A list of winners in the Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field follows, while the complete list of Grammy Award recipients may be found at grammy.com.

Best Folk Album: Revealer – Madison Cunningham

Best American Roots Performance: “Stompin’ Ground” – Aaron Neville With The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Best American Roots Song: “Just Like That” – Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

Best Americana Album: In These Silent Days – Brandi Carlile

Best Bluegrass Album: Crooked Tree – Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Best Traditional Blues Album: Get On Board – Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder

Best Contemporary Blues Album: Brother Johnny – Edgar Winter

Best Regional Roots Music Album: Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – Ranky Tanky

Best Americana Performance: “Made Up Mind” – Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt also was the winner of the coveted Song of the Year award for “Just Like That” in the general field, while Brandi Carlile was recognized for Best Rock Performance for “Broken Homes” and Best Rock Song (“Broken Homes”) along with her co-writers Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth. Also of possible interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers: Willie Nelson received Grammy Awards for Best Country Solo Performance (“Live Forever”) and Best Country Album (A Beautiful Time), while Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) was named Best Historical Album.

The Recording Academy (grammy.com) represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Recording Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards.

Janis Ian, Molly Tuttle, Aoife O’Donovan, and Anais Mitchell Named 2023 International Folk Music Award Winners

A few nights prior to the Grammy Awards, Molly Tuttle & The Golden Highway’s Crooked Tree was named Album of the Year in the International Folk Music Awards presented by Folk Alliance International on the opening night of its annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition to winning the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass album, Tuttle was among the nominees for Best New Artist.

Although she did not win any of the three Grammy Awards for which she was nominated, Aoife O’Donovan – who also is part of the trio I’m With Her (with Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz) and formerly co-founded and fronted the string band Crooked Still – shared the International Folk Music Awards’ Song of the Year honors with Anais Mitchell. O’Donovan was recognized for “B61,” while Mitchell, who created the hit Broadway musical Hadestown, was recognized for “Bright Star.”

Here’s a link to view the official video for Aoife O’Donovan’s “B61” and a link to view the official video for Anais Mitchell’s “Bright Star.”

Janis Ian was named Artist of the Year. The singer-songwriter best known for her early hits “Society’s Child” and “At 17,” also was a recipient of an Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Award (Living) — along with the late Josh White (Legacy) and Oh Boy Records (Business/Academic). Ian was present in Kansas City to accept the award and share some remarks, while Josh White, Jr. accepted the award on behalf of his father – the most popular and influential Black folk singer of the 1930s and 1940s. Fiona Prine and her son accepted the award on behalf of their late husband/father John Prine, the revered, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and label co-founder. Following their remarks, Iris DeMent (who previously sang with Prine) and The Milk Carton Boys performed a couple of Prine’s songs.

In addition to the album, song and artist of the year awards that were voted on by FAI members, a number of other International Folk Music Awards were presented.

Singer-Songwriter Alisa Amador, a winner of NPR Music’s prestigious Tiny Desk Contest, was the recipient of the Rising Tide Award that was launched in 2021 to celebrate a new generation (under 30) artist who inspires others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through his/her creative work, community role, and public voice.

The Clearwater Award recognizing a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production was presented to the Shambala Festival — a four-day contemporary performing arts festival in Northamptonshire, England.

The People’s Voice Award was bestowed upon Leyla McCalla for unabashedly embracing social and political commentary in her creative work and career. The New Orleans-based artist, who grew up as part of a Haitian family in New York, is a multi-instrumentalist and composer. Besides being a solo artist, she has been a member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Our Native Daughters.

A recording of the International Folk Music Awards show appears on Folk Alliance International’s YouTube channel. Here’s a direct link to it.

Founded in 1999, Folk Alliance International (folk.org) is a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion.

Editor’s Note: As a Folk Alliance International board member (2014-2023), it was my pleasure to present a Spirit of Folk Award to Steve Edge, a veteran folk DJ on CITR and longtime concert & festival presenter in Vancouver, Canada. Other Spirit of Folk Award recipients included Amy Reitnouer Jacobs (the executive director of The Bluegrass Situation and a former FAI board president), Marcy Marxer (a multi-Grammy Award nominee and recipient, along with her partner Cathy Fink), Adrian Sabogal (a musician, producer, researcher, and founder of Marimbea – an organization dedicated to the well-being of the Afro-Colombian communities from Colombia’s South Pacific coast), and Pat Mitchell Worley (the longtime co-host of the syndicated roots radio show Beale Street Caravan, as well as the president and CEO of the Memphis-based Soulsville Foundation that seeks to perpetuate the soul of Stax Records).

