Memphis Blues Challenge - Adelaide Roots and Blues Association

HomeMemphis Blues Challenge

Entries for the 2026 ARBA Memphis Blues Challenge are now open!

Key Dates
HEAT ONE: Saturday 16th May 2026 (Norwood Live)
HEAT TWO: Saturday 20th June 2026 (Norwood Live)
FINAL: Saturday 1st August 2026 (Norwood Live)

FUNDRAISER: Sunday 18th of October 2026 (Semaphore Workers Club)
INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE: January 2027, exact dates TBA (Beale St Memphis, Tennessee)

To enter your act follow the 4-step process outlined below (applications close 31st of January):

STEP ONE

Click the button below to read the essential information every act must be aware of before registering for the 2026 ARBA Memphis Blues Challenge:

2026 Memphis Blues Challenge Participant Information

STEP TWO

Click the button below to complete the 2026 ARBA Memphis Blues Challenge registration form:

2026 Memphis Blues Challenge Registration form

Applications close 31st January

STEP THREE

The cost to enter the Memphis Blues Challenge is $60 per act member
Click the button to go to the ARBA merch page to pay for your act's registration:

ARBA Merch page

STEP FOUR

To complete your registration you must ensure that all members of your act are financial members of the Adelaide Roots and Blues Association. A solo act must be an individual member, both members of a duo act must be individual members, all members of a band are covered by an ARBA band membership.
ARBA individual memberships are $40 per annum.
ARBA band memberships are $90 per annum.
Click the button below for ARBA membership:

ARBA Membership

Don Morrison Takes Out First Place at 2025 ARBA Memphis Blues Challenge!

Don Morrison took out first place at the 2025 ARBA Memphis Blues Challenge: Solo/Duo Final held at Norwood Live on Saturday 28th June!

The winner was announced and the trophy presented by Bret Hann and Anthony Scott who are members of last year's winning band 63 Deluxe.

Congratulations to Don who is going to be a worthy representative of ARBA and South Australia at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January of next year!

Five acts played on the night and we congratulate all of them for their enteraining performances. Thanks so much to Don Morrison, Jason Kendall, Nate and Stinky, Curtis Summer and Amin & Lachlan Duo for particpating in the 2025 MBC!

We are especially grateful to our judges who had a most difficult job on the night; Chris Finnen, Erica Whetter, Michael Winter, Mary Harrington and Mick Kidd, thank you for a tough job well done. Thanks also to time keeper and scorer Heather Pinder, score checker Janet Cheung and to Bret Hann for being on hand as reserve judge.
Thanks to each member of the large crowd in attendance, to all at the Norwood Hotel, Nivven and Craig from Supersound for providing fine production, MC Michael Saies and the ARBA volunteers and committee.
Special mention to all of our 350 members, without them none of our events or programs would be possible. Thankyou!

Photos by Samra Teague. Thanks legend!

ARBA Memphis Blues Challenge

The aim of the ARBA Memphis Blues Challenge is to provide the means for acts to compete for the opportunity to represent ARBA, South Australia and Australia in Memphis Tennessee, at the annual International Blues Challenge (IBC).
Since the inaugural challenge in 2015, this annual event has captured the imagination and attention of blues lovers in Adelaide and beyond. Capacity crowds are the norm at both the heats and final, ensuring an electric atmosphere as the acts strive for the opportunity to compete at the IBC in Memphis.
The enormous public support helps generate enough income to pay for the travel and accommodation expenses of the band and solo/duo act that represent ARBA and South Australia at the IBC each year.
The Memphis Blues Challenge helps raise the profile of the local blues scene and provides the opportunity for a money-can't-buy experience at the IBC for local acts.

2026 Memphis Blues Challenge Participant Information

ARBA Memphis Blues Challenge Winners
Band/Solo Duo
2015: Lazy Eye / Mick Kidd with Dave Blight
2016: The Associates / Nikko & Snooks
2017: Steve Brown Band / J.J Fields
2018: One More Mile / Ben Ford-Davies
2019: Holler & The Bones / Tin Can Alley
2022: The Honey Badgers / Frankie & Savva
2023: Paul 'n Dave
2024: 63 Deluxe / Craig Atkins
2025: Don Morrison

ARBA Honour Board

ARBA Representatives at the International Blues Challenge (Memphis)

Between 2016-2020, ARBA sent bands and solo/duo acts to 5 consecutive International Blues Challenges. Covid caused the 2021 IBC to be cancelled and prevented ARBA acts participating in 2022. ARBA once again sent a band and solo/duo act to the 2023 IBC.

In addition to playing in the challenge, and making many friends and fans amongst the big crowds that attend, our acts have made the most of the many opportunities; networking, jamming, media interviews, exploring Memphis and other parts of the USA, two of our acts have also recorded albums whilst in the USA for the IBC.

Each year ARBA enters our "Blues Album of the Year" into the Blues Foundation's Best Self-Produced CD Competition.

All of the Memphis Blues Challenge winning acts, as listed on our Honour Board have gone on to represent ARBA and South Australia in the quarter-finals of the IBC and we are very proud of all of them. Some of our acts have gone further than the quarter-finals and 2 of our Blues Albums of the Year have been finalists (being amongst the final 5 Cd's).

Significant IBC Placings
2017: The Associates (Band Semi-Finalist)
2019: Ben Ford-Davies (Solo Semi-Finalist)
2019: "Tales of a Rich Girl" Kings & Associates (Finalist Best Self Produced CD Comp)
2020: "Kicking Back the Blues" The Streamliners (Finalist Best Self Produced CD Comp)
2023:The Honey Badgers (Band Finalist)*
2024: Paul n' Dave (Duo Semi-Finalist)
*2nd Australian band to make the Finals in 38 years of the IBC.

International Blues Challenge Information