Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’s—and the duo’s collaborative TajMo project—were the big winners at the 39th annual Blues Music Awards on Thursday night. Hosted by the Blues Foundation, the celebration took place at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, a city considered by many to be the home of the blues.
TajMo took home the awards for Album of Year and Best Contemporary Blues Album for their 2017 album, TajMo. Taj Mahal, who was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2009, also won Best Acoustic Artist and was named B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. Keb’ Mo’, for his part, earned the award for Best Contemporary Blues Artist.
The new accolades come a few days after the announcement of TajMo’s upcoming tour, which will bring the 75-year-old Taj Mahal and 66-year-old Keb’ Mo’ across much of the West Coast and Midwest this summer. The pair also picked up a trophy for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the Grammy Awards earlier this year.
Other winners at Thursday night’s ceremony include Mavis Staples, Trombone Shorty, Southern Avenue, and Rick Estrin, among others. Staples was honored with Best Soul Blues Female Artists for the second year in a row, while Trombone Shorty earned the award for Best Instrumentalist in the horn category. Southern Avenue won Best Emerging Artist Album, and Estrin took home three awards for Best Band (for Rick Estrin & The NightCats), Best Song (for “The Blues Ain’t Going Nowhere”), and Best Traditional Blues Male Artist.
A full list of winners from the 2018 Blues Music Awards can be found here.