O’Donovan received the most nominations in the American Roots Music Field. The GRAMMY award-winning singer-songwriters in the running for three 2023 GRAMMY Awards: Best Folk Album for Age of Apathy, Best American Roots Performance for “Prodigal Daughter” featuring Allison Russell, and Best American Roots Song for “Prodigal Daughter,” a co-write with Tim O’Brien. Age of Apathy, produced by GRAMMY award winner Joe Henry (Bonnie Raitt, Rhiannon Middens) is the third solo release by O’Donovan, who also is part of the trio I’m With Her (with bandmates Sara Watkins and Sara Jarosz) and formerly co-founded and fronted the string band Crooked Still.

[Click here to view a video of Aoife O’Donovan and Allison Russell performing “Prodigal Daughter,” a nominee for Best American Roots Performance and Song, during the 2021 Newport Folk Festival.]

Here’s a complete listing of the nominees in the nine categories that comprise the American Roots Music Field:

Best Americana Album:

In These Silent Days — Brandi Carlile

Things Happen That Way — Dr. John

Good To Be… — Keb’ Mo’

Raise the Roof — Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Just Like That… — Bonnie Raitt

Best Americana Performance:

“Silver Moon [A Tribute To Michael Nesmith]” — Eric Alexandrakis

“There You Go Again” — Asleep At The Wheel Featuring Lyle Lovett

“The Message” — Blind Boys Of Alabama Featuring Black Violin

“You And Me On The Rock” — Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius

“Made Up Mind” — Bonnie Raitt

Best American Roots Performance:

“Someday It’ll All Make Sense (Bluegrass Version)” — Bill Anderson Featuring Dolly Parton

“Life According to Raechel” — Madison Cunningham

“Oh Betty” — Fantastic Negrito

“Stompin’ Ground” — Aaron Neville With the Dirty Dozen Brass Band

“Prodigal Daughter” — Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell

Best American Roots Song: (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

“Bright Star” — Anaïs Mitchell, songwriter (Anaïs Mitchell)

“Forever” — Sheryl Crow & Jeff Trott, songwriters (Sheryl Crow)

“High And Lonesome” — T Bone Burnett & Robert Plant, songwriters (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)

“Just Like That” — Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

“Prodigal Daughter” — Tim O’Brien & Aoife O’Donovan, songwriters (Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell)

“You And Me On The Rock” — Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius)

Best Bluegrass Album:

Toward the Fray — The Infamous Stringdusters

Almost Proud — The Del McCoury Band

Calling You From My Mountain — Peter Rowan

Crooked Tree — Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Get Yourself Outside — Yonder Mountain String Band

Best Traditional Blues Album:

Heavy Load Blues — Gov’t Mule

The Blues Don’t Lie — Buddy Guy

Get On Board — Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder

The Sun Is Shining Down — John Mayall

Mississippi Son — Charlie Musselwhite

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

Done Come Too Far — Shemekia Copeland

Crown — Eric Gales

Bloodline Maintenance — Ben Harper

Set Sail — North Mississippi Allstars

Brother Johnny — Edgar Winter

Best Folk Album:

Spellbound — Judy Collins

Revealer — Madison Cunningham

The Light At The End Of The Line — Janis Ian

Age of Apathy — Aoife O’Donovan

Hell On Church Street — Punch Brothers

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

Full Circle — Sean Ardoin And Kreole Rock And Soul Featuring LSU Golden Band From Tigerland

Natalie Noelani — Natalie Ai Kamauu

Halau Hula Keali’i O Nalani – Live At The Getty Center — Halau Hula Keali’i O Nalani

Lucky Man — Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas

Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — Ranky Tanky

Folk Alliance International created a Spotify playlist that includes tracks by each of the artists nominated in the American Roots Music Field. Click here to view it.

Among the nominees in the 2023 GRAMMY Awards’ general categories are:

Record of the Year:

“You and Me on the Rock” — Brandi Carlile featuring Lucius

Album of the Year:

In These Silent Days — Brandi Carlile

Song of the Year:

“Just Like That” — Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

Best New Artist:

Molly Tuttle

Best Rock Performance:

“Wild Child” — The Black Keys

“Broken Horses” — Brandi Carlile

Best Rock Song:

“Broken Horses” — Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)

Best Rock Album:

Dropout Boogie — The Black Keys

The Boy Named If — Elvis Costello & the Imposters

Best Alternative Music Performance:

“Certainty” — Big Thief

Best Alternative Music Album:

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You — Big Thief

Best Country Solo Performance:

“Something in the Orange” — Zach Bryan
“Circles Around This Town”—Maren Morris

“Live Forever” — Willie Nelson

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

“Going Where the Lonely Go” — Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

Best Country Song:

“I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” — Lori McKenna and Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

“I’ll Love You Till The Day I Die” — Rodney Crowell and Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Willie Nelson)

Best Country Album:

A Beautiful Time — Willie Nelson

Best Roots Gospel Album:

The Willie Nelson Family — Willie Nelson

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package:

Black Pumas (Collector’s Edition Box Set) — Jenna Krackenberger, Anna McCaleb and Preacher, art directors (Black Pumas)

Best Album Notes:

Life’s Work: A Retrospective — Ted Olson, album notes writer (Doc Watson)

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) — Bob Mehr, album notes writer (Wilco)

Best Historical Album:

Life’s Work: A Retrospective — Scott Billington, Ted Olson and Mason Williams, compilation producers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Doc Watson)

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) — Cheryl Pawelski and Jeff Tweedy, compilation producers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Wilco)

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical:

Chloë and the Next 20th Century — Dave Cerminara and Jonathan Wilson, engineers; Adam Ayan, mastering engineer (Father John Misty)

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical:

Dan Auerbach

Brandi Carlile, a folk-rock and Americana singer-songwriter who was named Artist of the Year for a second time during the awards show that was presented at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee last September 22, is among the artists whose performances were captured for this special episode. Also featured — in order of appearance — are performances by Fisk Jubilee Singers with Leon Timbo, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Joe Henry, Allison Russell, The Highwomen (Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hembry, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires) with Yola, Jason Isbell, Valerie June and Carla Thomas, Emerging Act Award-winner Charley Crockett, Amythyst Kiah, Buddy Miller (the show’s musical director), and The Mavericks. The Fisk Jubilee Singers, The Mavericks and “Queen of Memphis Soul” Carla Thomas were recognized as Lifetime Achievement Award honorees last September.

The Americana Honors & Awards show is a centerpiece of the annual AmericanaFest, a multi-day celebration of American roots-inspired music put on by the Americana Music Association each fall. A combination festival and conference, it is filled with daytime panel discussions and seminars and evenings chock-full of artist showcases at venues throughout the Music City. Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is a professional not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American roots music around the world.

Here’s a link to an article about the Americana Honors & Awards that was posted on AcousticMusicScene.com on September 23, 2021.

Yola, a 35 year-old rootsy British singer-songwriter who also was nominated for Best New Artist, received nods for Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for “Faraway Look” and Best Americana Album for Walk Through Fire. Her critically acclaimed debut solo album, released in February, was produced by Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach (who is among the nominees for Producer of the Year). Yola showcased her talents at the Newport and Philadelphia Folk Festivals, SXSW, AmericanaFest, and Farm Aid, as well as such notable venues as the Hollywood Bowl during 2019.

Here are links to view the official video for “Yola’s “Faraway Look” and her performance of he song during the 2019 UK Americana Awards at which she was named UK Artist of the Year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWTwuQ3LeH4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0IZBHegbA4

I’m With Her is a female trio comprised of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins – each of whom is a talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in her own right. The harmonic trio is nominated for both Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for ‘Call My Name,” which they co-wrote.

To listen to “Call My Name,” click on the following link:https://youtube.com/watch?v=gRZWhfuI6dQ“> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRZWhfuI6dQ

Here’s a list of the Grammy Award nominees in the American Roots Music Field:

Best American Roots Performance

Saint Honesty, Sara Bareilles
Father Mountain, Calexico and Iron & Wine
I’m On My Way, Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
Call My Name, I’m With Her
Faraway Look, Yola

Best American Roots Song

“Black Myself,” Amythyst Kiah, songwriter (Our Native Daughters)
“Call My Name,” Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)
“Crossing to Jerusalem,” Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, songwriters (Rosanne Cash)
“Faraway Look,” Dan Auerbach, Yola Carter & Pat McLaughlin, songwriters (Yola)
“I Don’t Wanna Ride the Rails No More,” Vince Gill, songwriter (Vince Gill)

Best Americana Album
.
Years to Burn, Calexico and Iron & Wine
Who Are You Now, Madison Cunningham
Oklahoma, Keb’ Mo’
Tales of America, J.S. Ondara
Walk Through Fire, Yola

Best Bluegrass Album
.
Tall Fiddler, Michael Cleveland
Live in Prague, Czech Republic, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Toil, Tears & Trouble, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Royal Traveller, Missy Raines
If You Can’t Stand The Heat, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

Best Traditional Blues Album

Kingfish, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Tall, Dark & Handsome, Delbert McClinton & Self-Made Men
Sitting On Top of the Blues, Bobby Rush
Baby, Please Come Home, Jimmie Vaughan
Spectacular Class, Jontavious Willis

Best Contemporary Blues Album

This Land, Gary Clark Jr.
Venom & Faith, Larkin Poe
Brighter Days, Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Somebody Save Me, Sugaray Rayford
Keep On, Southern Avenue

Best Folk Album

My Finest Work Yet, Andrew Bird
Rearrange My Heart, Che Apalache
Patty Griffin, Patty Griffin
Evening Machines, Gregory Alan Isakov
Front Porch, Joy Williams

Best Regional Roots Music Album

Kalawai’anui, Amy Hānaiali’i
When It’s Cold – Cree Round Dance Songs, Northern Cree
Good Time, Ranky Tanky
Recorded Live at the 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Rebirth Brass Band
Hawaiian Lullaby, (Various Artists)

Also of note: Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection is among the nominees for both Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album (Jeff Place and Robert Santelli, compilation producers). Among the five nominees for Best Musical Theater Album is Hadestown (Anais Mitchell & odd Sickafoose, producers; Anais Mitchell, composer & lyricist), while David Crosby – Remember My Name is in the running for Best Music – Film.

[Winners of the Americana Music Association’s member-voted awards, shown above (l.-r.): John Prine, Brandi Carlile, I’m With Her, The War and Treaty, and Chris Eldridge. Composite image courtesy of the Americana Music Association ]

Singer-Songwriter John Prine was the big winner in The 2019 Americana Honors & Awards that were presented on Wednesday, September 11 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. His 2019 release, The Tree of Forgiveness, was named Album of the Year, while “Summer’s End” was voted Song of the Year.

An internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter, Prine has been touring and plying his craft for nearly 50 years. The Tree of Forgiveness is his first collection of new material since his Grammy-winning 2005 release, Fair and Square. It was the most-played album on folk radio during 2018 and also featured the year’s top song (“Knockin’ On You Screen Door”), according to charts compiled from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion forum for DJs and others in all folk-based music on the radio. Prine also was nominated for three Grammy Awards in the American Roots Music field last year — including Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song (for both “Knockin’ On Your Screen Door” and “Summer’s End).”

Produced by Dave Cobb, Prine’s The Tree of Forgiveness bested two other Cobb –produced albums – Amanda Shires’ To the Sunset and Lori McKenna’s The Tree – as well as British newcomer Yola’s Walk Through Fire, produced by Dan Auerbach.

“Summer’s End, –which Prine co-wrote with Pat McLaughlin– took top song honors over “By Degrees” by Mark Erelli, “Mockingbird” by Ruston Kelly, and “People Get Old” by Lori McKenna (who also was among the artists featured on Erelli’s song).

Artist of the Year honors went to Brandi Carlile, a folk-rock and Americana singer-songwriter, who also was the big winner in the American Roots Music Field during the 61st annual Grammy Awards presented by the Recording Academy in February at which her eighth album, By The Way, I Forgive You, was named Best Americana Album, while one of its tracks (“The Joke”) was named both Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song. Carlile also is part of a newly-formed group called The Highwomen.

