Minnesota Blues Society

Honoring the Musicians, Composers, Authors and Individuals Who Have Made a Historical Contribution, Impact and Overall Influence on the Blues in the State of Minnesota.

 

 

 

 

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The Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame Policy

1. History and Purpose

The Minnesota Blues Hall of Fame (hereinafter referred to as "MBHOF") was created by the Minnesota Blues Society (hereinafter referred to as "MnBS") to honor those who have made significant contributions to the Blues in the State of Minnesota. The MBHOF will endeavor to preserve the history of the Blues in Minnesota, promote public interest in the musicians of the past, and encourage those of the present and future.

This policy has two sections. Section one defines the process for nomination, vetting and election of candidates for induction into the Member Voted categories of the MBHOF. Section two defines the process for vetting and selecting candidates for induction into the Legacy, Legends and Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) categories of the MBHOF.

2. Organization
The Hall of Fame Committee

The Committee is a standing committee of the MnBS, it shall be comprised of volunteer members of MnBS and subject to approval by the MnBS Board. At least one MnBS Board member must serve on the Committee. The Committee shall consist of no less than three (3) and no more than seven (7) members, preferably an odd number. The Committee shall appoint their chair and establish their meeting schedule. The Chair need not be a MnBS Board member. The Committee shall conduct all its activities in accordance with MnBS bylaws and in keeping with the MnBS Mission Statement. In the event that a Committee member is nominated for the MBHOF, they must either step down from the Committee or ask that their name be withdrawn from nomination.

3. Member voted categories
Inductee Criteria

To be nominated and considered for the MBHOF voted categories, nominees must have:
— Blues as the primary format or music style
— At least a 20-year history of Blues participation
— Made a historical contribution and had an impact and overall influence on Blues in Minnesota.

The Committee may add, amend or eliminate categories. Current categories with some examples are:

• Performer(s)  Celebrates the contribution to the Blues of an individual artist, duo, trio or a band.
• Sideman  Award to a musician, primarily performing in the Blues genre other than as the leader or featured artist of the act(s) or group(s).
• Supportive of the Blues (Non-Performer)  Includes but is not limited to agents, broadcasters (radio or television), historians, media outlets, music stores, promoters, radio stations, sponsors, teachers/educators, venues, and other industry professionals..
• Blues Art, Literature and Media  Includes but is not limited to artists (sculpture, paintings, and photographs), books/authors, journalists, music publishers, photographers, films, videos, any person involved in the graphic design process, the writing of liner notes, cover art, instructional material and printed or electronic media such as news publications, columns, magazines and websites.
• Blues Recording  Award to a compilation of songs published and distributed as an album, CD, record or tape.
• Blues Song  Award to the performer(s) and/or songwriter(s) of a song that was published and distributed on an album, CD, record or tape

Nominations and Submissions

• MnBS members and the public at large are eligible to submit nominations.
• No one may nominate themselves or their own "work".
• One may be nominated and inducted posthumously in each category.
• One may be nominated for multiple categories.
• Nominees are not required to be members of MnBS.

Nominations and the supporting documentation received or postmarked between January 15 and March 15 of the current year are considered for the year's MBHOF Induction.

Official nomination forms will be available at http://www.MnBS.org and may be submitted online or printed, filled out and sent by regular mail. Supporting documentation and photos may be submitted by email or regular mail.

Nomination forms will include the nominator's name, address, phone number, email and relationship to the nominee(s) on the form, along with the:

• Name of nominee(s).
• Years of nominee(s) involvement to be considered (20 year minimum).
• Nominee's current address, phone number, email, and/or website. If the nominee is deceased, the name, address and phone number of a family member.
• Category of nomination.
• A description of the nominee and reason for your nomination (100 to 250 words) for possible use on the ballot.
• When nominating a performer, if possible, provide one or more photos (preferably in .jpeg or .tiff format, minimum 300 dpi).

Committee Duties for the member voted categories

1. Prepare the nomination form for publication.
2. Solicit and screen MBHOF nominations.
   1. Contact nominees to verify participation.
   2. Verify nominee qualifications.
3. Select nominees, prepare the ballot and deliver it to MnBS Secretary (see below).
4. After ballots have been counted, resolve any ties and determine winners.
5. Declare MBHOF inductees.
   1. Notify the MnBS Secretary.
   2. Notify inductees with formal congratulatory letter.
   3. Prepare a press release announcing the results.
6. Prepare MBHOF inductees profiles for presentation at the Hall of Fame event.

