MCBS Battle of the Blues Bands

Magic City Blues Society Battle of the Blues Bands 
Sunday, July 24th at Iron City
Doors open at 1:00 PM. Competition begins at 2:00 PM
Sponsored by Iron City & Cathead Vodka
Admission is $10. Tickets available at IronCityBham.com

Cheer on your local Alabama Blues musicians in the MCBS Battle of the Blues Bands! 

In the solo/duo category:
Russell Gulley
Early James
Henry Keys Etheredge
Jess Goggans
BJ Miller & Mack Davis, Jr – The Southern Soul Duo
Vandiver Mud
Jennifer Vinson

In the band category:
The Lock 3 Band
Steel City Jug Slammers
Trade Day Troubadours
Chris Simmons Band
King Bee
There will also be a “Youth Showcase” band called the Talismen.

The winners get to represent Birmingham and the Magic City Blues Society at the 32nd International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis January 31- February 4, 2017 when more than 250 bands from around the world compete. The winners receive major sponsorship opportunities and will be booked for some of the most prestigious Blues festivals around the country. Many artists have used this competition to make the national Blues scene.
Alabama has a legacy of great musicians and we are looking for the best Blues bands in Alabama to compete. The competition will be held in one of Birmingham’s best live music venues on the big stage at Iron city.
There will be two first place winners: one band and one solo/duo act. The MCBS will give a stipend to the winners to assist with the costs of attending the finals in Memphis.
Additionally the winners will be booked for paying gigs at MCBS events. Second and third place winners will also receive paying gigs.

The Grill at Iron City will feature $2 Delta Hot Tamales with a hot sauce bar.
The bar will be serving $5 Cathead Vodka cocktails.

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The Magic City Blues Society is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that was founded on January 10, 1993. At that time, there was a small group of people who wanted to do more to bring the Blues to Birmingham.  It all came together at about the same time that the citizens of the community living under the shadow of the world’s largest iron statue, Vulcan, protested the bare butt that Vulcan so proudly displayed. The purposes of the society are:
1. to encourage the performances of the Blues
2. to encourage the preservation of the Blues
3. to develop an appreciation of the Blues within the community; and
4. such other charitable civic, literary or cultural activities within the community consistent with the purposes stated above.
The Blues is very much a part of Southern life and history, deserving recognition as a valid and historical folk art form. The Society hosts a variety of events throughout the year, bringing in national acts as well as supporting our local musicians.