I’m With Her — the up-and-coming female Americana-folk trio comprised of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins –- was voted Duo/Group of the Year. Named as Emerging Act of the Year was The War and Treaty, the husband-and-wife duo of Michael and Tanya Trotter, who initially wowed folks when they filled in for Buddy Miller (who produced their album, Healing Tide) during the 2017 Americana Music Festival & Conference at Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom. In accepting the award on 9-11, the duo paid tribute to everyone suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The custom-designed award for Instrumentalist of the Year was presented to Chris Eldridge, a guitarist and member of Punch Brothers, who also was a founding member of the bluegrass group The Infamous Stringdusters.

The recipients of the new Legacy of Americana Award, presented in partnership with the National Museum of African-American Music that is slated to open next year in Nashville, were Rhiannon Giddens and the late Frank Johnson. Giddens, honored for her “unstinting devotion to African-American folk tradition” currently performs solo as a powerhouse vocalist and as part of Our Native Daughters, a group of four female African-American artists that was among the nominees for Duo/Group of the Year. Formerly a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, Giddens also accepted the award for Jackson. In doing so, she referred to him as “an inextricable part of American music [whose] legacy I carry and will, God willing, pass on in my time.”

AMERICANAFEST, which began Sept. 10, continues through Sept. 15. Filled with daytime panel discussions and seminars and evenings chock-full of artist showcases at venues throughout the Music City, the annual event attracts several thousand artists, music industry professionals and fans.

Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is a professional not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American roots music around the world. For more information, visit www.americanamusic.org.

Recorded live during the American Music Association’s 15th Annual Honors & Awards ceremony at Nashville’s storied Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 21, the music-filled hour-long show will feature many of the evening’s award-winners and honorees.

Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, who took home trophies for Album of the Year (Something More Than Free) and Song of the Year (“24 Frames”) — accompanied by his wife, fiddler Amanda Shires, and his band, The 400 Unit — performs “if It Takes a Lifetime. The former Drive-By-Trucker is now the recipient of six Americana Awards.

The Honors & Awards ceremony celebrates authentic, diverse and original music from many genres, both traditional and contemporary. “If you can taste the dirt through your ears, that is Americana,” says Jed Hilly, executive director of the Americana Music Association. “It is music that is derived or inspired by American roots traditions.”

The broadcast features tributes to three roots music luminaries who died within the last year: country outlaw Merle Haggard, troubadour Guy Clark, and bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley. Grateful Dead founder Bob Weir, the night’s Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree for Performance, opens the show with a rendition of Haggard’s iconic “Mama Tried.” Steve Earle performs Clark’s classic Desperados Waiting for a Train.” And Alison Krauss sings Stanley’s “Gloryland,” a cappella, joined by Buddy Miller, Melonie Cannon and Stuart Duncan.

The PBS broadcast also features performances of “Bring It On Home” by Duo/Group of the Year honoree Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell and “What I Don’t Know” by honky-tonk maverick Dwight Yoakam. 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Bonnie Raitt performs “Gypsy in Me” (backed by gospel greats The McCrary Sisters) and joins Stax soul legend William Bell, the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree for Songwriting, on “The Three of Me,” accompanied by producer John Leventhal on guitar. Emerging Artist Award-winner Margo Price sings her “Tennessee Song,” while up-and-coming Americana sensation Parker Millsap is joined by Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan on backing vocals as he performs “Heaven Sent” from his critically acclaimed Album of the Year-nominated release. The Lumineers perform a new song, Angela,” while Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats perform “Wasting Time.” Country music star George Strait closes out the broadcast with a performance of his signature “King of Broken Hearts, “ joined by songwriter Jim Lauderdale, the Americana Honors & Awards show’s host for 14 consecutive years and a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

The Americana Honors & Awards show was a highlight of AmericanaFest, the Americana Music Festival and Conference, which extended from September 20-25 and featured lots of learning and networking opportunities as well as musical entertainment at various venues throughout the Music City.

