The Soul Rebels on big at the 2019 Best of the Beat Music Awards. Photo by Willow Haley

Here are the winners of the 2019 Best of the Beat Music Awards

Last night, January 30, 2020, OffBeat hosted the 2019 Best of the Beat Music Awards at the New Orleans Jazz Market and announced our Best of the Beat Award Winners. There were rollicking performances by J & the Causeways, the Soul Rebels, Charlie Wooton Project featuring Arséne DeLay, the Alexey Marti Group, DJ Raj Smoove and members of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band All-Stars did a moving tribute to Charlie Gabriel, who won our Lifetime Achievement Award in Music and was honored on January 16, at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, along with Shirani Rea, Steve Masakowski, Margie Perez, and Clarence “Delco” Dalcour.

In categories ranging from Best Accordionist to Artist of the Year, awards were given to musicians representing the best of Louisiana. The Soul Rebels were big winners of the evening, taking home awards for Best Music Video, Best Brass Band, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. PJ Morton was named Songwriter of the Year and tied with John Boutte for Best Male Vocalist.

Below are our winners, voted in by YOU: 

 

Best Blues Artist

Samantha Fish

 

Best Blues Album  

Samantha Fish, Kill or Be Kind

 

Best R&B/Funk Artist 

Galactic

 

Best R&B/Funk Album  

Tank and the Bangas, Green Balloon

 

Best Rock Artist 

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

 

Best Rock Album  

Anders Osborne, Buddha and the Blues

 

Best Hip Hop Artist 

Pell

 

Best Hip Hop Album  

Pell, Gravity

 

Best Traditional Jazz Artist 

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

 

Best Trad Jazz Album  

Tuba Skinny, Some Kind-a-Shake

 

Best Contemporary Jazz Artist 

Nicholas Payton

 

Best Contemporary Jazz Album  

Jon Batiste, Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard

 

Best Brass Band 

The Soul Rebels

 

Best Cajun Artist 

Lost Bayou Ramblers

 

Best Zydeco Artist 

Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers

 

Best Zydeco Album  

Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, Bon Ton

 

Best Roots Rock Artist 

Paul Sanchez

 

Best Roots Rock Album  

Paul Sanchez, I’m a song, I’m a story, I’m a ghost

 

Best Country/Folk/Singer-Songwriter Artist 

Leyla McCalla

 

Best Country/Folk/Singer-Songwriter Album  

Leyla McCalla, the Capitalist Blues

 

Best Cover Band 

Bag of Donuts

 

Best Gospel 

McDonogh #35

 

Best Other Instrumentalist 

Johnny Sansone, harmonica

 

Best DJ 

Raj Smoove 

 

Best Violinist/Fiddler 

Amanda Shaw

 

Best Accordionist 

Chubby Carrier

 

Best Piano 

Jon Cleary

 

Best Tuba 

Matt Perrine

 

Best Trombonist 

Troy Andrews

 

Best Trumpet 

Shamarr Allen

 

Best Clarinet 

Dr. Michael White

 

Best Saxophonist 

Aurora Nealand

 

Best Drummer 

Stanton Moore

 

Best Guitar 

Samantha Fish

 

Best Bass 

George Porter, Jr.

 

Best Male Vocalist (tied) 

John Boutte & PJ Morton 

 

Female Vocalist 

Erica Falls

 

Best Music Video 

The Soul Rebels feat. Big Freedia, Denisia and Passport P – “Good Time”

 

Best Emerging Artist

Sierra Green & The Soul Machine

 

Songwriter of the Year 

PJ Morton 

 

Song of the Year 

The Soul Rebels f. PJ Morton, “Slide Back”

 

Album of the Year 

The Soul Rebels, Poetry in Motion

 

Artist of the Year 

The Soul Rebels

 

Check back soon for more coverage and photos!