Fiona Boyes album "Lucky 13" nominated for Contemporary Blues Album of the Year

"Lucky 13", the debut album for Yellow Dog Records by blues singer/guitarist Fiona Boyes, has been nominated for a Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues Album of the Year.

The Blues Music Awards (formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards) are universally recognized as the highest honor given to Blues artists. The awards have been presented by The Blues Foundation in ceremonies since 1980 to celebrate excellence in recording and performance during the previous year. This year's awards ceremony will be held May 10, 2007 at the Cook Convention Center in downtown Memphis Tennessee.

"We've been thrilled with the response to Fiona's music," said Michael Powers, president of Yellow Dog Records. "She's a fantastic musician and a compelling live performer, and this recognition is well-deserved."

Boyes, who hails from Melbourne, Australia, won the acoustic division of the Blues Foundation's 2003 International Blues challenge, becoming the first Australian and the first woman to do so. Fiona has toured the U.S. extensively, with high-profile performances including the Chicago Blues Festival and the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, and has also toured her native Australia with some of Blues' most legendary artists, including Bob Margolin, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and Howlin' Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin. In February 2007, Boyes will be relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina to continue touring the US throughout 2007.

The release of "Lucky 13" in August 2006 brought Fiona a new level of recognition in the US. Enthusiastic listener response has driven strong airplay of the album - charting in the top ten of the national Living Blues radio chart for three straight months as well as reaching the #1 position on XM's Satellite Radio's Bluesville channel. Boyes was also the subject of a feature article in Blues Revue magazine, who named her as an "Aussie Wonder" on the cover of their Oct/Nov 2006 issue.

Earlier this year, Boyes and "Lucky 13" also scooped the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society's awards, winning Blues Album of the Year, Blues Song of the Year, and Female Blues Artist of the Year.

About Yellow Dog Records

Based in Memphis, TN, Yellow Dog Records was founded in 2002 with the goal of cultivating the American musical heritage. The label features artists who emphasize innovative approaches to authentic American musical roots traditions - Blues, Jazz, Soul, and Americana styles. By providing support for recording, production, promotion and distribution, Yellow Dog Records brings this vital music to new and wider audiences. For more information and to hear sound samples, please visit www.yellowdogrecords.com.