Billy Strings, a Michigan-born and Nashville, Tennessee-based genre-bending flatpicking guitarist and singer-songwriter, was previously named Entertainer of the Year in 2021, 2022 and 2023. A two-time Grammy Award winner for Best Bluegrass Album — Live Vol. 1 (2025) and Home (2021) — he also was named Artist of the Year (2022 and 2023) in the Americana Music Honors & Awards presented by the Americana Music Association, as well as Pollstar’s Breakthrough Artist of the Pandemic. He was previously honored as both Guitar Player and New Artist of the Year in the 2019 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards and was named Guitar Player of the Year again in 2021, while his song “Red Daisy” was 2022’s Song of the Year. Billy Strings, who turns 33 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.

Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland’s “Outrun the Rain” won the coveted Song of the Year award and was also named Collaborative Recording of the Year, while the 2025 release on which it appears, Carter & Cleveland, was named Album of the Year. Carter, a five-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year, has played with the Del McCoury Band for 30 years and is a founding member of the Travelin’ McCourys, winners of the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. The Kentucky native’s fiddling prowess can also be heard on albums by such notable artists as Asleep at the Wheel, Diercks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, Steve Earle, Vince Gill, and Ricky Skaggs. Southern Indiana-based Michael Cleveland, whose 2024 release, Tall Fiddler, won a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album, was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame (2018) and was a recipient of a prestigious 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has been recognized 13 times as the IBMA’s Fiddle Player of the Year and six times for Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year, while Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper has been hailed as its Instrumental Group of the Year multiple times. And has also received awards from the society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPGMA). The subject of a 2019 biographical documentary film, Flamekeeper: The Michael Cleveland Story, the much sought-after musician has also performed with such noted artists as J.D. Crowe and the New South, Vice Gill, The Kruger Brother, Tim O’Brien, Andy Statman, and Mary Stuart, among others.

The IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association, a nonprofit trade 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 2025 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards recipients appears below, along with brief information about three Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees.

Entertainer of the Year: Billy Strings

Song of the Year: “Outrun the Rain” – Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland

Songwriters: Terry Herd & Jimmy Yeary

Producers: Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland

Label: Fiddle Man Records

Album of the Year: Carter & Cleveland – Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland

Producers: Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland

Label: Fiddle Man Records

Vocal Group of the Year: Authentic Unlimited

Instrumental Group of the Year: The Travelin’ McCourys

Gospel Recording of the Year:

“He’s Gone” – Jaelee Roberts

Songwriter: Kelsi Harrigil
Producer: Byron House
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

Instrumental Recording of the Year:

“Ralph’s Banjo Special” – Kristin Scott Benson
Songwriter: Ralph Stanley
Producer: Allison Brown
Label: Compass Records

Collaborative Recording of the Year:

“Outrun the Rain” – Jason Carter, Michael Cleveland, Jaelee Roberts & Vince Gill
Songwriters: Terry Herd & Jimmy Yeary
Producers: Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland
Label: Fiddle Man Records

New Artist of the Year: Red Camel Collective

Male Vocalist of the Year: Greg Blake

Female Vocalist of the Year: Alison Krauss

Banjo Player of the Year: Kristin Scott Benson

Bass Player of the Year: Vickie Vaughn

Fiddle Player of the Year: Maddie Denton

Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year: Justin Moses

Guitar Player of the Year: Trey Hensley

Mandolin Player of the Year: Sierra Hull

Music Video of the Year: “The Auctioneer” – The Kody Norris Show

Songwriters: Leroy Van dyke & Buddy Black
Producer: James Gilley
Videographer: Nate Wiles

Label: Rebel Records

Hot Rize (a pioneering bluegrass band), The Bluegrass Cardinals (known for its flawless harmonies, virtuoso playing, and original music), and Arnold Shultz (an influential African American musician) were inducted into Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame during the awards show.

The IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Show is the centerpiece of World of Bluegrass that extended from September 16-20. Considered the genre’s annual industry gathering and family reunion, IBMA’s World of Bluegrass also featured a three-day business conference (replete with a wide array of professional development programming, sponsored artist showcases and late-night hospitality functions, and plenty of networking and relationship-building opportunities), the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble (a series of showcases at various Chattanooga venues), and the two-day IBMA Bluegrass Live! – a festival of live performances and fan experiences.

