A 17-song tribute compilation, Long Journey Home: A Century After the 1925 Mountain City Fiddlers Convention celebrates the centenary of the iconic gathering of nearly 100 musicians in rural Mountain City, Tennessee. Produced by John McCutcheon (who also sings and plays banjo and fretless banjo on it), the album on Appalsongs showcases old-time fiddling and old time music with a number of today’s most celebrated old-time and bluegrass artists performing their own renditions of ballads, reels and tunes that have stood the test of time. Featured artists, in addition to McCutcheon and Tuttle, include Jake Blount, Old Crow Medicine Show, Tim O’Brien, Sparky & Rhonda Rucker, Becky Buller, Trey Wellington & Victor Furtado, Stuart Duncan, Cathy & Marcy’s Old Time Coalition, Kody Norris Show, Earl White Stringband, and Bruce Molsky.

Molly Tuttle, who is joined by Ketch Secor (who fronts and co-founded Old Crow Medicine Show) on “I’ve Always Been a Rambler,” is an acclaimed guitarist known for her prowess at flatpicking and cross-picking, as well as a singer- songwriter and banjo player. At age 24, she became the first woman to win the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Guitar Player of the Year Award in 2017 and did so again the following year when the Americana Music Association also named her Instrumentalist of the Year. Tuttle has been the recipient of two Grammy Awards for Best Bluegrass Album for Crooked Tree and City of Gold in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Crooked Tree also was named Album of the Year in the International Bluegrass Music Awards, while its title track was feted as Song of the Year and she was named Female Vocalist of the Year. City of Gold, also recorded with her band Golden Highway, also was named Album of the Year during the 2023 International Folk Music Awards presented by Folk Alliance International.

Connie Kaldor is a three-time Juno Award-winning singer songwriter who has been writing and performing her songs for more than 45 years and has recorded 19 albums. Her new release, Wide Open Space, was the #2 album on the FAI Folk Chart in September. A member of the Order of Canada and a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award recipient, she also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Woodstock Folk Festival in Woodstock, Illinois earlier this year. Kaldor is based in Montreal and tours extensively. She is frequently joined in concert by her husband Paul Campagne and sons Aleksi and Gabriel Campagne. She will be among the official showcase artists during the Northeast Regional folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference in Albany, NY in November.

The September 2025 top albums, songs and artists charts are based on 10, 565 airplays reported on 347 playlists submitted by 93 different folk DJs. The number of reported spins is shown below in parentheses.

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.

Top Albums of September 2025 

1.Long Journey Home: A Century After the 1925 Mountain City Fiddlers
Convention by Various Artists (131)

2. Wide Open Spaces by Connie Kaldor (71)

3. Look to the Moon by Patty and Craig (51)
3. Stone by Stone by Friction Farm (51)
5. Connected by Darryl Purpose (48)
6. Song of the Bricoleur by Rags Rosenberg (42)
7. Lost & Found by Becki Davis (40)
8. Mother Mind by Tekla Waterfield & Jeff Fiedler (39)
9. Hummingbird Highway by Dar Williams (38)
9. Stay Put by Elexa Dawson (38)
9. The Last Bough by Kyle Carey (38)
12. Kentucky Queen by Carla Gover (34)
12. Songs That Sing Me by Becky Buller (34)
12. Now Then by Robbie Fulks (34)
15. Sweet Resilence by Jane Fallon (32)
16. So Long Little Miss Sunshine by Molly Tuttle (30)
17. Heavy on the Blues by Rory Block (29)
18. The Light Still Shines on the Main by Jory Nash (28)
19. The Ghost of Sis Draper by Shawn Camp (27)
20. The America Chronicles by Kemp Harris (25)
21. Drum School Dropout by Christine Lavin (24)
22. Time Out #3 by The Accidentals (23)
23. New Skin by Judy Kass (22)
23. NERFA Songwriters, Vol. 1 by Various Artists (22)
25. Perennial by Kate MacLeod (21)
25. You Climb the Mountain by The Onlies (21)
27. Bridging Divides by Billy Jonas (20)
28. Wild and Clear and Blue by I’m With Her (19)
28. Squirrels by Jubal Lee Young (19)
30. One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey by Maria Muldaur (18)
30. Crown of Rose by Patty Griffin (18)
30. Callin’ Me Back by Petunia & the Vipers (18)
30. The Woods Have Shown Us by Ponyfolk (18)
30. Seeds of Dreaming by Diyet and the Love Soldiers (18)
35. Bones of Trees by Tim Grimm (17)
35. Personal History by Mary Chapin Carpenter (17)
35. Hard Headed Woman by Margo Price (17)
38. Ghost of the Old West by George Mann and Mick Coates (16)

