Baton Rouge, La. May 4, 2015 For immediate release

Slim Harpo Music Awards Announces 2015 Recipients Recipients of the Slim Harpo Music Awards for 2015 will be honored at a reception at Chelsea’s Café on Thursday, June 4, announced executive director Johnny Palazzotto.

The reception begins at 8 p.m., followed by a jam performance by previous honorees at 9. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased at the door. This year’s honorees are Jimmie Vaughan and Lou Ann Barton, Legends; Kim Wilson, Pioneer; and Martin Hawkins and Bear Family Records, Ambassadors. The awards are named for James Moore (1924–1970), professionally known as Slim Harpo. An internationally acclaimed Baton Rouge artist, Harpo had a significant influence on artists worldwide. Jimmie Vaughan’s style as a player, songwriter, and bandleader draws on many influences. His clean, uncluttered style conveys the message of the music. His raw emotion, simplicity, and elegance powerfully communicate exactly what he feels inside. He has earned the respect of many contemporary music artists. Vaughan performs Harpo songs in his live shows and has recorded them with The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Lou Ann Barton’s 1989 album Read My Lips marked a return to her blues roots with songs made famous by Slim Harpo, among others. She was a founding member of Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble and did a stint with the jump-blues band Roomful of Blues. A charter member of Jimmie Vaughan's Tilt-a-Whirl band, she performs Harpo songs “Shake Your Hips” and “Scratch My Back” in her live shows and has recorded both on her albums.

Slim Harpo Music Awards, 2

Kim Wilson is one of the all-time great Rock and Roll and blues harmonica artists. A founding member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, his work was influenced by Slim Harpo and ranks with that of Harpo, Little Walter, and James Cotton. The Fabulous Thunderbird’s first two albums include Harpo’s songs “Scratch My Back” and “Tip On In.”

Martin Hawkins started collecting imported American records in England in the 1960s and has written about country, blues, and Rock and Roll since 1971. He has compiled and written notes for more than 400 LPs, CDs, and boxed sets. He recently produced the five-CD boxed set Buzzin' the Blues: The Complete Slim Harpo for Bear Family Records and wrote an LP-sized illustrated book about Harpo that is included with the set. He is completing a full-length biography of Harpo to be published in 2016. Bear Family Records, founded by Richard Weize near Bremen, Germany, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The acknowledged leader in the field of quality reissues, it is fronted by Detlev Hoegen, a long-time blues fan.

The Slim Harpo Music Awards is a nonprofit organization. Members of the board of directors are William Gambler, Alonzo Gambler, Tynita Howard, Pat McBride, Brian Blache, Fabian Blache, David Couvillon, Tommy Rice, and Palazzotto. Sponsors of this year’s awards ceremony are the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living and Louisiana Cultural Economy. Proceeds from the ceremony will benefit the Music in the Schools outreach program.

For more information about the awards, go to LouisianasMusic.com/slim- harpo-music-awards.

-30-