Among the dozens of artists and acts slated to perform are Mike Agranoff, April Mae & the June Bugs, Boris Garcia, Michael Braunfeld, Bumper Jacksons, Burning Bridget Cleary, Mya Byrne, Meghan Cary with Analog Gypsies, CJ Chenier and the Buckwheat Zydeco Band, Darlingside, Del & Dawg (living legends of bluegrass Del Mc Coury and David Grisman), Iris DeMent, John Flynn, Fortunate Ones, John Francis, Sam Gleaves, The Hello Strangers, Si Kahn, Christie Lenee, The Lone Below, Los Lobos, Mist Covered Mountains, Peter Mulvey, David Myles, Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore, Pine Leaf Boys, River Whyless, Katherine Rondeau, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Session Americana, Sharon Shannon, Roger Sprung, Spuyten Duyvil, The Stray Birds, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Tall Heights, Tempest, Vishten, Toby Walker, Robin & Linda Williams, Avi Wisnia, Scott Wolfson & Other Heroes, The Wood Brothers, and Peter Yarrow.

As the names above suggest, the Philadelphia Folk Festival features an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary music that stretches the boundaries of folk, helping to broaden its appeal and reach a new generation of listeners. Both notable national and international touring artists and emerging ones are on the bill.

Through a new partnership with the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance, a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, the festival will showcase the talents of three up-and-coming 20-something artists – Kaia Kater, Kirsten Maxwell and Ethan Pierce– during a NERFA Presents Young Folk song swap on Saturday morning. Maxwell will also be part of a Next Gen Folk set on Friday (along with Deer Scout and Jason McCue) and a Sunday afternoon Songsmiths session (with Michael Braunfeld, Sam Gleaves and Peter Mulvey), while Kater joins David Myles in a Sunday afternoon Oh Canada! set.

In addition to musical performances and workshops on eight stages – including contradancing with Groovemama, a Martin Guitar Jam and an old time & bluegrass jam — there will be an array of children’s activities and kid-oriented musicians in the shady Dulcimer Grove. Singer-songwriters and social activists John Flynn and Si Kahn will conduct a short workshop on “The Role of Musicians in Movements for Social Justice. ”

As in years past, many artisans will display and sell their creations in an open-air juried crafts area.

There’s also a festival within the festival for those who opt to camp onsite and enjoy some late-night musical revelry. The 40-acre campground – chock-a-block with tents — is home to a unique late-night scene, with singing by campfires and jamming into the early morning hours. David Dye, host of the syndicated World Café radio program, will host a special Thursday night concert on the Camp Stage –featuring Liz Longley, Quiet Life and The Sheepdogs — exclusively for all-festival camping ticket holders.

For more information about the Philadelphia Folk Festival and to order tickets, visit
www.pfs.org/Philadelphia-folk-festival/55th-folk-festival/.

Editor’s Note: As vice president of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) board of directors, I have the honor and pleasure of hosting the “NERFA Presents Young Folk” showcase on Saturday, Aug. 20.

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.

The awards show, to be hosted by artists Jerry Douglas and Lee Ann Womack, is the centerpiece of IBMA’s five-day World of Bluegrass event that takes place Sept. 30 – Oct. 4. World of Bluegrass also includes a business conference (Sept. 30 – Oct. 2), Wide Open Bluegrass (featuring both free stages and ticketed festival performances, Oct. 3-4), and the Bluegrass Ramble (an innovative series of showcases, Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 in downtown Raleigh and at the Raleigh Convention Center.)

Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the IBMA, the trade association for the global bluegrass music community. The show will be broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Bluegrass Junction, streamed live by Music City Roots and available at ibma.org and musiccityroots.com, and syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets and 14 foreign networks.

Individually and as an ensemble, The Boxcars received ten nominations, including Instrumental Group, Album of the Year (It’s Just A Road), two for Song of the Year (“It’s Just A Road” and “You Took All the Ramblin’ Out of Me”), Gospel Recorded Performance (“When Sorrows Encompass Me Around”) and Instrumental Recorded Performance (“Skillet Head Derailed”). Ron Stewart received two nominations, one as Banjo Player of the Year and one as Fiddle Player of the Year. For his work with the Boxcars, band member Adam Steffey earned a nomination for Mandolin Player of the Year; as a solo artist, Steffey received a nomination for Instrumental Recorded Performance (“Johnny Don’t Get Drunk”). The Boxcars have been named Instrumental Group of the Year for the past three years.

Closely following The Boxcars, Blue Highway captured nine nominations, including Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group, Instrumental Group, Song of the Year (“The Game”) Album of the Year (The Game), Recorded Event of the Year and nominations for member Tim Stafford (Guitar Player of the Year and Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year) and Rob Ickes (Dobro Player of the Year.)

Blue Highway and the other 2014 Entertainer of the Year nominees — Balsam Range, Dailey & Vincent, The Gibson Brothers and The Del McCoury Band (which received six total nominations) — will perform during the awards show. So, too, are The Boxcars, Female Vocalist and Song of the Year nominee Claire Lynch, Instrumental Group of the Year nominee Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, and last year’s Emerging Artist award recipient Della Mae. The show’s hosts also will perform that evening.

Members of the original Seldom Scene – Ben Eldridge, Tom Gray and John Starling — will be part of a special Seldom Scene performance celebrating their induction into the Hall of Fame, while Emerging Artist of the Year nominee The Spinney Brothers will pay tribute to this year’s other Hall of Fame inductee, bluegrass historian Neil Rosenberg.

“The IBMA Awards have long been the annual celebration of the community surrounding our rich musical tradition. And this year is no exception,” said Amy Reitnouer, who is co-producing the awards show with Chris Stuart. “With a diverse range of presenters, performers and special guests, October 2nd’s awards show is sure to surprise and delight, representing where bluegrass has come from, where it is now, and the places it’s going.”

A complete list of nominees, this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, and the recipients of the Distinguished Achievement Award (to be presented at an Oct. 2 luncheon during the business conference) can be found at www.ibma.org.

Old Settler’s has a more casual and laid-back vibe and may not draw as many people or as much attention as SXSW or the Austin City Limits and Kerrville music festivals, but it certainly does feature a diverse array of talented performers Among those on the 2013 lineup are Carolina Chocolate Drops, Jerry Douglas, The Dunwells, Fred Eaglesmith, Justin Townes Earle, Elephant Revival, Michael Franti, The Gourds, Terri Hendrix, James Hunter, Leftover Salmon, Del McCoury Band, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Peter Rowan’s Twang an’ Groove, Martin Sexton, and Son Volt.

In addition to concerts on several stages, there will be workshops, sing-a-longs and campground –stage jam sessions, a youth talent competition and children’s activities, a market area featuring arts and crafts, specialty foods and brews, and lots of tasty barbecue.

Discounted admission wristbands are available online through April 6. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.oldsettlersmusicfest.org or call 888-512-SHOW.

Brothers Eric and Leigh Gibson, along with their band (Mike Barber, Clayton Campbell and Joe Walsh) also were honored for Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year” for “Singing As We Rise.”

Other top winners of this year’s International Bluegrass Music Awards, which are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), included Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice whose The Heart of a Song was named Album of the Year, while “A Far Cry from Lester & Earl” took Single of the Year honors. Russell Moore (of Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out) and Dale Ann Bradley were named male and female vocalists of the year, respectively. The Emerging Artist of the Year Award went to Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, while Doyle Lawson and the late Ralph Rinzler were the 2012 inductees into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Steve Martin and other top bluegrass musicians participated in a star-filled tribute to Earl Scruggs, the legendary banjo player who died earlier this year, that capped off the gala event that was hosted by Del McCoury and Laurie Lewis.

The IBMA Awards Show is considered the centerpiece of the trade association’s annual World of Bluegrass Week, which also included an IBMA business conference and Bluegrass Fan Fest.

A complete list of award winners follows:

Bluegrass Hall of Fame Inductees: Doyle Lawson, Ralph Rinzler
Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients: Byron Berline, Joe & Lil Cornett, Orin Friesen, Pee Wee Lambert, Kitsy Kuykendall
Entertainer of the Year: The Gibson Brothers
Vocal Group of the Year: Blue Highway
Instrumental Group of the Year: The Boxcars
Emerging Artists of the Year: Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers
Male Vocalist of the Year: Russell Moore
Female Vocalist of the Year: Dale Ann Bradley
Song of the Year: “A Far Cry From Lester & Earl” Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice
Album of the Year: Heart Of A Song, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice
Gospel Recorded Event of the Year: “Singing As We Rise” by the Gibson Brothers w/Ricky Skaggs
Instrumental Performance of the Year: “Angeline The Baker” by Lonesome River Band
Recorded Event of the Year: “Life Goes On” by Carl Jackson, Ronnie Bowman, Larry Cordle, Jerry Salley, Rickey Wasson, Randy Kohrs, D.A. Adkins, Garnet Bowman, Lynn Butler, Ashley Kohrs, Gary Payne, Dale Pyatt, Clay Hess, Alan Bibey, Jay Weaver, Ron Stewart & Jim VanCleve (artists); Jerry Salley, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Jim Van Cleve & Randy Kohrs (producers); Rural Rhythm Records
Banjo Player of the Year: Sammy Shelor
Bass Player of the Year: Marshall Wilborn
Fiddle Player of the Year: Stuart Duncan
Dobro Player of the Year: Rob Ickes
Guitar Player of the Year: Doc Watson
Mandolinist of the Year: Adam Steffey
Broadcaster of the Year: Kyle Cantrell
Bluegrass Event of the Year: ROMP, produced by the International Bluegrass Music Museum; Owensboro, KY
Print Media Person of the Year: Marty Godbey, author of Crowe on the Banjo: The Music Life of J.D. Crowe (Univ. of Illinois Press)
Best Graphic Design: Bedrock Manufacturing (designer) for Nobody Knows You, by the Steep Canyon Rangers (Rounder Records)
Best Liner Notes: Marian Leighton Levy (liner notes), for Tony Rice: The Bill Monroe Collection, by Tony Rice (Rounder Records)
Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year: Jon Weisberger

IBMA’s new Momentum Awards, designed to recognize promising new talent – artists and business people in the early years of their careers in bluegrass music, were presented earlier in the week This year’s recipients are:

Band of the Year: Monroeville
Vocalist of the Year: Emily Bankester (performs with The Bankesters)
Instrumentalists of the Year: bassist Samson Grisman (son of legendary mandolinist David “Dawg” Grisman, performs with The Deadly Gentlemen), fiddler Alex Hargreaves (performs with Sarah Jarosz), and fiddler Christian Ward (performs with Sierra Hull)
Event/Venue of the Year: Appalachian Uprising, produced by Steve Cielic (a new festival in Scottown, Ohio)
Industry Achievement: Crash Avenue publicist Emilee Warner
Mentor of the Year: Five-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year and producer Mike Bub

Receiving the bluegrass music industry’s highest award capped a year in which the group had a busy touring schedule (including playing New York’s famed Carnegie Hall and headlining at festivals such as Bonnaroo, MerleFest and the Newport Folk Festival), a string of national television appearances (“The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The View,” “Ellen” and “The Colbert Report”), and the release of a new album, Rare Bird Alert on Rounder. It also was the second International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Award win for Steep Canyon Rangers, who were named Emerging Artist of the Year in 2006.

Although Martin, best known as a comedic actor, included claw hammer style banjo-picking in his early stand-up comedy routines, he has become more serious about recording and performing bluegrass music during the past two years, with the release of two albums of original music

Said Steep Canyon Rangers lead singer and guitarist Woody Platt: “Working with Steve, we might be the most entertained of all. Most of all, we thank Steve for giving us this most amazing ride”. He said the North Carolina-based band was delighted when Martin handpicked them to tour and record with him. “Serendipity has made a better match than any bluegrass computer dating service,” he joked. “Recording Rare Bird Alert and touring with Steve has been such a blast, from writing to playing to singing, our partnership with Steve has allowed us to bring music to new audiences,” added Platt. “Being able to share the music we love…that is the biggest reward.”

Comprised of Platt, Mike Guggiino (mandolin), Charles Humphrey III (bass), Nicky Sanders (fiddle) and Graham Sharp (banjo), Steep Canyon Rangers met and began playing music during their college days in Chapel Hill, NC a decade ago. And they have been infusing traditional bluegrass with contemporary themes and arrangements ever since. During the awards show, the group played “Me and Paul Revere,” a song Martin wrote from the perspective of the Revere’s horse and performed during the nationally televised Capitol 4th Concert in Washington, DC on Independence Day.

Other top award winners included The Gibson Brothers, a New York State-based band, named Vocal Group of the Year and recipients of Album of the Year for Help My Brother on Compass Records, and The Boxcars, a new combination of veteran musicians, who were named both Emerging Artists of the Year and Instrumental Group of The Year. The Boxcars’ Ron Stewart shared Banjo Player of the Year honors with The Grascals’ Kristen Scott Benson, who received the award for the fourth consecutive year.

