Blues band nabs most awards
Mitchhart, ensemble also receive individual honors

by TIM GHIANNI
senior writer

         Local Journeyman blues ace Stacy Mitchhart and his Blues-U-Can-Use outfit had plenty to celebrate last nigt at their homebase, Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar.
        The band pretty well claimed all the hardware at the fifth annual Music City Blues Awards given out by the Music City Blues Society at the joint in Printers Alley.
        The night's big winner was Mitchhart, who took home honors as the year''s top blues entertainer, guitarist, and vocalist. His Midnight Breeze also won blues CD honors
        Members of his band received awards for keyboard (Sam Corley III), drums (Darin James), bass (Anthony Joyner) and harmonica (Michael McDaniel).
        The group also won for electric blues act of the year. And the band''s horn section (Peter Burger, McDaniel, Quentin Ware) tied with the Jefferson Street Bluesmen''s players (Buford Majors and Freddie Robinson) for top horn honors.
        Robinson also won in the other blues instrumentalist category for his flute playing.
        The Jefferson Street Bluesmen's vocalist and guitar player Phil Earhart was given the Blues Brother honor to recognize his Blues in the Streets benefit series. Veteran R&B vocalist Marion James earned the Blues Sister honor for her ongoing work to raise money for  musicians in need.
         Other winners included female vocalist Debbie Ritter and acoustic bluesman James "Nick" Nixon. Doug Bolin, with The Blues Show on 105.9 The Rock, won radio program honors.
         Mark Seifert of Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar received the annual Pooyah Award for his help in staging the event and for donating much of the evening''s proceeds to the Blues Society.
         Another highlight this year included special recognition given to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Lost Highway Records for the Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970 display and recording.
         The awards are a part of the local society's 12th annual Blues Celebration, a five-hour concert that features many of the city''s top R&B figures.
         David Flynn, Music City Blues Society president, notes that Mitchhart has won the entertainer honor before, but this was the first time the club stalwart has cleaned up in so many categories.