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Local Cincinnati Music Scene Cincinnati has been immortalozed by the popular TV show "WKRP in Cincinnati" in which the hit theme was recorded by Steve Carlisle. The history of the Cincinnati music scene has included The Isley Brothers, Bootsy Collins, Marty Balin, Rascal Flatts, Nick Lachey, Ass Ponys, Blessid Union of Souls, Calloway, Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods and Afghan Whigs. In the 2010 census Cincinnati's metro had over 2 million people. A downtown revitalization plan and high quality of life make Cinicinnati a desireable place to live. Forbes has given the city high rankings for affordability. Even so, the population has been declining since the 1950s. The main campus is University of Cinicinnati. Publications and sites that cover the local music scene include BrokenMic.com, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Citybeat and Metromix. AmpFibians * Andre Fambro * Avalanche Sound * Chord Slinger n Lola * Dave Hawkins * Dallas Moore * Debra Downing * Del Rio Band * Detoxxx * Ellery * End the Paradigm * Fearless Kid * Jon Justice Band * Kan-dee * Kelly Richey * New Bees * Peter Adams * Ridge Runner * Savannah * Shawn Bray * Sleepy Bee & The Stingers * StarDevils * Will Rowe with the Oars * Young Deuce * Cincinnati Local Music Scene History During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic local rapper/musician Michael Lee Cunningham II (aka deuces101 on SoundCloud) produced a song about the virus that went viral on TikTok. Cunningham was quoted in a June 24, 2020 City Beat article as saying he likes to write music about real life circumstances. He's worked on music for Procter & Gamble and Picture Music. Safeguard soaps chose him from a large pool of challengers to create a theme song that reminded people to wash their hands to help avoid spreading the virus. The Cincinnati Entertainment Awards presentation was held at Over-the-Rhine's Memorial Hall on November 25, 2018. The event, hosted Aaron Sharpe and Chanell Karr, began with a reflection on local music scene people who passed away throughout the year. Award winners of the night included Triiibe (Artist of the Year), Moonbeau (Album of the Year), Knotts (New Artist of the Year). The local community has been working to save the building of the legendary King Records on Brewer Street in Evanston from being demolished. The owner's plan to partially tear down the historic structure were blocked by the City Planning Commission in August 2015 upon a preservation request by the Bootsy Collins' foundation and the Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation. The 70th anniversary of King Records was a month long celebration in September 2013 (starting August 30), organized by Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton Country librarian Brian Powers, an expert on the legendary label. The label began in 1943 and stayed in Cincinnati through 1971. During that span the label released music by James Brown, Hank Ballard, Cowboy Copas, Bull Moose Jackson, the Stanley Brothers, Little Willie John and Freddie King. The original building was at 1540 Brewster Avenue. The label was written about in this Steven Rosen article 8/19/2013 on Cincinnati.com. Midpoint Music Festival is scheduled for September 26-28 at various Downtown venues such as Mainstay Rock Bar and The Ballroom at the Taft Theatre. Artists slated to perform include Eclipse, Seabird, The Pinstripes, Young Heirlooms, Us Today, Saturn Batteries, Sun Country, Darlene, Jody Stapleton and the Generals, Electric Citizen, Magnolia Mountain, Allan Pray, The Tigerlillies and Kelly Thomas and the Fabulous Pickups. This festival was written about in this article 8/14/2013 in City Beat. Bootsy Collins was named Cincinnati's Grand Ambassador of Funk by Mayor Mark Mallory on July 26, 2013. The legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee performed at the Macy Music Festival that day. Collins is a native who was born in 1951 and founded the Pacesetters in 1968. He has since been a major influence in the development of funk music, playing with James Brown and George Clinton. After gaining fame in Parliament and Funkadelic, he went on to form his most successful band Bootsy's Rubber Band. He was written about in this article 8/2/2013 in The Cincinnati Herald. |