Musical Journey Highlights

Abe Reid is a second-generation Piedmont bluesman who studied directly under legendary Carolina folk and blues artists such as Guitar Gabriel and Cootie Stark in North Carolina and with other bluesmen across the Southeast...traveling to Mississippi and New Orleans at a young age to learn blues the hard way.

Abe was a founding member of the energetic Asheville based Sub Pop roots and rockin’ ragtime band, The Blue Rags, but left the group early on to pursue his solo and acoustic blues work. Over the years, the bandmates have come together for surprise reunion shows in the city of Asheville that was known to have called them their own.

He made history as the first solo performer to win the prestigious International Blues Challenge in Memphis competing in a series of performances against a field of 33 full bands! 

The 1998 Historic Win

• The Competition Structure: In 1998, all regional qualifiers competed in a single, open field.
• The Odds: Representing the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society, Reid was the only solo act out of 34 contenders in the pool of competitors.
• The Result: Performing traditional Piedmont roots and boogie-woogie blues styles, his solo act beat out 33 full bands to take home 1st place. 

Because of this specific win, he holds the official distinction of being the first 

solo performer to ever win the International Blues Challenge main title.