Here’s a link to an article entitled 2016 Americana Honors and Awards Presented that was previously posted on AcousticMusicScene.com:

https://acousticmusicscene.com/2016/09/27/2016-americana-honors-and-awards-presented/

Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is a professional trade association dedicated to building and promoting the Americana genre and the individuals who participate in the industry. For more information, visit www.americanamusic.org.

Since its inception in 1974, Austin City Limits has helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The longest-running music series in American television history, it’s also the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. The show, produced by KLRU-TV, also received a Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.

Del McCoury, 76, a guitarist and vocalist, who has been making music for more than 55 years, teamed with High Sierra Music in 2008 to create this family-friendly music festival celebrating his family’s musical legacy, fostering opportunities for top-notch musical collaborations, offering ‘playshops’ (informal workshops emphasizing performance rather than instruction), providing late-night indoor performances and picking sessions, and showcasing new talent with a down-home feeling.

To order tickets and for more information on the festival and a three-day Music Academy hosted by The Travelin’ McCourys and other players that will precede it, visit www.delfest.com.

Balsam Range, which takes its name from a majestic mountain range that surrounds part of its home county in western North Carolina, where the Smokies meet the Blue Ridge, formed in 2007. Besides Melton on vocals and fiddle, its members include Tim Surrett (bass, vocals), Caleb Smith (guitar, vocals), Darren Nicholson (mandolin, vocals) and Mark Pruett (banjo). Balsam Range was previously recognized for Album of the Year (Papertown, 2013) and Song of the Year (“Trains I Missed, 2011).

This year’s coveted Album of the Year award was presented to Noam Pikelny for Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe. Pikelny, a founding member of the Punch Brothers and formerly part of Leftover Salmon and the John Cowan Band, also was named Banjo Player of the Year. Accompanying the first recipient of the annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass (2010) on the album were bluegrass stalwarts Stuart Duncan (a fiddle player with whom he’s been playing a number of duo shows this year), Bryan Sutton (guitar), Ronnie McCoury (mandolin) and Mike Bub (bass). Pikelny plans to tour next month with Aoife O’Donovan.

Amanda Smith was named Female Vocalist of the Year. The award for Emerging Artist of the Year went to Flatt Lonesome, while veterans Special Consensus, now in its 39th year as a band, won its first awards for both Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year. Although The Boxcars topped the list of nominees with 10 individual and collective nods, only member Adam Steffey took home an award (Mandolin Player of the Year).

Awards were voted on by the professional membership of the IBMA, the trade association for the global bluegrass music community. Hosted by artists Jerry Douglas and Lee Ann Womack, the awards show featured live performances by Balsam Ridge, The Boxcars, Claire Lynch (Song of the Year winner), Gibson Brothers, Della Mae (2013 Emerging Artist of the Year), Blue Highway, Noam Pikelny, Del McCoury Band, and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen (Instrumental Group of the Year), as well as individual performances by each of the evening’s hosts.

Original members of the Seldom Scene – Ben Eldridge, Tom Gray and John Starling – received a standing ovation as they were inducted into the Hall of Fame and recognized the late John Duffey and Mike Auldridge in their acceptance speech before being joined by current band members in a performance of their hit song “Wait A Minute.” Bluegrass historian Neil Rosenberg also was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Fiddle players Michael Cleveland, Stuart Duncan and Jason Carter joined Rosenberg’s fellow Canadians, The Spinney Brothers, in a special performance to celebrate his achievement.

The awards show – which was broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Bluegrass Junction and streamed live by Music City Roots — was the centerpiece of IBMA’s five-day World of Bluegrass event that continues through Saturday, Oct. 4 with the Wide Open Bluegrass festival featuring both free stages and ticketed performances. Its annual business conference, as well as a Bluegrass Ramble (an innovative series of showcases), extended from Sept. 30 through Oct. 2.

A listing of the award winners, including the recipients of the IBMA’s Distinguished Achievement Award, appears below.

