The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album was awarded from 1988 to 2011 and from 2017 onwards. Until 1992 the award was known as Best Contemporary Blues Performance and in 1989 was awarded to a song rather than to an album.

The award was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. From 2012 onwards, the category was merged with the Best Traditional Blues Album category to form the new Best Blues Album category. However, in 2016 the Grammy organisation decided to revert the situation back to the pre-2012 era, with two separate categories for traditional and contemporary blues recordings respectively.

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for music released in the previous year. Buddy Guy and Keb' Mo hold the record of most wins in the category with four each, followed by Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Taj Mahal and Fantastic Negrito, all with three wins.

Recipients

right|thumb|upright|Three-time winner [[Robert Cray.]]

right|thumb|upright|Three-time winner [[Stevie Ray Vaughan.]]

right|thumb|upright|Four-time winner [[Buddy Guy.]]

right|thumb|upright|Four-time winner [[Keb' Mo.]]

right|thumb|upright|Three-time winner [[Taj Mahal (musician)|Taj Mahal.]]

right|thumb|upright|[[Etta James, the first of the two female winners of the award.]]

right|thumb|upright|2007 winner [[Irma Thomas.]]

right|thumb|upright|Three-time winner [[Fantastic Negrito.]]

1980s

{| class="wikitable"

|- bgcolor="#bebebe"

! width="5%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="50%" | Artist

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1988

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Strong Persuader

| The Robert Cray Band

|-

| After All

| Bobby "Blue" Bland

|-

| Glazed

| Earl King

|-

| On a Night Like This

| Buckwheat Zydeco

|-

| "Standing on the Edge of Love"

| B. B. King

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1989

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

| The Robert Cray Band

|-

| Blues You Can Use

| Bobby "Blue" Bland

|-

| "Low Commotion"

| Ry Cooder

|-

| Seven Year Itch

| Etta James

|-

| Talk to Your Daughter

| Robben Ford

|-

|}

1990s

{| class="wikitable"

|- bgcolor="#bebebe"

! width="5%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="50%" | Artist

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1990

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| In Step

| Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

|-

| King of the Blues: 1989

| B. B. King

|-

| Live from Austin

| Delbert McClinton

|-

| Midnight Run

| Bobby "Blue" Bland

|-

| "Wang Dang Doodle"

| Koko Taylor

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1991

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Family Style

| Jimmie Vaughan and Stevie Ray Vaughan

|-

| Jump for Joy

| Koko Taylor

|-

| Midnight Stroll

| The Robert Cray Band featuring the Memphis Horns

|-

| "Red Hot & Blue"

| B. B. King and Lee Atwater

|-

| Stickin' to My Guns

| Etta James

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1992

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Damn Right, I've Got the Blues

| Buddy Guy

|-

| Iceman

| Albert Collins

|-

| Let Me In

| Johnny Winter

|-

| Live! Simply the Best

| Irma Thomas

|-

| Signature

| Charlie Musselwhite

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1993

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| The Sky Is Crying

| Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

|-

| I Was Warned

| The Robert Cray Band

|-

| Peace to the Neighborhood

| Pops Staples

|-

| Robben Ford and the Blue Line

| Robben Ford and the Blue Line

|-

| The Right Time

| Etta James

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1994

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Feels Like Rain

| Buddy Guy

|-

| Hey, Where's Your Brother?

| Johnny Winter

|-

| Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters

| Paul Rodgers

|-

| Mystic Mile

| Robben Ford and the Blue Line

|-

| Wake Up Call

| John Mayall

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1995

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Father Father

| Pops Staples

|-

| Bow Wow

| Johnny "Guitar" Watson

|-

| Force of Nature

| Koko Taylor

|-

| Shame + A Sin

| The Robert Cray Band

|-

| Strange Pleasure

| Jimmie Vaughan

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1996

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Slippin' In

| Buddy Guy

|-

| Blue Night

| Percy Sledge

|-

| Live '92-'93

| Albert Collins and the Icebreakers

|-

| The Man

| Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

|-

| Some Rainy Morning

| The Robert Cray Band

|-

| rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;" | 1997

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Just Like You

| Keb' Mo'

|-

| Live! The Real Deal

| Buddy Guy with G. E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band

|-

| Long Way Home

| Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

|-

| A Man Amongst Men

| Bo Diddley

|-

| Phantom Blues

| Taj Mahal

|-

| Sad Street

| Bobby "Blue" Bland

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1998

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Señor Blues

| Taj Mahal

|-

| Come On Home

| Boz Scaggs

|-

| Reckless

| Luther Allison

|-

| Sweet Potato Pie

| The Robert Cray Band

|-

| Trippin' Live

| Dr. John

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 1999

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Slow Down

| Keb' Mo'

|-

| Deuces Wild

| B. B. King

|-

| Heavy Love

| Buddy Guy

|-

| Life, Love & the Blues

| Etta James

|-

| Sing It!

| Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas and Tracy Nelson

|-

|}

2000s

{| class="wikitable"

|- bgcolor="#bebebe"

! width="5%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="50%" | Artist

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2000

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Take Your Shoes Off

| The Robert Cray Band

|-

| Continental Drifter

| Charlie Musselwhite

|-

| Live in Chicago

| Luther Allison

|-

| Wander This World

| Jonny Lang

|-

| Welcome to Little Milton

| Little Milton

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2001

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Shoutin' in Key

| Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band

|-

| Hoochie Man

| Bobby Rush

|-

| Royal Blue

| Koko Taylor

|-

| Shake Hands with Shorty

| North Mississippi Allstars

|-

| Wicked

| Shemekia Copeland

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2002

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Nothing Personal

| Delbert McClinton

|-

| Creole Moon

| Dr. John

|-

| The Door

| Keb' Mo'

|-

| Matriarch of the Blues

| Etta James

|-

| Sweet Tea

| Buddy Guy

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2003

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Don't Give Up on Me

| Solomon Burke

|-

| 51 Phantom

| North Mississippi Allstars

|-

| Burnin' Down the House

| Etta James and The Roots Band

|-

| One Night in America

| Charlie Musselwhite

|-

| Room to Breathe

| Delbert McClinton

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2004

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Let's Roll

| Etta James

|-

| Rediscovered

| Howard Tate

|-

| The Road We're On

| Sonny Landreth

|-

| So Many Rivers

| Marcia Ball

|-

| Wait for Me

| Susan Tedeschi

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2005

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Keep It Simple

| Keb' Mo'

|-

| I'm a Bluesman

| Johnny Winter

|-

| N'Awlinz Dis Dat or d'Udda

| Dr. John

|-

| Sanctuary

| Charlie Musselwhite

|-

| What's Wrong with This Picture?

| Van Morrison

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2006

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Cost of Living

| Delbert McClinton

|-

| Bring 'Em In

| Buddy Guy

|-

| Electric Blue Watermelon

| North Mississippi Allstars

|-

| Make Do with What You Got

| Solomon Burke

|-

| Twenty

| The Robert Cray Band

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2007

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| After the Rain

| Irma Thomas

|-

| Hope and Desire

| Susan Tedeschi

|-

| Live from Across the Pond

| The Robert Cray Band

|-

| Sippiana Hericane

| Dr. John and the Lower 911

|-

| Suitcase

| Keb' Mo'

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2008

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| The Road to Escondido

| J. J. Cale and Eric Clapton

|-

| Into the Blues

| Joan Armatrading

|-

| Is It News

| Doyle Bramhall

|-

| The Scene of the Crime

| Bettye LaVette

|-

| Truth

| Robben Ford

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2009

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| City That Care Forgot

| Dr. John and the Lower 911

|-

| Like a Fire

| Solomon Burke

|-

| Maestro

| Taj Mahal

|-

| Peace, Love & BBQ

| Marcia Ball

|-

| Simply Grand

| Irma Thomas

|-

|}

2010s

{| class="wikitable"

|- bgcolor="#bebebe"

! width="5%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="50%" | Artist

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2010<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Already Free

| The Derek Trucks Band

|-

| Back to the River

| Susan Tedeschi

|-

| Live: Hope at the Hideout

| Mavis Staples

|-

| This Time

| The Robert Cray Band

|-

| The Truth According to Ruthie Foster

| Ruthie Foster

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2011<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Living Proof

| Buddy Guy

|-

| Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook

| Bettye LaVette

|-

| Live! in Chicago

| Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Bryan Lee and Buddy Flett

|-

| Nothing's Impossible

| Solomon Burke

|-

| Tribal

| Dr. John and the Lower 911

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2017<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| The Last Days of Oakland

| Fantastic Negrito

|-

| Bloodline

| Kenny Neal

|-

| Everybody Wants a Piece

| Joe Louis Walker

|-

| Give It Back to You

| The Record Company

|-

| Love Wins Again

| Janiva Magness

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2018<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| TajMo

| Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo'

|-

| Got Soul

| Robert Randolph and the Family Band

|-

| Live from the Fox Oakland

| Tedeschi Trucks Band

|-

| Recorded Live in Lafayette

| Sonny Landreth

|-

| Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm

| Robert Cray and Hi Rhythm

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2019<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Please Don't Be Dead

| Fantastic Negrito

|-

| Cry No More

| Danielle Nicole

|-

| Here in Babylon

| Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps

|-

| Out of the Blues

| Boz Scaggs

|-

| Victor Wainwright and the Train

| Victor Wainwright and the Train

|-

|}

2020s

{| class="wikitable"

|- bgcolor="#bebebe"

