2026 Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame induction ceremony

Todays was the 2026 Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame induction ceremony, the 4th year in a row that I have attended this splendid event at the Brady Music Center. If you are not aware, the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame, the brainchild of Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece, is located at the corner of Race and Mehring Way, where the Brady Music Center and the Bengals stadium intersect.

I stumbled onto this free event in 2023, really not knowing what to expect. As it turned out, this was a blast, celebrating Black music with ties to Cincinnati and Ohio. This yearly event takes place at the same time the Cincinnati Music Festival happens at Paycor Stadium. I must point out that I am Caucasian, and the event is attended 99.9% by African-Americans.

This year's event started with the house-band (2nd Wind) cranking out Motown and R&B classics in the run-up of the official start, per the usual, just great.

The 2026 inductees were Heatwave (from Dayton, best known for their massive hit "Boogie Nights" and WCIN 1480 AM, the second oldest black radio station in the US (started in 1953, sadly went off the air in 2007)

But the highlight for me was the 2026 Legacy award to Regina Belle. She performed 4 songs, including her best known hit "A Whole New World", from the 1992 Disney movie Aladdin. Regina choked up before starting the song, explaining that this would be the first time she would perform the song without Peabo Bryson (who passed away last month). The singer of the house band 2nd Wind stood in for Peabo. It brought tears to my eyes.

After the induction ceremony, Midnight Star put on a free show at the ICON stage of the Smale Park.

I was one of the very few Caucasians at the entire thing. Did I mention this is a free event? This is one of Cincinnati's best secret events, year after year. Won't you join me in 2027?