The 2014 International Bluegrass Music Awards

Entertainer of the Year: Balsam Range
Vocal Group of the Year: Balsam Range
Instrumental Group of the Year: Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Male Vocalist of the Year: Buddy Melton
Female Vocalist of the Year: Amanda Smith
Emerging Artist of the Year: Flatt Lonesome
Album of the Year: Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe – Noam Pikelny (artist) Gabe Witcher (producer), Compass Records
Song of the Year: “Dear Sister” – Claire Lynch (artist), Claire Lynch and Louisa Branscomb (writers)
Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year: “Thank God I’m A Country Boy”- Special Consensus with Buddy Spicher, Michael Cleveland and Alison Brown (artists), Country Boy: A Bluegrass Tribute to John Denver (album), John Martin Sommers (writer), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records
Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: “Won’t It Be Wonderful There” – Dailey & Vincent (artist), Brothers of the Highway (album), Mildred Styles Johnson (writer), Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent (producers), Rounder Records
Recorded Event of the Year: “Wild Montana Skies” – Special Consensus with Claire Lynch & Rob Ickes (artists), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records
Mandolin Player of the Year: Adam Steffey
Dobro Player of the Year: Phil Leadbetter
Bass Player of the Year: Barry Bales
Fiddle Player of the Year: Jason Carter
Guitar Player of the Yearr: Bryan Sutton
Banjo Player of the Year: Noam Pikelny

Special Awards (presented earlier in the day on Oct. 2)

Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year: Tim Stafford
Broadcaster of the Year: Kyle Cantrell, Bluegrass Junction, Sirius XM
Print/Media Person of the Year: Chris Jones, writer at Bluegrass Today
Bluegrass Event of the Year: Bluegrass Underground
Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project: Lou Everhart (designer), Lonely Comes Easy, Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, Rebel Records
Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project: Neil V Rosenberg, Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, Noam Pikelny, Compass Records

Distinguished Achievement Award recipients: Bill Keith, Deering Banjos, the European Bluegrass Music Association, Hillbilly at Harvard, and The Delmore Brothers.

Kicking off the festivities on Friday, Sept. 19 will be flatpicking guitarist Michael Daves and banjoist Tony Trischka. The artist lineup for FreshGrass 2014 also includes Sam Amidon, Darol Anger, Alison Brown, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Michael Cleveland, The Dukhs, The Gibson Brothers, Haas Kowert Tice, Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Infamous Stringdusters, Aoife O’Donovan, Railroad Earth, Martha Redbone Roots Project, Valerie June, and several local bands. There will be a mix of concerts, pop-up performances and jam sessions.

FreshGrass Award Finalists Named and Set to Perform

Fifteen up-and-coming bluegrass artists and acts who offer a fresh take on the genre have been named as finalists for this year’s FreshGrass Award and will perform in the museum’s indoor galleries throughout the festival.

In its sophomore year, the contest has expanded from one category to three – affording unsigned bands, duos and banjo players an opportunity to compete for cash prizes totaling $15,000, recording time at Compass Records’ studio in Nashville, and a main stage slot at FreshGrass 2015. Winners will be named on Sunday, Sept. 21. A panel of industry professionals that included Alison Brown, The Gibson Brothers and Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters selected the following finalists:

Band Finalists: Eastbound Jesus, Many Nights Ahead, Pert Near Sandstone, The Sons of Bluegrass, Twisted Pine

Duo Finalists: Chris Coole & Ivan Rosenberg, Tatiana Hargreaves & Ethan Jodziewicz, No Bones About It, Quiles & Cloud, Molly Tuttle & John Mailander

Banjo Finalists: Jordan Alleman, Douglas Jay Goldstein, Gabe Hirschfeld, Ricky Mier, Walker Turner

“It’s a thrill to watch the next generation of music-makers hunker down in this contest, while the top bluegrass musicians in the country are playing right outside the doors on festival stages, jamming in workshops, picking in the courtyards, and sometimes popping on to the contest stage to have a listen,” says FreshGrass producer Chris Wadsworth.

Clinics and Workshops Abound

FreshGrass 2014 also will feature an array of instrumental clinics and industry workshops. These will include a Banjo MegaJam led by Grammy Award-winning banjo virtuoso Alison Brown, a FreshGrass Fiddle Summit, and a fingerpicking workshop conducted by Happy Traum. Budding mandolinists will have an opportunity to practice new methods with mandolin mavens. Professors from the American Roots Music Program at Berklee College of Music will discuss various aspects of bluegrass and roots music. And luthiers will demonstrate their craft throughout the weekend.

