In May 2003, Arthur was proud to have been nominated for a WC Handy Award with "The Shemekia Copeland Band" for "Band of the Year"
He was thrilled to see Shemekia's "Talking to Strangers" win "Blues Album of the Year" and "Contemporary Album of the Year". He had a great time working on that album and to see it receive two awards was wonderful.
To top it off, Shemekia also won for "Contemporary Female Artist of the Year"