38. Lost & Found Highway by Joselyn & Don (16)
38. Lift Up the Old World by Hilary Hawke (16)
38. Dark Ages by Eliza Gilkyson (16)
42. Riding High in Texas by Asleep at the Wheel (15)
42. The Way I Tell the Story by David Wilcox (15)
42. American Romance by Lukas Nelson (15)
42. Kerrville Covers by Janet Feld (15)
42. Shadows of a Ghost Town by Meghan Clarisse (15)
47. American Portraits by Marty Cooper (14)
47. Airline Highway by Rodney Crowell (14)
47. Arcadia by Alison Krauss and Union Station (14)
47. The Way the West Was Won by Dallas Burrow (14)
47. We’re Only Human by Hayes Carll (14)

Top Songs of September 2025

1. “I’ve Always Been a Rambler” by Molly Tuttle (23)
2. “No Kings Here” by Tom Paxton (18)
3. “Love, Surround Me” by Patty and Craig (15)
4. “Cuckoo” by John McCutcheon (14)
4. “Me & Robbie Erenberg” by Darryl Purpose (14)
6. “Louder Than Guns” by Friction Farm (13)
7. “Hummingbird Highway” by Dar Williams (12)
7. “900 Miles” by Tim O’Brien (12)
9. “Goodnight America” by Kemp Harris (11)
9. “Bullfrogs” by Rags Rosenberg (11)
11. “It Ain’t Gonna Go Away (Ode to the Epstein Files)” by Cathy Fink
& Marcy Marxer (10)
11. “Memory of August” by Anne Hills (10)
11. “What You Gonna Do With the Baby” by Old Crow Medicine Show (10)
11. “Returning to Myself” by Brandi Carlile (10)
11. “The Last Bough” by Kyle Carey (10)
11. “Tennessee Mountain Fox Chase” by Cathy and Marcy’s Old Time Coaltion (10)
17. “Open All the Doors and Windows” by Billy Jonas (9)
17. “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down” by Sparky and Rhonda Rucker (9)
17. “Oh, Little One” by Jory Nash (9)
17. “House Carpenter” by Jake Blount (9)
17. “At Our Best” by Judy Kass (9)
17. “Dear Time” by Alison Brown and Steve Martin (9)
17. “Wide Open Spaces” by Connie Kaldor (9)
24. “Baling Hay” by Elexa Dawson (8)
24. “Early Fields” by Kate MacLeod (8)
24. “Millworker” by Becky Buller (8)
24. “The Edge” by Becki Davis (8)
24. “Something My Own” by Tekla Waterfield & Jeff Fiedler (8)
24. “Rocky Road to Dinah’s House” by Becky Buller (8)
24. “Bridget O’Brien” by Maggie’s Wake (8)
24. “Feel What Our Hearts Feel” by Darryl Purpose (8)
24. “Savannah Is a Devilish Girl” by Robbie Fulks (8)
24. “American Dream” by Friction Farm (8)
24. “This Car” by Connie Kaldor (8)
24. “Bright Side of the Blues” by Bryan Titus (8)

