The Cincinnati Music Festival is one of the oldest running music festivals in North America and has been referred to as “the granddaddy of them all.”
Originally called the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival, the event was founded in 1962 by Dino Santangelo. The festival has been held at various sites, including the Cartage Fairgrounds and the Hamilton County Fairgrounds in Ohio. The event was predicted by a format of pure jazz. The early years of the festival was met with international acclaim. It featured renowned artists such as master trumpeter Miles Davis; Grover Washington Jr; George Benson; Stevie Wonder; Marvin Gaye; The Spinners and many more.
The Festival soared in popularity and the public demanded more. The event promoters Dino Santangelo of Cincinnati, and his partner, J. Lee Friedman of Atlanta, decided to meet the public’s appetite for quality live entertainment and give them what they wanted – more!
Along with the sponsorship and financial support of the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company, the festival catapulted into a multi-city event.
In June 1979, Beverly Travel Services (formerly known as Gentlemen Plus Tours) was the very first organization from Chicago to take multi-bus concert enthusiasts on road trips to an event such as the Kool Jazz Festival in Atlanta Georgia, and The Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event was held at the former Fulton County Stadium – previous home of the Atlanta Braves, with headliners on the Friday night lineup were The Gap Band; Rufus & Chaka Khan; The O’Jays; Sister Sledge; B.B. King; and Bobby Blue Bland.
Headlining on Saturday night was Kool & the Gang; Peaches & Herb; Chic; Ray, Goodman & Brown, along with Dionne Warwick.
Some of the old-timers may recall the travel agency we collaborated with at the time was the – now defunct – Trains, Boats & Planes, Inc., located at 87th & State Street, Chicago. The festival continued into the summer of 1980, to play in the city of its birth, at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium. The lineup continued to maintain its original jazz genre, by featuring jazz greats such as Jimmy Smith; Herbie Mann; Nate Adderly; Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis; and Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. The Kool Jazz Festival went on to play in July 1981, for a 4-year stint at the previous Milwaukee County Stadium – now Miller Park.
Over the years, because of several factors, the event has evolved from that of a music genre of pure jazz to one predicated by the lyrics of rhythm & blues. The lead sponsor of the event has also evolved from Kool to Coors, from K-Mart to Macy’s, and continued to evolve to it’s current lead sponsor, Proctor & Gamble.
The Cincinnati Music Festival is currently held at Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals.