Cincinnati Music Festival And Its History Enshrined In The New Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame

Debuts at Grand Opening on July 22nd as a part of the Festival Weekend.

CINCINNATI - April 19, 2023 - PRLog -- Last week, Hamilton County Commission President and Founder of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame (CBMWF), Alicia Reece, announced that the Cincinnati Music Festival's 50+-year history will be recognized and inducted into the CBMWF, a new tourism attraction scheduled for the Grand Opening on July 22, 2023. A special rendering highlighting the over 50-year history of the one of the longest running and largest urban music festivals in the U.S. was unveiled on Friday, April 14, 2023, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"The Cincinnati Music Festival weekend is one of the largest African American music festivals in the country and has a major economic impact on our County. The State of Ohio and Hamilton County have a rich history of African American music artists, producers, and song writers and our Black Music Walk of Fame will ensure a permanent place to recognize their accomplishments for the entire world to see," says Commissioner Reece.

Since its debut in 1962 as the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival, the Cincinnati Music Festival has grown into one of the nation's most important Black music experiences in the United States. Generations of Black families in the Tri-State, and beyond, have come to Cincinnati to not only enjoy the artists, but to see old friends and make new ones. Over the years, this annual marquee festival made Cincinnati a destination for giants of the music world as well as for tourists from Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, and St. Louis who would come in bus loads to attend. To this day, the Cincinnati Music Festival is affectionately known as the Cincinnati Jazz Festival amongst those who grew up going to the event every year. Equally important, it has showcased new talent and inspired generations of future stars in the Queen City.

This year, the Cincinnati Music Festival weekend will headline Midnight Star, Babyface of the Deele, Snoop Dogg, and Al Green, to name a few at Paycor Stadium. Procter & Gamble is the Presenting Sponsor of both the Cincinnati Music Festival and the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame festivities.

Additional sponsors of the CBMWF Induction Ceremony and Dedication events include The Kroger Company, Hard Rock Casino-Cincinnati, All in Cincinnati, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and First National Bank. The CBMWF is a new interactive outdoor park being built by Hamilton County across from the County's Paycor Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cincinnati Music Festival. The founding inductees of the CBMWF are Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Bootsy Collins and the Isley Brothers, Gospel Grammy Winner, Dr. Charles Fold, and Doo-Wop Hall of Famer, Otis Williams. The new 2023 class of inductees will be added on July 22, 2023 at the Grand Opening of the tourism attraction. A special media event announcing the 2023 CBMWF Inductees will take place on May 31, 2023, to kick-off Black Music Month.

For media inquiries and more information, please contact Vada.Stephens@hamilton-co.org or Kathleen Crawford at Kathleen.Crawford@laicommunications.com.

ABOUT THE CINCINNATI BLACK MUSIC WALK OF FAME
The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame (CBMWF) was founded by Hamilton County Commissioner and former State of Ohio Tourism Director, Alicia Reece. On April 26, 2021, Commissioner Reece introduced the concept to build a one-of-a-kind, interactive, and outdoor tourist attraction that would celebrate the contributions of Black musical artists, songwriters, and producers of various genres of music. These artists were either born, lived, or recorded major hit records in Cincinnati and the Southwest Ohio area, as well as impacted the music industry, both domestically and internationally. On July 1, 2021, the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame unanimously passed by the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners. The Founding Inductees of the CBMWF are Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Bootsy Collins and the Isley Brothers, Gospel Grammy Winner, Dr. Charles Fold, and Doo-Wop Hall of Famer, Otis Williams.