Top Artists of September 2025

1. Connie Kaldor (71)
2. Molly Tuttle (57)
3. Friction Farm (53)
4. Patty and Craig (51)
4. Darryl Purpose (51)
6. Becky Buller (50)
7. Dar Williams (49)
8. Tom Paxton (48)
9. John McCutcheon (44)
10. Rags Rosenberg (43)
11. Becki Davis (41)
12. Tekla Waterfield & Jeff Fiedler (39)
12. Elexa Dawson (39)
14. Kyle Carey (38)
15. Woody Guthrie (36)
16. Bruce Springsteen (35)
16. Robbie Fulks (35)
18. Carla Gover (34)
19. Jane Fallon (33)
19. John Prine (33)
21. Christine Lavin (31)
22. Jory Nash (30)
22. Cheryl Wheeler (30)
24. Rory Block (29)
25. Eliza Gilkyson (28)
26. Joni Mitchell (27)
26. Shawn Camp (27)
28. Tim O’Brien (26)
29. Kemp Harris (25)
29. Tim Grimm (25)
31. Kate MacLeod (24)
31. Mary Chapin Carpenter (24)
33. Guy Clark (23)
33. Pete Seeger (23)
33. The Accidentals (23)
36. Willie Nelson (22)
36. Judy Kass (22)
36. The Onlies (22)
39. The Kennedys (21)
39. Bill Monroe (21)

Billy Strings, who turns 29 on Oct. 3, grew up playing traditional bluegrass with his dad. In the years since, he has been among the artists who have helped to expand the boundaries of the genre, widening its appeal. His latest album, Renewal, features 16 songs (mostly originals), that while primarily acoustic, transcends bluegrass via incorporating elements of jam band, psychedelic music, classic rock, and even heavy metal.

Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), a nonprofit music organization that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide (ibma.org).

A complete list of winners in 17 categories appears below, while information about the three previously announced Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees (acclaimed artist Alison Krauss, trailblazing bandleader and banjoist Lynn Morris and early bluegrass influencers the Stoneman Family) and five Distinguished Achievement Awards recipients, as well as a listing of all the category nominees can be found at https://acousticmusicscene.com/2021/07/21/ibma-bluegrass-music-awards-nominees-named/.

Entertainer of the Year:

Billy Strings

Vocal Group of the Year

Sister Sadie

Instrumental Group of the Year

Appalachian Road Show

New Artist of the Year

Appalachian Road Show

Song of the Year

“Richest Man”
Artist: Balsam Range
Songwriters: Jim Beavers/Jimmy Yeary/Connie Harrington
Producer: Balsam Range
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

Album of the Year

Industrial Strength Bluegrass: Southwestern Ohio’s Musical Legacy
Artist: Various Artists
Producer: Joe Mullins
Label: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Gospel Recording of the Year (Tie)

“After Awhile”
Artist: Dale Ann Bradley
Songwriter: Public Domain
Producer: Dale Ann Bradley
Label: Pinecastle Records

“In the Resurrection Morning”
Artists: Sacred Reunion featuring Doyle Lawson, Vince Gill, Barry Abernathy, Tim Stafford, Mark Wheeler, Jim VanCleve, Phil Leadbetter, Jason Moore
Songwriter: Mark Wheeler
Producers: Barry Abernathy, Jim VanCleve, Dottie Leonard Miller
Label: Billy Blue Records

Instrumental Recording of the Year

“Ground Speed”
Artists: Kristin Scott Benson, Skip Cherryholmes, Jeremy Garrett, Kevin Kehrberg, Darren Nicholson
Songwriter: Earl Scruggs
Producer: Jon Weisberger
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

Collaborative Recording of the Year

“White Line Fever”
Artists: Bobby Osborne with Tim O’Brien, Trey Hensley, Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan, Todd Phillips, Alison Brown
Songwriters: Merle Haggard/Jeff Tweedy
Producers: Alison Brown, Garry West
Label: Compass Records

Female Vocalist of the Year

Dale Ann Bradley

Male Vocalist of the Year (Tie)

Del McCoury
Danny Paisley

Banjo Player of the Year

Scott Vestal

Bass Player of the Year

Missy Raines

Fiddle Player of the Year

Bronwyn Keith-Hynes

Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year

Justin Moses

Guitar Player of the Year

Billy Strings

Mandolin Player of the Year

Sierra Hull

Called one of the best singers of her generation by Christine Lavin, folksinger and jewelry designer Mara Levine has been creating beautiful interpretations of fine traditional and contemporary folk songs for many years. “Layering harmony line on top of harmony line, Levine creates rich tapestries of sound and emotion,” says noted folksinger and activist Si Kahn.
On Facets of Folk, Levine — joined by a number of her talented musician friends – explores some of the different facets of the folk genre. In selecting songs for it, Levine said: “I was inspired by the current political and social challenges facing us today, and thought a great deal about the importance of speaking out against injustice, both societal, and for people in our lives who are being wronged.”