Children’s programming and a bounty of Berkshire fresh food and spirits round out the menu for FreshGrass; while festivalgoers also can enjoy the contemporary art exhibitions in MASS MoCA’s galleries.

Tickets for the festival may be purchased online at www.freshgrass.com, where you’ll also find daily schedules and more information on the event.

Artists slated to perform at the festival this year include Brother Sun, Ronny Cox, The Duhks, Seth Glier, John Gorka, Tracy Grammer, The Grand Slambovians (always a highlight at the dance tent), Kim & Reggie Harris, The Horse Flies, Christine Lavin & Don White, Magpie, Louise Mosrie, Nerissa & Katryna Nields, Aoife O’Donovan, Tom Paxton, Spuyten Duyvil, The Storycrafters, Annie Wenz, Cheryl Wheeler, and more.

Emerging Artists Showcase Their Talents on Friday Afternoon, Aug. 1

As previously reported, 24 artists/duos/groups have been selected by a panel a of judges to perform in this year’s Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase on Friday afternoon, Aug.1, from 12 noon to 4:30 p.m. Listed alphabetically by last name or name of group, not in order of appearance, they are Suzie Brown (Nashville, TN), Wendy Cahill (Bethel, CT), Caitlin Canty (New York, NY), Brianne Chasanoff (New Fairfield, CT), Melanie Dewey (Manilus, NY), Allie Farris (Nashville, TN), Liz Frame and the Kickers (Newburyport, MA), Laney Jones & the Lively Spirits (Boston, MA), Russell Kaback (Greenfield, MA), Libby Koch (Houston, TX), Chris LaVancher ( North Reading, MA), The Levins (Congers, NY), The Lords of Liechtenstein (New York, NY), Matt Nakoa (Brooklyn, NY), Hayley Reardon (Marblehead, MA), Jean Rohe (Brooklyn, NY), Roy Schneider (Fort Myers, FL), Zak Smith (Montclair, NJ), Ashley Sofia (Ticonderoga, NY), Jesse Terry (Stonington, CT), Tumbling Bones (Portland, ME), Avi Wisnia (Philadelphia, PA), Zameer (Hollywood, CA), and Laura Zucker (San Francisco, CA).

The Emerging Artists Showcase is not a contest, and artists won’t be judged per se, although the audience is surveyed as to which showcase artists they’d like to see return the following year to participate in a Most Wanted Song Swap. This year’s Most Wanted Song Swap will feature The Boxcar Lilies, Darlingside, Connor Garvey and Roosevelt Dime.

Late-Night Musical Revelry is a Festival Highlight

You will find us under a big white tarp at Pirate Camp festooned with Jolly Roger flags and banners and situated in or near the lower left/northeast section of the 10-acre field (lower meadow). The musical revelry kicks-off with an open song circle late Thursday night, July 31, after the music ends on The Lounge Stage that is hosted by Pesky J. Nixon and friends. Pre-arranged, invitational late-night song swaps will be followed by open song circles on Friday and Saturday overnight after the music ends on the Main Stage. The schedule of pre-arranged song swaps follows.

Friday Overnight under the AcousticMusicScene.com Tent @ Pirate Camp

12:15 – Folk You Should Know: Cosby Gibson, Stuart Kabak, Mike Laureanno, Heather Pierson
1:00 – Three Guys with Guitars: Tony Denikos, Rob Lytle, Jesse Terry
1:30 Mass. Appeal: Darlingside and Pesky J. Nixon

Saturday Overnight under the AcousticMusicScene.com Tent @ Pirate Camp

12:15 2Ks2Ls – Women of Note: Libby Koch, Karen Mal, Kathy Moser, Laura Zucker
1:00 No Fuss and Feathers Roadshow: Karyn Oliver, Carolann Solebello and The YaYas
1:30 Three Duos: Friction Farm, The Levins and The Lords of Liechtenstein

More than four years after Jack Hardy’s passing, Pirate Camp retains much of its initial warm spirit of camaraderie — with folks stopping by throughout the day to share a tune or just schmooze. The partnership with AcousticMusicScene.com and the addition of invitational song swaps has added a new element that is designed in part to help keep Pirate Camp alive and vibrant.