sumlin – ''About Them Shoes''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2007 | Ike Turner | ''Risin' with the Blues'' |{{smalldiv| * Tab Benoit with Louisiana's LeRoux – ''Brother to the Blues'' * Dion – ''Bronx in Blue'' * James Hunter – ''People Gonna Talk'' * Duke Robillard – ''Guitar Groove-A-Rama''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2008 | Henry James Townsend, Pinetop Perkins, Robert Lockwood Jr. & David "Honeyboy" Edwards | ''Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live in Dallas'' |{{smalldiv| * Pinetop Perkins – ''Pinetop Perkins on the 88's – Live in Chicago'' * Otis Rush – ''Live... and in Concert from San Francisco'' * Kenny Wayne Shepherd featuring Various Artists – ''10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads'' * Koko Taylor – ''Old School''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2009 | B.B. King | ''One Kind Favor'' |{{smalldiv| * Elvin Bishop – ''The Blues Rolls On'' * Buddy Guy – ''Skin Deep'' * John Lee Hooker Jr. – ''All Odds Against Me'' * Pinetop Perkins & Friends – ''Pinetop Perkins & Friends''}} | |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2010 | Ramblin' Jack Elliott | ''A Stranger Here'' |{{smalldiv| * The Mick Fleetwood Band featuring Rick Vito – ''Blue Again!'' * John P. Hammond – ''Rough & Tough'' * Duke Robillard – ''Stomp! The Blues Tonight'' * Various Artists – ''Chicago Blues: A Living History''}} | <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/156188/complete-list-of-nominees-for-the-52nd-annual-grammy-awards|title= Complete List of Nominees for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards |date=December 2, 2009 |publisher=E!Online |access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2011 | Pinetop Perkins & Willie "Big Eyes" Smith | ''Joined at the Hip'' |{{smalldiv| * James Cotton – ''Giant'' * Cyndi Lauper – ''Memphis Blues'' * Charlie Musselwhite – ''The Well'' * Jimmie Vaughan – ''Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites''}} |<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/la-et-env-grammys-nominees-2010-list-htmlstory.html|title=Grammy Awards 2011: Winners and nominees for 53rd Grammy Awards|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2017 | Bobby Rush | ''Porcupine Meat'' |{{smalldiv| * Lurrie Bell – ''Can't Shake This Feeling'' * Joe Bonamassa – ''Live at the Greek Theatre'' * Luther Dickinson – ''Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger's Songbook: Volumes I & II)'' * Vasti Jackson – ''The Soul of Jimmie Rodgers''}} |<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-grammys-2017-nominations-winners-list-20161205-story.html |title=Grammys 2017: Complete list of winners and nominees |date=February 12, 2017 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=December 30, 2017 }}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2018 | The Rolling Stones | ''Blue & Lonesome'' |{{smalldiv| * Eric Bibb – ''Migration Blues'' * Elvin Bishop's Big Fun Trio – ''Elvin Bishop's Big Fun Trio'' * R.L. Boyce – ''Roll and Tumble'' * Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi – ''Sonny & Brownie's Last Train''}} |<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/8047027/grammys-2018-complete-nominees-list|title=Grammys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees |last=Lynch |first=Joe |date=November 28, 2017 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 30, 2017}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2019 | Buddy Guy | ''The Blues Is Alive and Well'' |{{smalldiv| * Elvin Bishop's Big Fun Trio – ''Something Smells Funky 'Round Here'' * Cedric Burnside – ''Benton County Relic'' * Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite – ''No Mercy In This Land'' * Maria Muldaur – ''Don't You Feel My Leg (The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker)''}} |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/61st-annual-grammy-awards-2018|title=61st Annual GRAMMY Awards|date=December 6, 2018|website=GRAMMY.com}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2020 | Delbert McClinton & the Self-Made Men + Dana | ''Tall, Dark and Handsome'' |{{smalldiv| * Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - ''Kingfish'' * Bobby Rush - ''Sitting on Top of the Blues'' * Jimmie Vaughan - ''Baby, Please Come Home'' * Jontavious Willis - ''Spectacular Class''}} |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2020-grammy-awards-nominations-complete-winners-list|title=2020 Grammy Awards nominations list|website=Grammy.com|access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2021 | Bobby Rush | ''Rawer than Raw'' |{{smalldiv| * Frank Bey - ''All My Dues Are Paid'' * Don Bryant - ''You Make Me Feel'' * Robert Cray Band - ''That's What I Heard'' * Jimmy "Duck" Holmes - ''Cypress Grove''}} |<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2021-grammys-complete-winners-nominees-list|title=2021 Nominations List|website=Grammy.com|date=24 November 2020 |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-19|title=Looking Ahead To The 2021 GRAMMYs|url=https://www.grammy.com/news/63rd-grammys-looking-ahead-2021-grammy-awards|access-date=2021-03-14|website=GRAMMY.com|language=en}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2022 |Cedric Burnside |''I Be Trying'' |{{smalldiv| * Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite - ''100 Years of Blues'' * Blues Traveler ''- Traveler's Blues'' * Guy Davis - ''Be Ready When I Call You'' * Kim Wilson - ''Take Me Back''}} |<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-11-23|title=2022 GRAMMYs Awards: Complete Nominations List|url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2022-grammys-complete-winners-nominees-nominations-list|access-date=2021-11-27|website=Grammy.com|language=en}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2023 | Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder | ''Get On Board'' |{{smalldiv| * Gov't Mule – ''Heavy Load Blues'' * Buddy Guy – ''The Blues Don't Lie'' * John Mayall – ''The Sun Is Shining Down'' * Charlie Musselwhite – ''Mississippi Son''}} |<ref>{{cite web |first = Madison |last=Bloom |date=February 5, 2023 |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/grammys-2023-winners-see-the-full-list-here/ |title=Grammys 2023 Winners: See the Full List Here |work=Pitchfork |access-date=February 6, 2023}}</ref> |- !2024 |Bobby Rush |''All My Love for You'' | * Eric Bibb - ''Ridin''' * Mr Sipp - ''The Soul Side of Sipp'' * Tracy Nelson - ''Life Don't Miss Nobody'' * John Primer - ''Teardrops For Magic Slim Live at Rosa's Lounge'' |<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2024-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=www.grammy.com}}</ref> |- !2025 |The Taj Mahal Sextet |''Swingin' Live at the Church in Tulsa'' | * Cedric Burnside - ''Hill Country Love'' * The Fabulous Thunderbirds - ''Struck Down'' * Sue Foley - ''One Guitar Woman'' * Little Feat - ''Sam's Place'' |<ref>{{Cite web |title=2025 GRAMMYs: See The OFFICIAL Full Nominations List {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2025-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list |access-date=2024-12-23 |website=grammy.com}}</ref> |- !2026 | Buddy Guy | Ain't Done With The Blues | * Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo' - ''Room on the Porch'' * Maria Muldaur - ''One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey'' * Charlie Musselwhite - ''Look Out Highway'' * Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Bobby Rush - ''Young Fashioned Ways'' |<ref>{{Cite web |title=2026 GRAMMYS: See The Full Nominations List {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://grammy.com/news/2026-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=grammy.com}}</ref> |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Sources== *[http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search Grammy Awards – Past Winners Search]{{spaces|2}}As noted in this article: search years are offset by one year.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grammy Award For Best Traditional Blues Album}} Category:Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album Traditional Blues Album Category:Blues music awards Category:Album awards