The annual BEST OF THE BEAT MUSIC AWARDS are awarded to musicians and bands by popular vote. Due to the COVID pandemic, this year’s ballot is more condensed than in previous years.
Please note, if a musician or band has been the winner of the Best of the Beat Award three years in a row in a specific category, they cannot be nominated the fourth year in that category. We hope that this policy will give voters the opportunity to recognize other hard-working musicians with a Best of The Beat Award.
Winners will be announced at the Best of the Beat Awards show on Sunday, March 21, 2021, to be broadcast at 8 p.m. on OffBeat’s YouTube channel.
The nominees are as follows. VOTE here.
Artist of the Year
ALEX McMURRAY
CHA WA
NEW ORLEANS NIGHTCRAWLERS
PJ MORTON
TANK & THE BANGAS
Album of the Year
ALEX McMURRAY: Lucky One (Independent)
JOHN “PAPA” GROS: Central City (Funky Krewe Records)
NEW ORLEANS NIGHTCRAWLERS: Atmosphere (Independent)
PJ MORTON: Gospel According to PJ Morton (Tyscot)
SWEET CRUDE: Officiel // Artificiel (Verve Forecast)
Best Emerging Artist
BAD OPERATION
COURTNEY BRYANT
MAHMOUD CHOUKI
SAINT AMETHYST
SAXKIXAVE
Song of the Year
“I Can’t Breathe” by KHRIS ROYAL AND DARK MATTER
“Rona Rona” by BIG FREEDIA
“Self Care” by TANK AND THE BANGAS
“The Lucky One” by ALEX McMURRAY
“Visible Means of Support (No Justice, No Peace Remix)” by CHA WA
Best Blues, R&B, Funk Artist
BOBBY RUSH
DUMPSTAPHUNK
GEORGE PORTER, JR.
JOHN “PAPA” GROS
TANK AND THE BANGAS
Best Blues, R&B, Funk Album
79ERS GANG: Expect The Unexpected (Sinking City Records)
BOBBY RUSH: Rawer Than Raw (Deep Rush)
JOHN “PAPA” GROS: Central City (Funky Krewe Records)
NAUGHTY PROFESSOR: Everyday Shredder (Independent)
TANK AND THE BANGAS: Friend Goals (EP) (Verve Forecast)
Best Rock/Roots Rock Artist
BOREALIS REX
ICEMAN SPECIAL
NEW ORLEANS JOHNNYS
SWEET CRUDE
THE REVIVALISTS
Best Rock/Roots Album
BOREALIS REX: Dawn ’til Done (Drag Snake Records)
NEW ORLEANS JOHNNYS: Outta Ya Mind (Independent)
SWEET CRUDE: Officiel // Artificiel (Verve Forecast)
THE ICEMAN SPECIAL: Dr. Dude’s Masquerade Parade (Independent)
THE REVIVALISTS: Made in Muscle Shoals (Loma Vista)
Best Rap/Hip-Hop/Bounce Artist
BIG FREEDIA
BLUSHAKURX
FLIGHTEOUS
KR3WCIAL
NBA YOUNGBOY (YOUNGBOY NEVER BROKE AGAIN)
Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album/Mixtape
AF THE NAYSAYER, Adelheid (Instrumental) (Strange Daisy Records)
CALEB BROWN, Kool (You Found Brown)
FLIGHTEOUS, Water for the Thirsty (Flighteous Company)
LIL WAYNE, No Ceilings 3 (Young Money Entertainment)
YOUNGBOY NEVER BROKE AGAIN, Top (Atlantic)
Best Traditional Jazz Artist
PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND
SMOKING TIME JAZZ CLUB
THE NEW ORLEANS NIGHTCRAWLERS
TUBA SKINNY
WENDELL BRUNIOUS
Best Traditional Jazz Album
AURORA NEALAND & TOM McDERMOTT: Live at Luthjen’s (Big Whinny)
DON VAPPIE AND JAZZ CREOLE: The Blue Book of Storyville (Lejazzetal Records)
JACKSON SQUARE ALLSTARS: The Saints and the Sinners (Independent)
NEW ORLEANS NIGHTCRAWLERS: Atmosphere (Independent)
TIM LAUGHLIN: New Standards (Gentilly Records)
Best Contemporary Jazz Artist
ADONIS ROSE
BRAD WALKER
DAVY MOONEY
DELFEAYO MARSALIS
JOHNNY VIDACOVICH
Best Contemporary Jazz Album
ADONIS ROSE: Piece of Mind – Live at Blue Llama (Storyville Records)
