Here’s a complete listing of the nominees in the American Roots Music Field, while select nominees in other categories of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com are mentioned in a paragraph following that:

Best Americana Album:

Big Money – Jon Baptiste
Bloom – Larkin Poe
Last Leaf On The Tree – Willie Nelson
So Long Little Miss Sunshine – Molly Tuttle
Middle – Jesse Welles

Best Americana Performance:

“Boom” – Sierra Hull
“Poison In My Well” – Maggie Rose & Grace Potter
“Godspeed” – Mavis Staples
“That’s Gonna Leave A Mark” – Molly Tuttle
“Horses” – Jesse Welles

Best American Roots Performance:

“Lonely Avenue” — Jon Batiste (featuring Randy Newman)
“Ancient Light” – I’m With Her
“Crimson And Clay” – Jason isbell
“Richmond On The James” – Alison Krauss & Union Station
“Beautiful Strangers” – Mavis Staples

Best American Roots Song:

“Ancient Light” – Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)

“Big Money” – Jon Baptiste, Mike Elizondo & Steve McEwan, songwriters (Jon Baptiste)                                                              “Foxes In The Snow” – Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)                                                                                                              “Middle” – Jesse Welles, songwriter (Jesse Welles)                                                                                                                                  “Spitfire” – Sierra Hull, songwriter (Sierra Hull)

Best Bluegrass Album:

Carter & Cleveland – Michael Cleveland & Jason Carter Carter                                                                                                           A Tip Toe High Wire – Sierra Hull                                                                                                                                                  Arcadia – Alison Krauss & Union Station
Outrun – The Steeldrivers                                                                                                                                                                Highway Prayers –- Billy Strings

Best Folk Album:

What Did The Blackbird Say To The Crow – Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson
Crown of Roses – Patty Griffin                                                                                                                                                              Wild And Clear And Blue – I’m With Her
Foxes In The Snow – Jason Isbell                                                                                                                                                      Under The Powerlines April 24-September 24 – Jesse Welles

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

Breakthrough – Joe Bonamassa                                                                                                                                                          Paper Doll – Samantha Fish
A Tribute To LJK – Eric Gales                                                                                                                                                        Preacher Kids – Robert Randolph                                                                                                                                                      Family – Southern Avenue

Best Traditional Blues Album:

Ain’t Done With The Blues – Buddy Guy
Room On The Porch – Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’                                                                                                                                      One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Stivey – Maria Muldaur                                                                                                Look Out Highway – Charlie Musselwhite                                                                                                                                      Young Fashioned Ways – Kenny White Shepherd & Bobby Rush

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

Live At Vaughan’s – Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet
For Fat Man – Preservation Brass & Preservation Hall Jazz Band                                                                                            Church Of New Orleans  – Kyle Roussel                                                                                                                                            Second Line Sunday – Trombone Shorty And New Breed Brass Band                                                                                               A Tribute To The King Of Zydeco – Various Artists

Also of note: Nominees for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album include Bella Fleck, Edgar Castaneda & Antonio Sanchez for BEATrio, while Sierra Hull’s “Lord, That’s A Long Way” is in the running for Best Instrumental Composition. Angelique Kidjo’s “Jerusalema” is among the nominees for Best Global Music Performance. The soundtrack for A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic, is nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, while Joni Mitchell Archives – Volume 4: The Asylum Years – 1976-1980 is among the nominees for Best Historical album. Alison Krauss & Union Station’s Arcadia is up for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Nominees for Best Country Solo Album include Chris Stapleton’s Bad As I Used To Be and Tyler Childers’ Nose On The Grindstone. Stapleton also snagged a nominations for Best Country Song for both “A Song To Sing” (with Miranda lambert) and “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame” (with George Strait), while Childers is also nominated for Best Country Song for “Bitin’ List” and with Margo Price for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Love Me Like You Used To Do.” In total, nominees were named in 95 categories on November 7 from among recordings released between August 31, 2024 – August 30, 2025.