Song of the Year honors went to Balsam Range for “Trains I Missed,” written by Walt Wilkins, Giles Goddard and Nicole Witt. Group member Tim Surrett commented, “There are a lot of folks out there – myself included – who are thankful for some of those trains missed and how things turned out.”

Veteran musicians Doyle Lawson, J.D. Crowe and Paul Williams received trophies for Recorded Event of the Year and Gospel Recorded Performance for “Prayer Bells from Heaven” and announced plans to record a second Old Friends album. Russell Moore of IIIrd Tyme Out and Dale Anne Bradley were, respectively, recognized as Male Vocalist and Female Vocalist of the Year, the fourth time for each. Blue Highway’s Rob Ickes was awarded his 13th Dobro Player of the Year, the most IBMA Awards any individual instrumentalist has received.

Michael Cleveland was named Fiddle Player of the Year for the ninth time, while his band (Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper) scored the Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year award for “Goin’ Up Dry Branch,” a song written by Buddy Spicher and Jimmy Martin. Marshall Wilborn was named Bass Player of the Year for the third time; Brian Sutton received the Guitar Player of the Year award for the sixth time; and Adam Steffey dedicated his eighth Mandolin Player of the Year award to the twin sons who he expects t be born this month.

Hosted by noted mandolin player and band leader Sam Bush, the awards show also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bill Monroe, who is recognized as the father of bluegrass, and was the centerpiece of the IBMA’s World of Bluegrass week that also featured a business conference and fan fest. In addition to awards in more than 20 categories that are voted on by the professional membership of the IBMA, which serves as a trade association for the bluegrass music industry, Del McCoury and George Shuffler were inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Ronnie and Rob McCoury inducted their father, while guitarist James Alan Shelton did the honors for Shuffler, a bass and cross-picked guitar stylist known as “the third Stanley Brother.” The evening concluded with a guitar rendition of “Life is Like a Mountain Railway” by Shuffler and Shelton and a medley of Del McCoury songs, which he sang in his trademark tenor.

Other award recipients included:

Distinguished Achievement Awards:

Greg Cahill, Bill Knowlton, Lilly Pavlak, Geoff Stelling and Roland White

Broadcaster of the Year:

Katy Daley, WAMU Bluegrass Country

Print Media Person of the Year:

Juli Thanki, Engine145.com

Bluegrass Event of the Year:

Silver Dollar City’s Bluegrass & BBQ Festival (Branson, MO)

Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project:

Ricardo Alessio & Erica Harris (designer & artist), Abigail Washburn (artist), Rounder (label)

Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project:

Colin Escott (writer), A Mother’s Prayer, Ralph Stanley (artist), Rebel (label)

Here are the nominees in categories that may be of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com.

Best Americana Album (vocal or instrumental)

The List
Rosanne Cash
[Manhattan Records]

Tin Can Trust
Los Lobos
[Shout! Factory]

Country Music
Willie Nelson
[Rounder]

Band of Joy
Robert Plant
[Rounder]

You Are Not Alone
Mavis Staples
[Anti-]

Best Bluegrass Album (vocal or instrumental)

Circles Around Me
Sam Bush
[Sugar Hill Records]

Mountain Stage II
Patty Loveless
[Saguaro Road]

Family Circle
The Del McCoury Band
[McCoury Music]

Legacy
Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band
[Compass Records]

Reckless
The SteelDrivers
[Rounder]

Best Country Instrumental Performance

Tatoo of Smudge
(from Cherryholmes IV Common Threads)
Cherryholmes
[Skaggs Family Records]

Magic #9
(from Things That Fly)
The Infamous Stringdusters
[Sugar Hill Records]

New Chance Blues
(from Punch Brothers)
Punch Brothers
[Nonesuch]

Willow Creek
(from A Crooked Road)
Darrell Scott
[Full Light]

Hummingbird
(from Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions)
Marty Stuart
[Sugar Hill Records]

Best Traditional Folk Album

Genuine Negro Jig
Carolina Chocolate Drops
[Nonesuch]

Onward And Upward
Luther Dickinson & The Sons Of Mudboy
[Memphis International]

Memories Of John
The John Hartford Stringband
[Compass Records/Red Clay Records]

Maria Muldaur & Her Garden Of Joy
Maria Muldaur
[Stony Plain Records]

Ricky Skaggs Solo: Songs My Dad Loved
Ricky Skaggs
[Skaggs Family Records]

Best Contemporary Folk Album

Love Is Strange – En Vivo Con Tino
Jackson Browne & David Lindley
[Inside Recordings]

The Age Of Miracles
Mary Chapin Carpenter
[Zoe Records]

Somedays The Song Writes You
Guy Clark
[Dualtone]

God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise
Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs
[RCA Records]

Dream Attic
Richard Thompson
[Shout! Factory]

Song of the Year nominees include Ray LaMontagne for “Beg, Steal or Borrow,” off the RCA album God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise. Among the Best New Artist nominees are Mumford & Sons, whose debut album topped the Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart for weeks earlier this year.