BRAD WALKER: Dockside Sessions (Independent)
DELFEAYO MARSALIS & UPTOWN JAZZ ORCHESTRA: Jazz Party (Troubadour Jass Records)
JOHNNY VIDACOVICH: ’bout Time (Independent)
LAWRENCE SIEBERTH QUARTET: An Evening in Paris (Music Bloc)
Best Brass Band
HOT 8 BRASS BAND
KING OF BRASS
NEW ORLEANS NIGHTCRAWLERS
SOUL
THE SOUL REBELS
Best Cajun Artist
CAMERON DUPUY AND THE CAJUN TROUBADOURS
LOST BAYOU RAMBLERS
MICHOT’S MELODY MAKERS
SWEET CECILIA
THE DAIQUIRI QUEENS
Best Cajun Album
CAMERON DUPUY AND THE CAJUN TROUBADOURS: Cameron Dupuy and the Cajun Troubadours (Camo Records)
GOLDMAN THIBODEAUX & THE LAWTELL PLAYBOYS: La Danse à St. Ann’s (Nouveau Electric Records)
MICHOT’S MELODY MAKERS: Cosmic Cajuns From Saturn (Nouveau Electric Records)
SWEET CECILIA: A Tribute to Al Berard (Independent)
THE DAIQUIRI QUEENS: The Daiquiri Queens (Independent)
Best Zydeco Artist
COREY LEDET AND HIS ZYDECO BAND
DWAYNE DOPSIE & THE ZYDECO HELLRAISERS
LEROY THOMAS
LIL NATE
SEAN ARDOIN
Best Country/Folk/Singer-Songwriter Artist
ALEX McMURRAY
LAURA HUVAL
MICHAEL DOUCET AVEC LÂCHER PRISE
SHAWN WILLIAMS
TERRANCE SIMIEN’S KREWE DE MONIFIQUE
Best Country/Folk/Singer-Songwriter Album
ALEX McMURRAY: Lucky One (Independent)
DIRK POWELL: When I Wait For You (Compass Records)
MICHAEL DOUCET AVEC LÂCHER PRISE: Lacher Prise (Compass Records)
SHAWN WILLIAMS: The Fear of Living, The Fear of Loving (Independent)
TERRANCE SIMIEN’S KREWE DE MONIFIQUE: Ancestral Grooves (Music Matters Records)
Best Gospel Artist
FRANKLIN AVENUE MUSIC MINISTRY
GREATER ST. STEPHEN MASS CHOIR
LAURA HUVAL
LEGENDARY ROCKS OF HARMONY
McDONOGH #35 HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR
Best Cover Band
BAG OF DONUTS
BUCKTOWN ALL-STARS
JAMES MARTIN BAND
NOLA DUKES BAND
TOP CATS
Songwriter of the Year (The Allen Toussaint Songwriter Award)
ALEX McMURRAY
LEYLA McCALLA
PAUL SANCHEZ
PJ MORTON
SHAWN WILLIAMS
Best Female Vocalist
CASMÉ
CYRILLE AIMÉE
ERICA FALLS
GABRIELLE CAVASSA
QUIANA LYNELL
Best Male Vocalist
DAVID L. HARRIS
JAMISON ROSS
JOHN BOUTTÉ
PJ MORTON
RODERICK HARPER
Best Bass Player
DAVID BARARD
GEORGE PORTER, JR.
JAMES SINGLETON
JASEN WEAVER
JESSE MORROW
Best Guitarist
ALEX McMURRAY
BRIAN SEEGER
SAMANTHA FISH
STEVE STAPLES (Iceman Special)
TAB BENOIT
Best Drummer
HERLIN RILEY
AJ HALL
JULIAN ADDISON
ALFRED JORDAN, JR
STANTON MOORE
Best Saxophonist
BRAD WALKER
DONALD HARRISON, JR
KHARI ALLEN LEE
KHRIS ROYAL
ROGER LEWIS
Best Clarinetist
CHARLIE GABRIEL
DR. MICHAEL WHITE
EVAN CHRISTOPHER
GREGORY AGID
TIM LAUGHLIN
Best Trumpeter
ASHLIN PARKER
BRANDEN LEWIS
GREGG STAFFORD
GREGORY “BLODIE” DAVIS
SHAMARR ALLEN
Best Trombonist
CHARLIE HALLORAN
COREY HENRY
CRAIG KLEIN
HARUKA KIKUCHI
TROY ANDREWS
Best Tuba/Sousaphonist
BEN JAFFE
BENNY PETE
JON GROSS
KIRK JOSEPH
MATT PERRINE
Best Piano/Keyboardist
DAVID TORKANOWSKY
JON CLEARY
KYLE ROUSSEL
OSCAR ROSSIGNOLI
PJ MORTON
Best Accordionist
COREY LEDET
JOHN DOWDEN (Daiquiri Queens)
SEAN ARDOIN
SHERYL CORMIER
STEVE RILEY
Best Violinist/Fiddler
DAVID GREELY
ED POULLARD
JOEL SAVOY
LOUIS MICHOT
TYSMAN CHARPENTIER (Daiquiri Queens)
Best DJ
BABYGIRL DUO
FAERIEGOTHMOTHER
G-CUE
RAJ SMOOVE
RQ AWAY
Best Other Instrumentalist
ALEXEY MARTI (percussion)
HELEN GILLET (cello)
LEYLA McCALLA (cello)
MICHAEL SKINKUS (percussion)
MIKE DILLON (vibes)
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