BEST BLUES BAND / ARTIST

Hipbone Sam

He’s everywhere at once. He’s blues, rock, rock ’n’ roll and little bit country. He’s Hipbone Sam (aka Kevin Hawkins) and band, taking the central Illinois scene by storm. Not exclusively blues, but certainly blues-based, Hipbone, known for his classic “Say, yeah!” gets the crowd going with a bounce and a beat along with a hoot and a holler, making participation with the audience a standard function at every show. During the 2012 season the enthusiastic group played the Prairie Capital Convention Center, Nauvoo Grape Festival, Petersburg Harvest Fest, Illinois State Fair Bud and Miller tents as well as several shows in Iowa and Missouri. Celebrating their third CD release Best of Hipbone Sam in October and a three-year band anniversary in January 2013, Mr. Sam and band recently signed deals with AMI Entertainment and Touch- Tunes for jukebox access in the U.S., Canada and on military bases worldwide. How do they sing the blues with success like that? Runner-up: Debbie Ross Band