Jordan Riehm named Kentucky’s 2024 Banjo Champion

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Jordan Riehm entered into his second competition ever this year and came out on top once again.

He’s a two-time state champ, winning the title in 2022 and now again in 2024, and he said he feels great. Riehm is a Bowling Green native who has been playing the banjo for many years now and teaches at the Bowling Green Rock Band Academy, helping others to express themselves through music.

The competition held in Paducah, Kentucky was judged on many things, and after skipping 2023 and returning in 2024, Riehm said it’s given him the confidence to enter into stiffer competition. The musician told News 40 he wouldn’t compete full time, but the experience has shown him that it wasn’t just a fluke the first time around and is excited and grateful for the competition.