The Blues Foundation Presents The International Blues Challenge #32
The Blues Foundation Presents
The International Blues Challenge #32
The Blues Foundation’s “mission is to preserve blues heritage, celebrate blues recording and performance, expand worldwide awareness of the blues, and ensure the future of the uniquely American art form.” The foundation maintains two premier events.
The Blues Music Awards “brings together Blues performers, industry representatives, and fans from all over the world to celebrate the best in Blues recordings and performances from the previous year. The BMAs are generally recognized as the highest honor given to Blues musicians. The Blues Music Awards are awarded by vote of Blues Foundation members.” In fact it’s an honor just to be nominated for an award and a database of nominees is maintained by the foundation.
Since 2008 The Blues Foundation has recorded the award show which is a dinner and performance. These recordings are both a souvenior and documentation of the award presentations. If you can’t make the the BMA’s the recording’s performances will thrill you as the nominees and winners perform.
The International Blues Challenge is “an annual Blues Foundation event in which affiliated blues societies from around the world send their best band and solo/duo performers for a head to head challenge along historic Beale Street to crown those acts ready to take the international Blues stage.” “The IBC can make careers, forge relationships between artists and industry veterans, and unite blues fans in their love for the music”.
For the first time The Blues Foundation has created a cd in order that the International Blues Challange also be documented. Hopefully this is the beginning of a new tradition. “The nine tracks on this cd…were drawn from the 2016 International Blues Challange#32 …from solo/duo division and band division finalists.
From The Montreal Blues Society comes The Paul Deslauriers Band…perform the rockin’ “I’m Your Man” written by the band. They finished second in the band division. Deslauriers is a great guitarist.
From The Columbus Blues Alliance is Innervision and “Hound Dog”. Innervision finished second in the solo/duo division. Innervision is Genene Blackwell, piano; and Sam Shepherd who was named Best Harp Player.
From The Cincy Blues Society comes Sonny Moorman and he gives us his original song “You Make All My Blues Come True”. Moorman is a great slide guitarist.
The Ozark Blues Society brings us The Norman Jackson Band and the funky sax driven “Norman’s Blues” written by Jackson and Rick Shortt. They finished third in the band competition.
The Arkansas River Blues Society was represented by Trey Johnson and Jason Willmon. They perform Johnson’s “When The Money Runs Out”.
The Hector Anchondo Band, represented the Blues Society of Omaha, and they play Anchondo’s original “Tall Glass of Whiskey”. It’s cool how they weave the Pink Panther theme into the song.
The Orange Blossom Blues Society from Central Florida was represented by Bing Futch who was also named 2016’s Best Solo Guitarist.
The Indy Crossroads Blues Society brings us Dave Muskett who plays “Can’t Move On”. This is the second time that Muskett reached the finals.
The Washington Blues Society was represented by Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons who perform “Black Sheep Moan”. They were this year’s winners in the solo/duo division.
This is an entertaining musical documentation presenting some of the bands and performers who appeared at the 32nd International Blues Challenge. These performers will carry our blues traditions into the future.
Richard Ludmerer