Songs of social conscience – penned by popular contemporary songwriters as well as emerging talents — are prominently featured on Facets of Folk and are set among folk favorites and lesser-known songs. The opening track, Susan Shann’s “You Reap What You Sow,” recorded with several bluegrass luminaries, topped the Folk DJ songs chart in November 2017 when it was released as a single and was the third-most-played song last month. It also spent 22 weeks on the Bluegrass Today Grassicana chart. Levine’s rendition of Tommy Sands’ “Daughters and Sons” (featuring Kim & Reggie Harris and Gathering Time, a folk harmony trio with whom she frequently shares concert bills) was #1 last month, as was the album.

Levine had an official juried showcase at the 2014 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference, after participating in the Suzi Wollenberg Folk DJ Showcase years earlier. Her sophomore release, Jewels and Harmony, was #1 on the Folk DJ chart in January 2013 and sported that month’s two top two songs.

Of his friend, Seeger had said: “John McCutcheon is not only one of the best musicians in the USA, but also a great singer, songwriter, and song leader. And not just incidentally, he is committed to helping hard-working people everywhere to organize and push this world in a better direction.”

McCutcheon, who has been performing and recording since the mid-1970s, is also a longtime labor and social activist. He is a founder and former president of Local 1000, the traveling acoustic musicians local of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). He has keynoted conferences for several regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International. His previous release, Ghost Light, was the #2 album on folk radio in 2018 and also features three of last year’s 25 most-played songs (“This Road,” “She Just Dances,” and “The Machine”). McCutcheon’s classic “Christmas in the Trenches” tied for the most-played song on folk radio last December and has been among the most-played songs during the holiday season for years.

The January 2019 Top Albums, Songs and Artists charts are based on 17,689 airplays reported on 736 playlists submitted by 133 different DJs. The number of reported spins is shownin parentheses. The charts are compiled under the auspices of Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org), a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion.

The monthly top albums, songs and artists charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission.

Top Albums of January 2019

Here’s a link to listen to Artie Martello’s Jan. 26, 2019 Mostly Folk podcast featuring a interview with Mara Levine and songs from her new release, Facets of Folk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9nVsWtjNTs

With nods for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year, former Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell snagged the most nominations. Williams, Price, Chris Stapleton and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweat each were nominated in two categories.

Here’s a complete listing of the nominees for the 15th annual American Honors & Awards:

Album of the Year

Something More Than Free, Jason Isbell, produced by Dave Cobb
The Ghosts of Highway 20, Lucinda Williams, produced by Greg Leisz, Tom Overby and Lucinda Williams
The Very Last Day, Parker Millsap, produced by Parker Millsap and Gary Paczosa
Traveller, Chris Stapleton, produced by Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton

Artist of the Year

Jason Isbell
Bonnie Raitt
Chris Stapleton
Lucinda Williams

Duo/Group of the Year

Alabama Shakes
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Lake Street Dive
The Milk Carton Kids
Tedeschi Trucks Band

Emerging Artist of the Year

Leon Bridges
John Moreland
Margo Price
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

Song of the Year

“24 Frames” Jason Isbell
“Dime Store Cowgirl” Kacey Musgraves
“Hands Of Time” Margo Price
“S.O.B.” Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats

Instrumentalist of the Year

Cindy Cashdollar
Stuart Duncan
Jedd Hughes
Sara Watkins

The winners of these six Americana Music Association member-voted awards will be announced during a September 21 Americana Honors and Awards show at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. The event is a highlight of “AmericanaFest,” the Americana Music Festival and Conference, which extends from September 20-25. AmericanaFest features lots of learning, networking and musical entertainment at various venues throughout the Music City

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.

