As expected a steady stream of blues fans converged on Gilly’s June 26th to hear the blues as heard nowhere else except a blues challenge. 15 acts (7 in the Solo/Duo category and 8 in the Band category) took the stage to give the audience and the Judges 15 minutes of their best. If you’ve never experienced a blues challenge and were unfortunate enough to miss this one (I call it the Chuck E. Cheese for grown-ups) you certainly missed a good one! We were stuffed full of a smorgasbord of different types of blues … from traditional to blues rock … from R&B blues to blues with a gospel feel … all the blues our hearts desired.
And the winners are:
Solo/Duo … Gregg “GC” Clark and Brian Lee
Middletown guitarist and vocalist Gregg Clark joined Cincinnati area bassist Brian Lee on stage for a set of what appeared to be flawless blues. These two long-time area musicians and friends worked together to pull off a win over a tough list of competitors.
Band … Noah Wotherspoon Band
Noah and Company (Rob Thaxton on bass and Brian Aylor on drums) went all out to impress everyone with their blues prowess and with their ability to watch the clock. After going over the time limit last year much emphasis was put on the 15 minute limit. Their set was a shining example of why they have become a Dayton favorite.
Thanks to all our contestants, judges, volunteers, and sponsors. Congratulations to our “Road to Memphis” 2011 winners. Don’t forget both acts will be playing at our Winter Blues Showcase in January!