Trombonist Randy Oxford leads blues awards

More than 300 blues lovers packed the Moonraker club in Kent Sunday night to celebrate the winners of the Washington Blues Society's 2005 "BB" Awards.

Trombonist Randy Oxford led the pack with five awards, including four individual honors — best blues horn, performer of the year, keeping the blues alive and, in a tie with band leader Mark Whitman, lifetime achievement. The Randy Oxford Band's album, "All the Buzz," won for best blues recording.

The awards were determined by voting members of the Washington Blues Society (WBS), a nonprofit organization.

Here's the complete list of winners.

Lifetime achievement (tie): Randy Oxford, Mark Whitman.

Blues Hall of Fame: Dave Conant.

Keeping the blues alive: Randy Oxford.

Performer of the year: Randy Oxford.

New/reformed blues band: Polly O'Keary & The Rhythm Method.

Blues band: Crossroads Band.

Traditional blues act: Little Bill & The Bluenotes.

Blues event (tie): Jam for Cans (Raven and Sheri Humphres , bi-annual autumn benefit for Northwest Harvest), Mount Baker Blues Festival (Lloyd Peterson, promoter).

Blues club/venue: Highway 99 Blues Club.

Blues songwriter: Alice Stuart.

Male vocalist: Ron "Sweet Talkin' Jones" Ussery.

Female vocalist: Polly O'Keary.

Electric blues guitar: Tom Boyle.

Blues bass guitar: Rob Moitoza.

Acoustic blues guitar: Mark Riley.

Blues slide guitar: Henry Cooper.

Blues drummer: K.T. Tuttle.

Blues keyboard player: Eric "Two Scoops" Moore.

Blues horn player: Randy Oxford.

Blues harmonica player: Paul Green.

Blues DJ: Leslie Fleury (KSER-FM).

Blues writer: Rev. Deb Engelhart.

Blues recording/CD: "All The Buzz," The Randy Oxford Band.

Blues image: CD Cover and T-Shirt Design, "All the Buzz," Phil Chesnut, designer.

The WBS board also gave Blue to the Bone Awards to blues writer Tony Engelhart and the Salmon Bay Eagles' Jimie Jean Tuttle and Marcia Jackson for their Thursday Night Jams.

Paul de Barros: 206-464-3247 or pdebarros@seattletimes.com