Each of the finalists will perform two original songs during a preliminary round at the free Elks Park Stage in downtown Telluride on Thursday, June 17, beginning at noon. Then the top five finalists will each perform two different original songs during a final round the following afternoon. The Troubadour winner performs a 15-minute set on the festival’s main stage on Saturday evening, June 20.

The finalists — recognized on the basis of the quality of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery and the overall performance — are Clint Alphin (Spring Hill, TN), Mary Bragg (Nashville, TN), Maria Brosgol (Albany, NY), Caitlin Canty (Pittsford, VT), Rob Drabkin (Denver, CO), Rachael Kilgour (Duluth, MN), Brennan Mackey (Denver, CO), Ryan Pickop (Fayetteville, AR), Carter Sampson (Oklahoma, OK) and Hadley Kennary (Nashville, TN). Connor Garvey (Portland, ME) and Wyatt Espalin (Hiawassee, GA) were named as first and second alternates, respectively, from among the more than 300 entries received.

Other artists slated to perform during this year’s Telluride Bluegrass Festival include Sam Bush Band, John Butler Trio, Cooder – White – Skaggs, Brett Dennen, Jerry Douglas Band, Robert Ellis, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, Rhiannon Giddens, Greensky Bluegrass, Hot Rize, Robert Earl Keen, Lake Street Drive, Leftover Salmon, Kacey Musgroves, Noam Pikelny & Stuart Duncan, Punch Brothers, Peter Rowan’s Twang an’ Groove, Steep Canyon Rangers, Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer, Trampled By Turtles, Trout Steak Revival, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, and Yonder Mountain String Band, among others. A Telluride Band Contest is also slated. The roots-oriented music festival takes place amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains and coincides with the Summer Solstice.

Fort Collins, CO-based folk-rock singer-songwriter Michael Kirkpatrick was the winner of the 2014 Telluride Troubadour competition. Previous winners of the competitions, which has been held in conjunction with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival since 1991, include Larry Good (1991), Cosy Sheridan (1992), Dan Sheridan (1993), Catie Curtis (1994), LJ Booth (1995), Michael Lille (1996), Jonathan Kingham (1997), Eugene Ruffolo (1998), Libby Kirkpatrick (1999), Mary Coppin (2000), Kris Delmhorst (2001), Deb Talan (2002), Rachel Davis (2003), Brian Joseph (2004), Keith Greeninger (2005), Nels Andrews (2006), Gregory Alan Isakov (2007), Nathan Moore (2008), Mitch Barrett (2009), Robby Hecht (2010), Matt Harlan (2011), Reed Waddle (2012), and Reed Turner (2013).

More information on the festival and the Telluride Troubadour Competition can be found at www.bluegrass.com/telluride.

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.

Tickets for the tour – including dates in Nashville (April 18 and 19), New York City (April 29), Boston (May 1), Washington DC (May 3 and 4, sold out), Chicago (May 9) and Oakland, CA (May 19) – go on sale Feb. 7. Nickel Creek also is slated to perform during the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado, June 19-22. More tour dates may be added.

Here’s a link to a video of Nickel Creek performing “Destination” off its forthcoming album:

Nickel Creek was launched in 1989 by bluegrass child prodigies Chris Thile (mandolin and vocals), Sara Watkins (fiddle and vocals), both then eight, and Sara’s older brother Sean Watkins (guitar and vocals), who was 11 at the time. Thereafter, the band released five studio albums and one compilation recording — 2006’s Reasons Why (The Very Best) — and earned popular and critical acclaim. Time magazine dubbed the trio “music innovators for the new millennium” following the release of its self-titled debut album in 2000, while its 2002 follow-up, This Side, won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Although the trio initially followed a bluegrass orientation, Nickel Creek evolved into an acoustic outfit with a wide array of musical influences — prompting USA Today to note “This acoustic trio moves farther and farther from anything Bill Monroe would have recognized as bluegrass.” Yet, Nickel Creek helped to stir renewed interest in bluegrass and acoustic music and appealed to millions of fans – including many young people.

