And the 2008 International Blues Challenge Winners Are...

Band Competition
1st place: Trampled Under Foot - Kansas City Blues Society

When was the last time you saw a three-piece family blues band with two left-handed guitarists? Let alone a blues band with two strong vocals, one female and the other male? Trampled Under Foot (TUF), the Schnebelen family blues band, is like no other. Danielle is an amazing blues singer and an excellent bassist. Kris is right in the pocket on drums and sings as well. Nick is an accomplished guitarist and strong singer. With tremendous support from the Kansas City Blues Society and our fans, TUF books the midwest and frequently tours the East Coast.
 

2nd place: Shakura S'Aida - Toronto Blues Society

Shakura S'Aida has called both Switzerland and Canada home since leaving the United States at eight years old. Her professional involvement has been ongoing for the past 20 years, enriching the blues and classic R&B communities with her soulful voice and enthusiastic personality. Shakura has been nominated three times by the Toronto Blues Society as Female Vocalist of the Year, and is nominated as Entertainer of the Year for the 2008 Awards. Her debut CD Blueprint takes listeners through the blues of the 1940's and 50's and is infused with her signature voice and sultry interpretation of the music.
 

3rd place: Lil' Ray Neal Blues Band - Baton Rouge Blues Society

Raful Neal III, (Lil Ray), son of Raful, Jr. and brother of Kenny is known as the gentle giant of the blues. The bassist of the group is Noel Neal, also a member of the famous Neal family and brother of Lil Ray. Kenneth Burch, aka Charlie Hall, is a. 35-year keyboard veteran who has been with Lil Ray for five years. Oliver Wells, aka Bam Bam, is a 20-year veteran drummer who has played with Lil Ray for six years.
 

The Band finalists were:

Doghouse Daddies

Laurie Morvan Band

Shakura S'Aida

Lil' Ray Neal Blues Band

Trampled Under Foot

Little Rodger & The Cheap Thrills

Awek

Delta Wires

The Mike Crandall Band

Pryor Baird and the Deacons

Solo/Duo Competition

1st place: Lionel Young - Colorado Blues Society.

Lionel Young is a medium for the union of classical precision and the passion of blues. The Lionel Young brings a new style to euphonic music. Born in Rochester, New York, Lionel Young began taking violin lessons at the age of six with Anastasia Jempelis at the Eastman School of Music. His family moved to Pittsburgh where he studied violin with Herbert Greenburgh, who was the associate concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony then and is the concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony now. He won a music scholarship to the University of Indiana where he studied with Josef Gingold. He came back to Pittsburgh and went to Carnegie-Mellon University to study violin with Fritz Seigal, the Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony and served as Concertmaster at University orchestra for two years, one of which was with Keith Lochhart who is now the conductor & music director of the Boston Pops. He was a member of the Pittsburgh Opera-Ballet Orchestra and the National Repertory Orchestra which commissioned him to play bluegrass and blues for their summer festival and on a tour of Japan, Taiwan, and Korea during the 1988 Summer Olympic Music Festival.

Throughout his career, Mr. Young has won numerous awards including: The Young Artist Award (Pittsburgh Symphony); The Concerto Contest (Carnegie-Mellon); The Passamenic Award (Branchwood String Quartet); and the award for the Best Blues Band in Westword's Best of Denver in 1989 for his band The Last Fair Deal. In 1992 he won a position with The Denver Chamber Orchestra and premiered a solo piece by William Hill with them in 1994. Also, he won another award for Best Blues Band in Westword's Best of Denver in 1996 and 1997 for his current band, The Lionel Young Band.

2nd place: Ben Prestage - Blues Alliance of the Treasure Coast

“His Blues had all the grit and funk of the South...He laid down an irresistible and raw electric boogie that brought the audience to its feet. It was a devilish sound from Prestage.”-Mark Wedel, Kalamazoo Gazette. “If you're bemoaning the loss of RL Burnside and Junior Kimbrough this set will be required listening.” -Mick Rainsford, Blues in Britain Magazine.“...one of the best to come through here” -Michael Stock, WLRN Radio, Miami.

The Solo/Duo finalists were:

John-Alex Mason

Ben Prestage

Dan Stevens and Chris D'Amato

2blu

Robert Sampson

Lionel Young.

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