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.

Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album
Mileage by Ruthie Foster is the current recipient.
Awarded for	quality contemporary blues albums
Country	United States
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First award	1988
Currently held by	Ruthie Foster – Mileage (2025)
Website	grammy.com

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.^[1]

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

Three-time winner Robert Cray.

Three-time winner Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Four-time winner Buddy Guy.

Four-time winner Keb' Mo.

Three-time winner Taj Mahal.

Etta James, the first of the two female winners of the award.

2007 winner Irma Thomas.

Three-time winner Fantastic Negrito.

Year[I]	Performing artist(s)	Work	Nominees	Ref.
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 Jonny 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	[2]
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	[3]
2012	Awarded to Grammy Award for Best Blues Album
2013
2014
2015
2016
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	[4]
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	[5]
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	[6]
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	[7]
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	[8]
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	[9]
2023	Edgar Winter	Brother Johnny	Shemekia Copeland – Done Come Too Far Eric Gales – Crown Ben Harper – Bloodline Maintenance North Mississippi Allstars – Set Sail	[10]
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!	[11]
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	[12]