Besides performing and recording as a band, Nickel Creek’s members also had been engaged in solo and other collaborative projects which they pursued even more during the trio’s seven-year hiatus. All three plan to continue to do so.

Chris Thile, a multi-instrumentalist and composer who delves in bluegrass as well as other musical genres – including folk, country, classical and jazz – was among 23 people in various fields who were awarded “Genius” grants last year from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in recognition of having “shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.”

Thile, who won the national mandolin championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas at the ripe old age of 12, released his first solo album of mostly original composition, Leading Off, the following year. In 1997, at age 16, he won both a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album and an International Bluegrass Music Award for album of the Year for True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe. He later won an International Bluegrass Music Award for Mandolinist of the Year (2001).

Over the years, Thile has released a number of solo albums and also has teamed up with such notable artists as mandolin player and multi-instrumentalist Mike Marshall, bassist Edgar Meyer (whom he has cited as one of his biggest musical influences), and cellist Yo-Yo-Ma. He recorded a well-received, Grammy Award-winning album entitled The Goat Rodeo Sessions with Yo-Yo Ma, Meyer and noted fiddle player Stuart Duncan; duo albums with Meyer and with guitarist Michael Daves; and has appeared on albums by such artists as Diercks Bentley, The Dixie Chicks, Scottish songbird Julie Fowlis, Sarah Jarosz, Dolly Parton, and Kate Rusby. His latest musical collaboration, Punch Brothers, sprung out of the How to Grow a Band, which he formed in 2006 and which also is the title of an independent documentary film that portrays Thile as he leaves the very popular Nickel Creek and launches an artistically ambitious new band. The five-member Punch Brothers has toured extensively, has released three albums and an EP, and is featured on the official soundtrack recording for the Coen brothers’ film Inside Llewyn Davis.

Sara Watkins, who has held an informal residency at the Los Angeles nightclub Largo, along with her brother Sean, actively pursued a solo career while Nickel Creek was on hiatus. Her self-titled debut album, produced by Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, was released by Nonesuch Records in 2009.

In the span of three years between it and her sophomore release, Sun Midnight Sun, she toured internationally both as a solo artist and as a guest fiddle player and vocalist with The Decemberists. She also has performed with Works Progress Administration, did a short tour of England and Scotland in with Jerry Douglas and Aly Bain, opened for and played with Jackson Browne during his 2012 acoustic winter tour (Browne also appears on Sun Midnight Sun), and toured with Donavan Frankenreiter, Robert Earl Keen and Tift Merritt as well. She also joined Garrison Keillor on his nationwide Summer Love performance tours and guest-hosted for him on A Prairie Home Companion. Sara also has accompanied her brother on two of his three solo albums.

Mumford & Sons joined Elton John, Mavis Staples, T Bone Burnett, Zac Brown and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes in an all-star tribute to the late Levon Helm, performing his classic “The Weight.” They also were part of the Grammy Award-winning Best Long-Form Music Video for Big Easy Express (S2BN Films), along with Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show.

Most of the winners in more than 75 categories were announced by The Recording Academy during ceremonies held earlier in the day. Winners in the American Roots Music Field included:

Best Folk Album

The Goat Rodeo Sessions
Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile
[Sony Classical]

Best Americana Album

Slipstream
Bonnie Raitt
[Redwing Records]

Best Bluegrass Album

Nobody Knows You
Steep Canyon Rangers
[Rounder]

Best Blues Album

Locked Down
Dr. John
[Nonesuch]

Best Regional Roots Music Album

The Band Courtbouillon
Wayne Toups, Steve Riley & Wilson Savoy
[Valcour Records]

The Recording Academy also recognized the music of Woody Guthrie, whose 100th birthday was marked last year. Smithsonian Folkways’ Woody at 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection received the Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package (Fritz Klaetke, art director).

Recognized as the Best Spoken Word Album was Society’s Child: My Autobiography by Janis Ian (Audible, Inc.), while the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater album went to Once: A New Musical (Masterworks).