Nominees for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals include reigning three-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Entertainers of the Year Dailey & Vincent for “Elizabeth” from the Rounder release Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers and The SteelDrivers for “Where Rainbows Never Die” off Reckless, also on Rounder. Diercks Bentley, a country artist with bluegrass leanings, received two nods for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for “Bad Angel” with Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” with Del McCoury and the Punch Brothers; both tracks appears on his Capital Records release Up On the Ridge. Also nominated in that category is Mary Stuart (and Connie Smith) for “I Run to You” from the Sugar Hill Records release Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions.

Pete Seeger and They Might Be Giants are among the nominees for Best Musical Album for Children. Seeger was nominated for Tomorrow’s Children, an Appleseed recording that also features the Rivertown Kids and Friends, while TMBG received a nod for the Disney Sound recording Here Comes Science. Nominees for Best Spoken Word Album for Children include Healthy Food for Thought, which features readings by veteran Philadelphia folk DJ Gene Shay and singer-songwriter Sara Hickman, among others. Folk and acoustic artists and labels also are among the nominees for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Best Historical Album, Best Album Notes and Best Recording Package.

Other award categories that may be of interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers include Best Traditional Blues Album, Best Hawaiian Album, Best Native American Album, Best Zydeco or Cajun Album and Best Traditional World Music Album. A complete list of nominees in all 109 categories appears on www.grammy.com.

The awards show is the centerpiece of the International Bluegrass Music Association’ (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass week September 27 to October 3, that also features a business conference and fan fest. Co-hosting the awards show will be award-winning artists Jerry Douglas and Sharon & Cheryl White of The Whites. It will be broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s “Bluegrass Junction” channel 14 and on WSM-AM 650 (live at www.wsmonline.com), as well as syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets.

Reigning two-time Entertainers of the Year Dailey & Vincent tops the list of nominees with 10 nods for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year and Album of the Year, among others. During the past year, the duo released both an a cappella gospel project and a bluegrass tribute to the legendary country music quartet The Statler Brothers. Russell Moore and his band, IIIrd Tyme Out, received nominations in six categories. Among them are Entertainer of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Vocal Group of the Year (an honor the band receive for seven consecutive years, 1994-2000). Sam Bush, who is widely hailed as the “Father of Newgrass,” and his band received five nods (including Album, Instrumental Group and Song of the Year), as did seven-time Fiddle Player of the Year Michael Cleveland (who leads a band nominated for Entertainer of the Year), and four-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year The Grascals, who also received Entertainer and Album of the Year nods.

The Grascals were the subject of an interview-profile piece posted on AcousticMusicScene.com in 2007.

The Gibson Brothers received four awards nominations, while the Josh Williams Band, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder and the Del McCoury Band received three nods each

In addition to awards in more than 20 categories that are voted on by the professional membership of the IBMA, which serves as a trade association for the bluegrass music industry, John Hartford (the late singer-songwriter, banjo and fiddle stylist) and Louise Scruggs (who served as business manager for Flatt & Scruggs, The Earl Scruggs Revue and Earl Scruggs Family & Friends prior to her death in 2006) will be inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame. IBMA Distinguished Achievement Awards also will be presented.

The complete list of nominees for the International Bluegrass Music Awards may be found at www.ibma.org.

McCoury, 70, a guitarist and vocalist, currently marking 50 years of making music, teamed with High Sierra Music in 2008 to create a family-friendly music festival celebrating his family’s musical legacy, fostering opportunities for top-notch musical collaborations, and showcasing new talent.

Early-bird weekend passes for the festival, priced at $110 for four days and $99 for three days, are available through January 11. To order tickets and for more information on the festival and a three-day Music Academy hosted by The Travelin’ McCourys that will precede it, visit www.delfest.com.