! width="5%" | Year

! width="45%" | Work

! width="50%" | Artist

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2020<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| This Land

| Gary Clark Jr.

|-

| Brighter Days

| Robert Randolph and the Family Band

|-

| Keep On

| Southern Avenue

|-

| Somebody Save Me

| Sugaray Rayford

|-

| Venom & Faith

| Larkin Poe

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2021<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?

| Fantastic Negrito

|-

| Blackbirds

| Bettye LaVette

|-

| The Juice

| G. Love

|-

| Live at the Paramount

| Ruthie Foster Big Band

|-

| Up and Rolling

| North Mississippi Allstars

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2022<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| 662

| Christone "Kingfish" Ingram

|-

| Delta Kream

| The Black Keys featuring Eric Deaton and Kenny Brown

|-

| Fire It Up

| Steve Cropper

|-

| Royal Tea

| Joe Bonamassa

|-

| Uncivil War

| Shemekia Copeland

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2023<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Brother Johnny

| Edgar Winter

|-

| Bloodline Maintenance

| Ben Harper

|-

| Crown

| Eric Gales

|-

| Done Come Too Far

| Shemekia Copeland

|-

| Set Sail

| North Mississippi Allstars

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2024<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Blood Harmony

| Larkin Poe

|-

| Death Wish Blues

| Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton

|-

| Healing Time

| Ruthie Foster

|-

| LaVette!

| Bettye LaVette

|-

| Live in London

| Christone "Kingfish" Ingram

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2025<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Mileage

| Ruthie Foster

|-

| Blame It on Eve

| Shemekia Copeland

|-

| Blues Deluxe Vol. 2

| Joe Bonamassa

|-

| Friendlytown

| Steve Cropper and the Midnight Hour

|-

| The Fury

| Antonio Vergara

|-

| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" | 2026<br>

|- style="background:#FAEB86;"

| Preacher Kids

| Robert Randolph

|-

| Breakthrough

| Joe Bonamassa

|-

| Family

| Southern Avenue

|-

| Paper Doll

| Samantha Fish

|-

| A Tribute to LJK

| Eric Gales

|-

|}

Artists with multiple wins

;4 wins

  • Buddy Guy
  • Keb' Mo'

;3 wins

  • The Robert Cray Band
  • Fantastic Negrito
  • Taj Mahal
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan <small>(2 with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble)</small>

;2 wins

  • Delbert McClinton

Artists with multiple nominations

;12 nominations

  • Robert Cray <small>(11 with The Robert Cray Band)</small>

;8 nominations

  • Buddy Guy

;7 nominations

  • Etta James

;6 nominations

  • Dr. John <small>(3 with Dr. John and the Lower 911)</small>
  • Keb' Mo'

;5 nominations

  • North Mississippi Allstars

;4 nominations

  • Bobby "Blue" Bland
  • Solomon Burke
  • Shemekia Copeland
  • Robben Ford <small>(2 with Robben Ford and the Blue Line)</small>
  • Ruthie Foster <small>(1 with Ruthie Foster Big Band)</small>
  • B. B. King
  • Bettye LaVette
  • Delbert McClinton
  • Charlie Musselwhite
  • Koko Taylor
  • Irma Thomas
  • Jimmie Vaughan

;3 nominations

  • Marcia Ball
  • Joe Bonamassa
  • Steve Cropper <small>(1 as Steve Cropper and the Midnight Hour)</small>
  • Fantastic Negrito
  • Robert Randolph <small>(2 as Robert Randolph and the Family Band)</small>
  • Susan Tedeschi
  • Johnny Winter

;2 nominations

  • Luther Allison
  • Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
  • Albert Collins
  • Samantha Fish
  • Eric Gales
  • Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
  • Sonny Landreth
  • Larkin Poe
  • Boz Scaggs
  • Southern Avenue
  • Pops Staples

References