Besides being honored for Best Folk Album, The Goat Radio Sessions [Sony Classical] also captured the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

A complete list of winners in all categories appears online at www.grammy.com.

The nominations were announced on Dec. 5. Rootsy British band Mumford & Sons is among the top nominees with nods for Album of the Year, Best Americana Album and Best Rock Performance.

Of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com are the nominees in the American Roots Music Field. The number of award categories in the field was reduced last year as part of a restructuring across all genres and fields by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, also known as The Recording Academy.

The nominees, by category, are:

Best Folk Album

Leaving Eden
Carolina Chocolate Drops [Nonesuch]

Election Special
Ry Cooder [Perro Verde/Nonesuch]

Hambone’s Meditations
Luther Dickinson [Songs of the South]

The Goat Road Sessions
Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile
[Sony Classical]

This One’s for Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark
Various Artists
Shawn Camp & Tamara Saviano, producers
[Icehouse Music]

Best Americana Album

The Carpenter
The Avett Brothers [Universal Republic]

From The Ground Up
John Fullbright [Blue Dirt Records]

The Lumineers
The Lumineers [Dualtone Music Group]

Babel
Mumford & Sons [Glassnote]

Slipstream
Bonnie Raitt
[Redwing Records]

Best Bluegrass Album

The Gospel Side of Dailey & Vincent
Dailey & Vincent [Rounder]

Life Finds a Way
The Grascals [Mountain Home Music Company]

Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail
Noam Pikelny [Compass Records]

Scratch Gravel Road
Special Consensus [Compass Records]

Nobody Knows You
Step Canyon Rangers [Rounder]

Best Blues Album

33 1/3
Shemekia Copeland [Telarc International]

Locked Down
Dr. John [Nonesuch]

Let It Burn
Ruthie Foster [Blue Corn Music]

And Still I Rise
Heritage Blues Orchestra [Raisin’ Music]

Bring It on Home
Joan Osborne [Saguaro Road]

Best Regional Roots Music Album

Malama Ko Aloha (Keep Your Love)
Keola Beamer [‘Ohe Records]

Shi Keyah – Songs for the People
Radmilla Cody [Canyon Records]

Pilialoha
Weldon Kekauoha [‘Ohelo Records]

Nothin’ But the Best
Corey Ledet with Anthony Dopsie, Dwayne Dopsie and Andre Thierry
[Corey Ledet]

The Band Courtbouillon
Wayne Toups, Steve Riley & Wilson Savoy
[Valcour Records]

In addition to Mumford & Sons’ sophomore release, Babel, receiving nods for Album of the Year and Best Americana Album, one of its tracks, “I Will Wait,” is among the nominated songs in the Best Rock Performance category. Fellow Best Americana Album nominees The Lumineers also received a nod for Best New Artist. East Nashville, TN-based singer-songwriter duo The Civil Wars, this year’s Grammy Award winners for Best Folk Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance, were again nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance – this time with Taylor Swift for “Safe & Sound.” Multiple Grammy Award winner Alison Kraus was nominated in the same category, along with country legend Don Williams, for “I Just Came Here for the Music.”

The Recording Academy also recognized the music of Woody Guthrie, whose 100th birthday was marked this year. Little Seed: Songs for Children by Woody Guthrie [Smithsonian Folkways Recordings], as performed by Elizabeth Mitchell, is among the nominees for Best Children’s Album. Smithsonian Folkways’ Woody at 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection received nods for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package and Best Historical Album.

Also nominated in the Best Historical Album category is Old-Time Smoky Mountain Music: 34 Historic Songs, Ballads and Instrumentals Recorded in The Great Smoky Mountains by “Song Catcher” Joseph S Hall, a Great Smoky Mountains Association recording featuring various artists. Stephen Wade is among the nominees for Best Album Notes for Banjo Diary: Lessons from Tradition [Smithsonian Folkways].

Besides being nominated for Best Folk Album, The Goat Radio Sessions featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile [Sony Classical], received a nod for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

A complete list of nominees in all categories appears online at www.grammy.com.