International Blues Challenge crowns 2023 winners from Texas, Australia and more

Bob Mehr, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read

The annual International Blues Challenge crowned its winners Saturday night at Downtown Memphis' Orpheum Theatre, capping the 38th edition of the event.

The Houston, Texas, combo led and named after 20-year-old guitar phenom Mathias Lattin took home the title in the band category, while Sydney, Australia, singer-guitarist Frank Sultana earned the top prize in the solo/duo category.

Staged by the Memphis-based Blues Foundation, the 2023 IBC featured performances from more than 145 competing acts from 40 states and 12 countries playing in and around Beale Street. The event — which began in 1984 and has grown exponentially over the decades — has become one of the blues world’s most important gatherings.

The international flavor of the event was especially pronounced this year, with half a dozen acts from around the world — representing Australia, France, the U.K. and Canada — making it to Saturday’s final.

In the Band Division, emerging Texas blues star Lattin beat out second-place finishers The Cinelli Brothers from London, England, and third-place outfit Dick Earl’s Electric Witness from Las Vegas.

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Aussie bluesman Sultana, meanwhile, edged out second-place finishers The Sugar Thieves Duo from Phoenix in the Solo/Duo Division.

Several other awards were presented as part of the event. Mathias Lattin won the “Best Guitar Award” for band players, while the Memphis Cigar Box award honoring the best solo/duo guitarist went to Adam Karch of Montreal.

The Lee Oskar Harmonica Award went to Columbus, Ohio’s Deuce ‘n a Quarter. Lincoln, Nebraska, soul-blues band Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal won the Best Self-Produced CD award for its album, “Green Light.”

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: International Blues Challenge 2023: Here are the winners