By any standards, this year’s Blues Challenge was a rousing success. It was well attended, and the crowd was very enthusiastic in their appreciation of a stellar lineup of bands and solo/duo acts with lots of whoops and hollers and standing ovations. The Blues in Schools Band, who have been working hard practicing their songs, gave a wonderful performance at the end while the judges scores were tallied.
We would also like to give a big shout out to Element Eatery for inviting Cincy Blues Society’s 2023 Cincy Blues Challenge to their venue. They did a wonderful job in hosting the Challenge, and we love their restaurants.
In the past, the Challenge has been held outdoors rain or shine. This year’s event was to be held on their big outdoor stage, but with the threat of rain and possible thunderstorms, Element Eatery was concerned about the safety of the artists and their equipment along with our Challenge fans. So the night before the event they decided to pull it indoors. They made the change seem effortless! THANK YOU!
The first place acts will perform at this summer’s Cincy Blues Fest on July 15 at Fairfield’s Village Green Park, and also compete in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in early 2024.
And without further ado, the winners of the 2023 Cincy Blues Challenge are…
Solo/Duo Category
Band Category
