International Blues Challenge draws acts near and far to Memphis

Photo by Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal, Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal

Clay Goldstein on harmonica and Norman Jackson, lead vocals and guitar, jam with their band, The Pawn Shop, during the 2004 International Blues Challenge.

In 1984, when the International Blues Challenge first launched -- originally as the National Amateur Blues Talent Contest -- the scope of the event was modest: a couple dozen acts from nine states, showcasing in a single venue.

Fast forward to 2009, and the competition has grown to 184 acts, from 36 states and nine countries, performing at 16 venues for thousands of blues lovers.

Photo by Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal

Ricky Gene Hall & the Goods of Columbus, Ohio, perform at last year's blues competition in Memphis. The 25th edition of the event will kick off next week.

Photo by Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal

Clay Goldstein on harmonica and Norman Jackson, lead vocals and guitar, jam with their band, The Pawn Shop, during the 2004 International Blues Challenge.

The blues competition weekend -- which also includes seminars for music professionals and a "Keeping the Blues Alive" awards ceremony -- has come a long way in the past quarter century and nothing is better proof of that than the small army of dedicated blues fans that will be descending on Downtown Memphis for four days of musical festivities, which kick off on Wednesday.

"It's the bluesiest weekend on Beale for sure," says Jay Sieleman, executive director of the Memphis-based Blues Foundation, which stages the competition.

"Just being part of the blues community, and attending every year, it almost feels like a family reunion," adds Mississippi pianist/singer Eden Brent, who launched her career with an International Blues Challenge win in 2006. "It gives you a real sense of being part of something big, 'cause the blues is popular all over the world, and Memphis is a great hub and home for it."

For Sieleman, the growth of the competition has been dramatic. In recent years, it's even come to eclipse the Foundation's other major event, the annual Blues Awards (formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards).

"In the last five or six years, it has increased, both in terms of the number of acts participating and other events going on around it," says Sieleman. "IBC has grown to the point where it brings in more people and to where it actually takes more time and effort to put it on and to plan for it. And not just here in Memphis at the Blues Foundation's office, but at the hundred or so affiliates that have their own local competitions, and fund-raisers which actually help sponsor the acts that come here to perform."

This year the competition will continue its expansion: A youth showcase and an international showcase will serve as adjuncts to the main event.

"The youth showcase will have 24 acts, whose members are under the ages of 21," notes Sieleman. "And that's indicative of the growth and the health of blues among the generation coming up, I think."

The international component of the event also continues to grow. "While we've had international acts since 1995, this is the first year that we've ever had a showcase for them," adds Sieleman. "We have bands coming from Australia, Canada, France, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, and, for the first time ever, Croatia."

The international acts participating aren't just amateurs, but represent the best from their respective countries. "I was at the (Canadian) Maple Blues awards last week, and many of the Canadian IBC acts are of such a stature that they've been nominated for that awards," says Sieleman. "And the same goes for the Australian-based IBC entrants; it really is the best from around the world."

As the competition marks its 25th anniversary and the Blues Awards celebrates its 30th, the two events have come to have a symbiotic relationship.

More and more blues labels are signing alumni from the competition to record contracts, and Sieleman says that's a change that's come about over the last half decade. "In past years the record labels were out ahead of this event," he says. "They would often sign bands before they'd come through the ranks of the IBC. But in recent years that's changed; it seems that the IBC is being much more of a direct conduit to those labels now."

For example, among this year's multiple Blues Music award nominees is Delta native Brent. "Until she won the IBC in 2006, hardly anyone outside of Mississippi had ever heard of her," says Sieleman.

"Coming up there and performing, it opened up a lot of doors," says Brent. "It was grand to win. But even the people who don't win or make it to the finals, they can really benefit as well."

Sieleman agrees that it's not always the winners who go on to greater notoriety.

"In this year's 'Best New Artist' category, aside from Eden, there's Cedric Burnside and Lightnin' Malcolm, Delta Highway and the Homemade Jamz Blues Band -- all of whom have been in the IBC in the last three or four years. Also, a number of other award nominees this year -- Fiona Boyes, Albert Castiglia, the late Sean Costello, Jason Ricci, Robin Rogers, Zac Harmon -- have all been IBC participants. So there really is a connection between the two events."

With all the preparation involved, Sieleman says that he will, like the thousands of blues fans in attendance, be experiencing many of the bands for the first time.

"Certainly, there are some names you recognize, because they've been here before. Or you've seen them as a regional act at a festival or a blues club someplace. But most of it is a discovery for me," says Sieleman. "Because we're so busy we don't have a lot of time to check out the actual music. So I'll be enjoying seeing and hearing the bands as much as everyone else."

-- Bob Mehr: 529-2517

BLUES CHALLENGE HIGHLIGHTS

Here are some selected events being held as part of the 25th annual International Blues Challenge. For a full schedule, all ticket prices or other information, go to blues.org or call 527-2583.

Wednesday

9 p.m. -- Special 25th International Blues Challenge Kick-Off Concert (with past winners, including Trampled Under Foot, Sean Carney Band, Homemade Jamz Blues Band, Jonn Richardson, Zac Harmon.)

$10 at New Daisy Theater

Thursday

5 p.m./6 p.m. -- Semi-finals begin.

$10 wristband gets you into all venues.

Feb. 6

11 a.m.- 4 p.m. -- FedEx International Showcase with acts from Australia, Canada, Croatia, France, Israel, Italy, Norway and Poland.

Free at Alfred's, Beale Street

1 to 4 p.m. -- Smokin' Bluz Youth Showcases

Free at Club 152, B.B. King's, The Pig on Beale and Blues City Cafe, Beale Street.

5 p.m./6p.m. -- Semi-finals begin at the various venues.

$15 wristband gets you into all venues.

When the scores have been tabulated on Feb. 6, the finalists will be announced.

Feb. 7

2 to 7 p.m. -- Band finals with host Cassie Taylor and Jason Ricci

$30 at the Orpheum theater.

8:30 p.m. -- Solo/duo finals with host Bruce Wheeler.

$25 at the Orpheum

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