International Blues Challenge: The blues world's best and brightest are coming to Memphis

Back in 1984, it began rather humbly as “The Blues Amateur Contest,” a small free showcase held at the New Daisy theater, part of an ongoing series of concerts called The Beale Street Rambles. But 40 years later, that little amateur event has grown into the International Blues Challenge, one of the key events in the blues world with hundreds of competitors and thousands of fans from every corner of the globe attending.

From Jan. 16-20, Downtown Memphis will come alive with those blues sounds again during the 39th edition of the annual International Blues Challenge (IBC) — a year was lost to COVID — which will see 158 competing acts from 32 states and 12 countries playing on and around Beale Street.

Presented by the Memphis-based Blues Foundation, the event has grown exponentially over the decades and become one of the blues world’s most important gatherings. The IBC is expected to draw an average of 2,500 to 3,500 attendees each night. The acts competing will include a number of regional performers from Memphis and Mississippi including Jason Freeman, Fuzzy Jeffries and the Kings of Memphis, Mississippi Marshall Deluxe, and Columbus Toy.

In addition to the main IBC competition — which will run for three nights on Beale Street before the finals at the Orpheum on Jan. 20 — the annual multiday extravaganza includes youth, international and regional blues society showcases, film screenings, book signings, symposiums and more.

The Blues Foundation is selling a $125 pass that covers all events. Individual evening tickets and finals tickets are also available. Additional admission to the Keeping The Blues Alive Awards Ceremony and Brunch are $75. Go to blues.org to purchase tickets and for a full schedule — including a list of post-IBC competition afterparties and jams.

Here are some selected highlights from IBC week.

International Blues Challenge Opening Ceremony and International Showcase

6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16; various venues on Beale Street

One of the biggest weeks in blues music kicks off at Rum Boogie Café on Beale Street at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, with the official opening of the International Blues Challenge. That will be followed by the annual International Showcase as aspiring blues performers from across the globe flash their talents at Rum Boogie, Blues Hall, Blues City, Club 152 and Wet Willies.

Pacific Northwest Showcase

11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17; Club 152, 152 Beale (first floor)  

Music gets started early Wednesday, Jan. 17, as some of the top talents from the Pacific Northwest blues societies perform as part of a daytime concert at Club 152. Washington Blues Society President Tony Fredrickson hosts the event.

Shake Off Your Jet Lag

2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17; Silky O’Sullivan’s, 183 Beale

Veteran Memphis singer Barbara Blue and friends host an IBC welcome party at Silky O’ Sullivan's.

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Wayne Goins Book Signing

3:15 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17; Blues Hall of Fame, 421 S. Main St.

Legendary musician and blues author Wayne Goins will be at the Blues Hall of Fame to sign copies of his book, "Blues All Day Long: The Jimmy Rogers Story."

IBC Quarterfinals: Round One

5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17; various venues on Beale

The official International Blues Challenge competition kicks off at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17, with the first quarterfinal round. More than 150 artists will be competing and playing all throughout the Beale Street entertainment district.

Film screening: 'The Blues Society'

11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 18; Blues City Café, 138 Beale St.

A new feature documentary from director Augusta Palmer, “The Blues Society” digs deep into the fertile musical soil and cultural clay that spawned the famed 1960s Memphis Country Blues Festivals. Rich with rediscovered footage, the movie — which bills itself in an onscreen caption as "a Moving Image Mixtape" — had its world premiere last fall at the Indie Memphis Film Festival and will get a another local screening as part of IBC week on Thursday, Jan. 18, at Blues City Café.

National Women in Blues Showcase

11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 18; Alfred’s, 197 Beale St.

Some of the top female talent in the blues world will appear as part of the National Women in Blues Showcase at Alfred’s. The event is set to start at 11:30 a.m. with performers appearing until 4 p.m.

IBC Quarterfinals: Round Two

5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18; various venues on Beale

The official International Blues Challenge competition continues at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, with the second quarterfinal round, with solo/duo and band performers playing at clubs throughout the Beale Street entertainment district.

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Keeping the Blues Alive Awards Ceremony & Brunch

10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 19; Hyatt Centric, 33 Beale St.

The annual Keeping the Blues Alive Awards ceremony celebrates and honors those who continue to carry the torch for the genre. This brunch event, set for the Hyatt Centric in Downtown, will honor "individuals and organizations that have played vital roles in promoting the art and business of the blues." Harmonica virtuoso Lee Oskar, Southern soul/Muscle Shoals Sound/Malaco songwriter Larry Chambers and photographer Laura Carbone are among those being recognized. To attend the awards and brunch fans will require a separate ticket from the IBC pass.

IBC Semifinals

7:20 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19; various venues on Beale

The competition gets tougher as the acts are weaned down — to 24 solo/duo competitors and 28 bands — as part of the International Blues Challenge’s semifinal round.

IBC Finals

Noon Saturday, Jan. 20; Orpheum 203 S. Main

New winners will be crowned in the best solo/duo and band categories, as the IBC concludes with its final round of competition at Downtown’s historic Orpheum Theatre. A final few of the original 150-plus competitors will be vying to take home the titles. The event will also include the presentation of the best self-produced album winner.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: International Blues Challenge in Memphis: The 2024 schedule