Ballot Selection Process

Nominations will be screened by the Committee as they are received to ensure they meet the requirements for induction. After the closing date for accepting nominations and the initial screening process is complete, the Committee will convene, review all nominations and prepare list of the candidates to be presented to the MnBS membership for voting. The Committee will recommend not less than two (2) and not more than five (5) nominees for each category on the MBHOF ballot. Nominee selection shall be conducted in closed Committee meetings and no public explanation of the specific deliberations is required nor shall be given.

The Committee may seek advice or additional information from music professionals outside the Committee to assist in making their selections. If necessary, the MnBS Board may also be consulted, however, no Board member who is nominated for MBHOF may participate in discussions pertaining to a category in which they are nominated.

After a preliminary ballot has been agreed upon, all nominees on the ballot will be contacted and asked if they desire to be inducted and are willing to participate in the ceremony. They will be asked to verify or provide information to be included in the description on the ballot. Nominees may request that their names be excluded from the ballot. The request should be made in writing, signed and dated. If a nominee does not want to participate, the Committee may replace the nominee with other to complete the ballot.

Once the ballot has been determined, it will be delivered along with descriptions of the nominees to the MnBS Secretary for publication.

Voting Process

Induction is determined by eligible MnBS voting members. In order to qualify to vote, a member must be an active member of the MnBS on April 1 of the voting year. Each eligible member is allowed one ballot and one vote per category.

In the event of a tie, the Committee will break the tie by committee vote in a closed meeting.

4. Legacy, Legends and KBA categories
Inductee Criteria

To be considered for the Legacy, Legends and Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) categories of the MBHOF, the following criteria will be considered:
— Blues as the primary format or music style
— Made a historical contribution and had an impact and overall influence on Blues in Minnesota.

The Committee may add, amend or eliminate categories. Current categories with some examples are:

• Legacy  Celebrates the lifetime contribution to the Blues of an artist who made a significant impact on the Blues genre in Minnesota during their lifetime.
• Legends  Award to an artist, who made a significant contribution to the Blues genre in Minnesota but who is no longer actively performing.
• Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA)  Recognizes the outstanding contributions over a significant period of time that an individual or organization makes to the Blues genre in Minnesota. This recognition is not specifically tied to a time frame such as the Hall of Fame but recognizes extraordinary contemporary contributions.

Recommendations and Submissions

• The investigation of the candidate's worthiness is the responsibility of the MnBS HOF Committee. The Committee will accept recommendations from members and the public.
• MnBS members and the public at large are eligible for consideration.
• No one may recommend themselves or their own "work".
• Candidates are not required to be members of MnBS.

Committee duties for the Legacy, Legends and KBA categories

1. Maintain a data base of candidates for each award category.
2. Create a biography of each candidate.
3. If appropriate, select candidate, prepare a recommendation for submission to the MnBS Board of Directors for approval.
   1. Submission package will include the candidate's identification and bio information.
   2. A narrative biography of the candidate.
4. After candidates are confirmed by the Board of directors, HOF Committee will identify an individual or group to make the presentation at the Hall of Fame event.
5. Prepare candidates profile for presentation at the Hall of Fame event.

Typical Hall of Fame Schedule

The Hall of Fame induction will be held on or near October 15th of each year.

Schedule of events for each calendar year:

• January 15— Nominations are open for the Hall of Fame. The call for nominations is promoted on the MnBS website and by press release to local media.
• March 15— Nominations are closed.
• April 1 — Hall of Fame voting begins.
• May 1— Hall of Fame voting closes.
• July 15— Hall of Fame inductees are announced at the Annual MnBS picnic followed by press release.
• October 15— (about) Hall of Fame induction.

Policy Review

This policy shall be subject to an annual review by the Committee and/or Board to ensure that the MBHOF voting process remains fair and consistent with the MnBS Mission Statement.

Minnesota Blues Society Mission Statement

The Minnesota Blues Society will seek opportunities to

• research and document the history of local blues music;
• to chart the evolution of the blues community located in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota;
• to teach, interpret, archive, catalog and otherwise preserve the history of blues music in this metro region;
• to provide learning opportunities related to this American-roots music genre; and
• to enhance and celebrate the existing blues music environment in the Greater Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of the State of Minnesota.

Adopted by the MnBS Board of Directors, 05/13/09
1st Revision 06/14/10, 2nd Revision 12/13/10

This Page Last Updated: Saturday, January 14, 2012