Denise LaSalle, a durable blues and soul singer and songwriter who in a half-century-long career delved in song into love, cheating, pleasure and heartache, mixing romance with raunchiness, died Monday in Jackson, Tenn. She was 78. She died in a hospital from complications of surgery, according to her longtime label, Malaco Records. In October, LaSalle, who lived in Jackson, underwent a leg amputation resulting from complications after a fall. She never fully recovered. LaSal

39th Blues Music Award Nominees Acoustic Album of the Year Catfish Keith – Mississippi River Blues Doug MacLeod – Break the Chain Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi – Sonny & Brownie’s Last Train Harrison Kennedy – Who U Tellin’? Mitch Woods – Friends Along The Way Rory Block – Keepin’ Outta Trouble Acoustic Artist Doug McLeod Guy Davis Harrison Kennedy Rory Block Taj Mahal Album of the Year Don Bryant – Don’t Give Up on Love Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter – Right