The inaugural “Blues Music Awards Switzerland” took place at the Mühle Hunziken in Rubigen, marking a successful premiere for the newly revamped awards ceremony. Federico Albertoni, bassist, singer, and bandleader of Freddie & the Cannonballs, emerged as the grand winner in the main category, “Blues Artist of the Year,” outperforming fellow nominees Manu Hartmann and Lucky Wüthrich.
The event, which was previously known as the “Swiss Blues Awards,” has been held under the patronage of the Blues Festival Basel for the past twenty years. The “Blues Music Awards Switzerland” were established to provide a more comprehensive and broader appreciation of the local blues scene. The awards also aim to unite the highest accolades under the umbrella of the Swiss Blues Society.
Ten awards were presented during the ceremony, hosted by Ray Fein and Larissa Baumann, with musical accompaniment by LL & The Shuffle Kings. The awards acknowledged a wide range of blues artists and performers, including the “Blues Instrumentalist of the Year,” awarded to Dan Mudd, and the “Emerging Act of the Year,” presented to Lucky Wüthrich. The “Blues Album of the Year” went to Larissa Baumann for her album “Showtime,” while Justina Lee Brown received the award for “Best Songwriter.”