Black Music Walk of Fame opens in Cincinnati to celebrate musical contribution, excellence

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame opened Saturday to excitement as a long anticipated celebration of Black excellence in singing, songwriting, producing, and music composition.

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The new walk of fame opened on the intersection of Elm Street and Mehring Way, near Paycor Stadium, where it officially welcomed guests for the first time.

The Ohio Players, a band founded in Dayton, serenaded the grand opening to more than 100 visitors who attended the event. Other Ohio native musicians including Toledo born Shirley Murdeock, an R&B singer, also performed.

“I’m so excited about what’s happening right here in this moment,” Murdeock said. She went onto say the display’s dedication to telling the legacy and often untold stories of Southwest Ohio’s most prominent black musicians was significant to the community.

“It’s a celebration of all the artists that have come from this area,” Murdeock continued. “Oftentimes, there may not be a platform for our people, but right here, Cincinnati is celebrating its own.”

“I think it’s fabulous,” Cincinnati resident Masheeba Ward told WCPO. “I think it is amazing. I think it is historic. We’ve been needing something like this for a long time.”

Four artists were inducted at the ceremony for the 2023 class: The Deele, James Brown, Phillippe Wynne, and Louis Shropshire.

The display was to stay open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Admission would also be free for visitors.

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