Voting members of the Recording Academy (grammy.com), who represent all genres and creative disciplines, select the GRAMMY Award winners. These members include recording artists, songwriters, composers, producers, mixers, and engineers. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the 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.

The GRAMMY Awards show will be broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, February 1, 2026 on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+ from 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT. However, the winners in the American Roots Music Field and select others will be recognized prior to the telecast during the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at the Peacock Theater that will be streamed live on live.GRAMMY.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. ET.

Editor’s Note: Please excuse the formatting issues with the listing of nominees in some categories.

Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), the trade association for the global bluegrass community. Results of the balloting will be revealed at the International Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, September 26, hosted by the Steep Canyon Rangers. The Awards Show is the centerpiece of World of Bluegrass Week, slated for September 24-28, in Raleigh, North Carolina. After a long stint in Nashville, the IBMA has partnered with The Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau, PineCone – The Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, the City of Raleigh and a local organizing committee to have the event in North Carolina’s capital city for the next three years.

“We are honored and humbled by the nominations we have received,” says Eric Gibson, expressing thanks “to the IBMA voters for this incredible honor and congratulations to all of the nominees.” Individually and as an ensemble, members of The Gibson Brothers received nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group, Album of the Year for They Called It Music, Song of the Year for “its title track (written by Eric Gibson and Joe Newberry), and Gospel Recorded Event for “Home on the River.” Eric Gibson was also nominated in the Bluegrass Songwriter category along with Louisa Branscomb. Gibson Brothers mandolinist Jesse Brock also earned a nomination for Mandolin Player of the Year. The Gibson Brothers record for Compass Records, whose artists received the most nominations of any label this year.

Balsam Range, a western North Carolina-based band, received nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group, Album of the Year for Papertown, and two Song of the Year nods for its title track and “Any Old Road (Will Take You There). Band member Buddy Melton was nominated in the Gospel Recorded Event and Recorded Event categories for “What’ll I Do” with Terry Baucom).

The IBMA Awards Show will be broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Bluegrass Junction) and syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets and 14 foreign networks.

A complete list of nominees, this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, and Distinguished Achievement Award recipients follows.

2013 Hall of Fame Inductees

Tony Rice
Paul Warren

2013 Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients

Keith Case
The East Mountain Boys
Vic Jordan
The McLain Family Band
Charley Pennell

2013 International Bluegrass Music Award Nominations

Entertainer of the Year

Balsam Range
Blue Highway
Dailey & Vincent
The Gibson Brothers
The Del McCoury Band

Vocal Group of the Year

Balsam Range
Blue Highway
Dailey & Vincent
The Gibson Brothers
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

Instrumental Group of the Year

Blue Highway
The Boxcars
Sam Bush Band
Punch Brothers
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

Song of the Year

“Any Old Road (Will Take You There),” Balsam Range, written by Carl Jackson, Marc Pruett & Jerry Salley
“Gentle on my Mind,” Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, written by John Hartford
“Papertown,” Balsam Range, written by Milan Miller
“The Story of the Day that I Died,” Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, written by Ashby Frank
“They Called It Music,” The Gibson Brothers, written by Eric Gibson & Joe Newberry

Album of the Year

Dear Sister, Claire Lynch, produced by Garry West, Compass Records
Hammer Down, The SteelDrivers, produced by The SteelDrivers
& Luke Wooten, Rounder Records
The Old School, Peter Rowan, produced by Alison Brown, Compass Records
Papertown, Balsam Range, produced by Balsam Range, Mountain Home
They Called It Music, The Gibson Brothers, produced by Eric & Leigh Gibson and Mike Barber, Compass Records.

Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year

“Beulah Land,” Marty Raybon, written by Squire Parsons, produced by Marty Raybon, Rural Rhythm
“Home on the River,” The Gibson Brothers, written by Austin Taylor, produced by Eric & Leigh Gibson and Mike Barber, Compass Records
“Row by Row,” Balsam Range, written by Ashleigh Caudill, produced by Balsam Range, Mountain Home
“Say Hello to Heaven,” Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, written by Lewis N. Hyatt, produced by Doyle Lawson, Mountain Home
“When He Beckons Me Home,” Darin & Brooke Aldridge, written by George Shuffler, produced by Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Mountain Home.

Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year

“By the Waters of the Clinch,” Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, written by Doyle Lawson, produced by Doyle Lawson, Mountain Home
“Foggy Mountain Rock,” Tom Adams, Dan Tyminski, Ron Stewart, Dennis Crouch, Clay Hess, Randy Kohrs; written by Louise Certain, Burkett Graves & Gladys Stacey; Rounder Records.
“New Jerusalem,” Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, written by Ricky Skaggs, produced by Ricky Skaggs, Skaggs Family Records
“Newton’s Grove,” Audie Blaylock & Redline, written by Richard Underwood, produced by Audie Blaylock, Rural Rhythm
“NoraBelle,” Darrell Webb Band, written by Darrell Webb, Rural Rhythm
“Pilgrim’s Knob,” Alan Bibey & Wayne Benson, written by Bill Monroe, produced by Alan Bibey & Wayne Benson, Pinecastle

Recorded Event of the Year

“Another Night,” Alan Bibey, Wayne Benson and Russell Moore, produced by Alan Bibey & Wayne Benson, Pinecastle
“Golden Ring,” Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out with Sonya Isaacs, produced by Barry Bales, Cracker Barrel
“On the Edge of Letting Go,” Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen with Tim O’Brien and Rob Ickes, produced by Frank Solivan & Brent Truitt, Compass Records
“This Old Guitar and Me,” Grasstowne with Ronnie Bowman, produced by Ronnie Bowman & Grasstowne, Mountain Fever Records
“What’ll I Do;” Terry Baucom with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Wyatt Rice, Steve Bryant & Buddy Melton; produced by Terry Baucom, Cindy Baucom and Ed Lowe; John Boy & Billy label

Emerging Artist of the Year

Della Mae
Flatt Lonesome
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
The Spinney Brothers
The Darrell Webb Band

Male Vocalist of the Year

Jamie Dailey
Russell Moore
Tim O’Brien
Marty Raybon
Junior Sisk

Female Vocalist of the Year

Dale Ann Bradley
Sonya Isaacs
Claire Lynch
Amanda Smith
Rhonda Vincent

Instrumental Performers of the Year

Banjo:

J.D. Crowe
Mike Munford
Sammy Shelor
Ron Stewart
Scott Vestal

Bass:

Barry Bales
Mike Bub
Missy Raines
Mark Schatz
Marshall Wilborn

Fiddle:

Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
Bobby Hicks
Ron Stewart

Dobro:

Mike Auldridge
Jerry Douglas
Rob Ickes
Randy Kohrs
Phil Leadbetter

Guitar:

Jim Hurst
Tony Rice
Kenny Smith
Bryan Sutton
Josh Williams

Mandolin:

Wayne Benson
Jesse Brock
Sam Bush
Sierra Hull
Adam Steffey

Special Award Nominations

Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year

Joe Mullins, WBZI, Xenia, Ohio
Ronnie Reno, Reno’s Old Time Music Festival, BlueHighways TV and RFD
Wayne Rice, KSON, San Diego, California
David Smith, North Dakota’s Prairie Public Radio
Tim White, Song of the Mountains, PBS

Bluegrass Event of the Year

The 2013 Bluegrass First Class, Asheville, North Carolina
The 2012 Father’s Day Festival, Grass Valley, California
The 2012 Huck Finn Jubilee, Ontario, California
The 2012 Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival, Tunbridge, Vermont
Bill Monroe Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, Bean Blossom, Indiana

Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project

Dak Alley, Carl Jackson & Jimmy Metts (designers); Grace Notes; Carl Jackson; Voxhall Records
Erick Anderson (designer), Music To My Ears, Ricky Skaggs,
Skaggs Family Records
Sue Meyer (designer), Doctor’s Orders, Don Rigsby, Rebel Records
Pharis Romero (designer), In Good Company, Bill Evans,
Native & Fine Records.
Tom Rozum, Catherine Manning & Dave Weiland (designers); Chicken on a Rocketship; Chad Manning; Manning Music and Arts label

Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project

Tom Adams; Foggy Mountain Special; Tom Adams, Ron Block, J.D. Crowe, Charlie Cushman, Kenny Ingram, Jim Mills, Joe Mullins, Larry Perkins, Craig Smith, Ron Stewart, David Talbot & Tony Trischka; Rounder Records
Fred Bartenstein, They’re Playing My Song, Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers, Rebel Records
Jamie Lynn Brinkman, God Didn’t Choose Sides, Various Artists,
Rural Rhythm Records
Carl Jackson, Grace Notes, Carl Jackson, Voxhall Records
Don Rigsby, Doctor’s Orders, Don Rigsby, Rebel Records.

Bluegrass Print/Media Person of the Year

Fred Bartenstein, editor, Bluegrass Bluesman:
A Memoir by Uncle Josh Graves (book)
Derek Halsey, writer for the Herald Dispatch in Huntington, West Virginia and Bluegrass Unlimited magazine
Chris Jones, writer for Bluegrass Today
Ted Lehman, blogger for Ted Lehmann’s Bluegrass, Books & Brainstorms
Amy Reitnouer, editor of The Bluegrass Situation

Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year

Louisa Branscomb
Paula Breedlove
Mark “Brink” Brinkman
Eric Gibson
Donna Ulisse

Momentum Awards

Industry, New Professional:

Danny Clark, The Bluegrass Bus & LeRoy Troy PR
Martha Dantzic, Quicksilver Productions
Amy Reitnouer, The Bluegrass Situation

Industry, New Festival or Venue:

Bluegrass on the Plains, Auburn, AL
The Festy, Roseland, VA
The Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival, Roanoke Island, NC

Industry, Mentor:

Stephen Mougin
Denise Stiff
Jon Weisberger

Performance, Vocalist:

Amber Collins, Amber Collins & Turning Point
Robert Greer, Town Mountain
Sarah Harris, Trinity River Band
Isaac Moore, The Moore Brothers
Celia Woodsmith, Della Mae

Performance, Band:

The Bankesters
Cumberland River
Front Country
Snyder Family Band
Town Mountain

Performance, Instrumentalist:

Bobby Britt, Town Mountain
Kimber Ludiker, Della Mae
Chris Luquette, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Bryan McDowell, Claire Lynch Band
Zeb Snyder, Snyder Family Band

Special Awards and Distinguished Achievement Awards will be presented at a luncheon on Thursday, September 26 from 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. at the World of Bluegrass Business Conference in Raleigh, NC. The Momentum Awards will be presented during a Showcase Luncheon on Wednesday, September 25.

More information about the International Bluegrass Music Awards and World of Bluegrass 2013 may be found online at www.ibma.org.

Carll, who was among the nominees for Americana artist of the year during the association’s 2011 Honors and Awards this fall, also had his song “Another Like You” named #1 among the Top 50 Songs of the Year by American Songwriter magazine.

Rounding out the year-end Top 10 on the Americana Airplay Chart’s Top 100 Albums of the Year, based on reported spins from Nov. 16, 2010 through Nov. 14, 2011, are Lucinda Williams, Blessed (Lost Highway); Steve Earle, I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive (New West); Alison Kraus & Union Station, Paper Airplane (Rounder); Emmylou Harris, Hard Bargain (Nonesuch); Greg Allman, Low Country Blues (Rounder); Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Here We Rest (Lightning Rod); John Hiatt, Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (New West); Decemberists, The King is Dead (Capitol); and Band of Heathens, Top Hat Crown & the Clapmaster’s Son (BOH Records). The complete Top 100 albums chart may be viewed by visiting www. americanamusic.org and clicking on the Top 100 Albums link.

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. Early-bird registration discounts ($250 for members; $350 for non-members) are available for the 2012 Americana Music Festival & Conference that is slated for Sept. 12-15 in Nashville, Tennessee.