Teeny Tucker Named Monterey Bay Blues Artist of the Year

The diminutive blues songstress was cited for her "leadership, achievement and general support of, and contributions to the blues and its preservation," said Lee Durley, a member of the festival's Board of Directors Executive Committee, as he presented Tucker with the award. "It is with great pride that the fabulous Teeny Tucker be awarded the 2010 Monterey Bay Blues Artist of the Year Award," he added. During the presentation on the main stage, a huge color portrait of Teeny Tucker was unveiled as a backdrop to the festivities. Previous honorees of the "Monterey Bay Blues Artist of the Year" award include Etta James, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Koko Taylor.

The presentation at the Monterey Fairgrounds followed Tucker's blistering set featuring many of the songs from her just-released CD, Keep the Blues Alive, which is already generating international rave reviews. Prior to her own performance, Tucker joined the Blues in the Schools Honor Band for two songs during their performance on another stage at the festival.

Begun in 1986, The Monterey Bay Blues Festival is considered one of the premier blues festivals in the country, continuing to attract and feature world-renowned blues artists as well as young budding artists. The festival has and continues to feature the likes of Billy Preston, B. B. King, The Neville Brothers, James Brown, Ruth Brown, Shemekia Copeland, Charlie Musselwhite, Al Green and Buddy Guy, while simultaneously offering teens involved with the Blues in the Schools Program an opportunity to thrill their audiences at the same festival.