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.

“In their artistic practices, the NEA National Heritage Fellows tell their own stories on their own terms. They pass their skills and knowledge to others through mentorship and teaching,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “These honorees are not only sustaining the cultural history of their art form and of their community, they are also enriching our nation as a whole.”

A sought-after musician, Cleveland, 41, has also performed with such noted artists as Vince Gill, J.D. Crowe and the New South, The Kruger Brothers, Tim O’Brien, Andy Statman, and Marty Stuart, among others. “He plays fearless and it’s intoxicating to play with him because he makes you play fearless,” says Gill. “He takes no prisoners but he plays with a restraint and a soul. He plays without abandon. It’s wicked to see how much he pulls out of a bow. He’s untouchable.”

Here’s a link to a recording of Michael Cleveland performing “Tall Fiddler”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcwx6AifG7Q.

A film celebrating the National Endowment for the Arts 2022 class of artists and tradition bearers premieres this fall on arts.gov, where more information on the NEA National Heritage Fellowship and a complete list of recipients can also be found.

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

According to a family post on his Facebook page: “Byron suffered a stroke in the cerebellum which affected his coordination and vision. He was making improvements with his eyes and coordination, and getting stronger. After a few weeks he began aspirating food into his lungs which led to increased invasive treatments which he couldn’t recover from. Eventually his lungs gave up and so did his heart.”

Berline, who was born in Kansas and lived in Oklahoma, started playing fiddle at the age of five, and played on the Dillards’ Pickin’ and Fiddlin’ album (1965) while still in college. Just after graduating from the University of Oklahoma, he had a short stint with Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys in 1967, before being drafted into the U.S. Army. During that time, Berline co-wrote “Gold Rush,” now a jam session standard, with Monroe.

Here’s a link to short video of Berline and Mark O’Connor playing “Gold Rush” during a workshop at the 2016 Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXpzsasGvBc

Berline won the National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest Championship in 1965, 1967 and 1970. He recorded two albums with The Flying Burrito Brothers, whom he joined in 1971, and briefly worked with Stephen Stills’ band Manassas following the Burrito’s breakup. In early 1972, he helped to form the band Country Gazette before launching Byron Berline and Sundance with guitarist Dan Crary, banjoist John Hickman and others a few years later. Vince Gill later joined the band on mandolin, an instrument that Berline also played.

In 1981, Berline helped form the band Berline, Crary, and Hickman. After a few personnel changes, that band later became California and was named Instrumental Group of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) for three consecutive years (1992, 1993 and 1994).

Berline moved to Guthrie, Oklahoma (his wife’s hometown) in 1995, where he owned and operated the Double Stop Fiddle Shop & Music Hall until his death. Jam sessions there led to the formation of The Byron Berline Band that toured throughout the U.S. and Europe. Although the original shop and most of his prized instruments were destroyed in a fire in 2019, Berline opened another one across the street from it.

Over the years, Berline also created the annual Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival, released several solo albums, and recorded with such notable artists as Alabama, The Byrds, Mary Chapin Carpenter, John Denver, Joe Diffie, The Doobie Brothers, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Mickey Gilley, Emmylou Harris, Janis Ian, Elton John, Willie Nelson, Earl Scruggs, Andy Statman, Rod Stewart, and Lucinda Williams. A number of film and television soundtracks have also featured his music. Berline was inducted into The National Fiddler Hall of Fame in 2013.

Here’s a link to a 2017 video of Byron Berline in the studios of The Oklahoman discussing how he got into music and learned to play, among other things:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEmO3Lv39Ew

And here’s one of Berline performing in The Oklahoman’s studios:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=2fu5MOcjvJY

Musical performances will be interspersed with reflections and remembrances from those who knew Prine and some previously unseen filmed footage of him in the virtual tribute produced by his family and Oh Boy! Records. Among the notables slated to appear, according to Rolling Stone, are Dan Auerbach, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Stephen Colbert, Peter Cooper, Iris DeMent, Vince Gill, Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, Bill Murray, Margo Price, Bonnie Raitt, The Secret Sisters, Amanda Shires, Sturgill Simpson, Todd Snider, Billy Bob Thornton, and Sara Watkins – as well as Prine’s band.

Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine, which takes its name from a song that appears on his 1991 release The Missing Years, also aims to raise funds for several charitable organizations: the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Make The Road New York (a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice) and Alive Hospice, whose grief center provides free counseling to anyone in Middle Tennessee who has had a family member die of COVID-19.

As previously noted on AcousticMusicScene.com, Prine was known for his well crafted, observant, often humorous story songs featuring indelible characters and vivid imagery. In addition to recording his songs on his own albums — 15 of which made the Billboard 200 chart — many of them have been performed and recorded by a number of other artists. He won Grammy Awards for his albums The Missing Years (1991) and Fair and Square (2005). The Recording Academy honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, while he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. He also was named Artist of the Year by the Americana Music Association in 2017 and received PEN New England’s Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence Award in 2016.

Prine’s The Tree of Forgiveness (2018) was named Album of the Year in the 2019 Americana Honors & Awards presented by the Americana Music Association, reached #5 on the Billboard 200 chart, and was the most-played album on folk radio during 2018 and again in April 2020. It was Prine’s first (and last) collection of new material since Fair and Square.

Prine released his self-titled debut album in 1971. It features such classic songs as “Sam Stone” “Hello In There,” and “Paradise,” which also were the first three songs he ever performed live on stage. While a 23-year-old mailman in 1970, Prine sang his songs every Thursday night for a couple of months at The Fifth Peg, a Chicago folk club. Then-young journalist Roger Ebert stopped in for a set one night and wrote a glowing review for the Chicago Sun Times that essentially launched Prine’s career, according to his official bio. Credit Kris Kristofferson as well. He and Prine became good friends and toured extensively together over the years. Kristofferson introduced Prine to New York folk fans in 1971 by inviting him on stage during his own gig at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village.

Besides pursuing a career as a solo-touring and recording artist, Jarosz, who was an occasional guest host on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, is now part of the house band for the show under its new host, Chris Thile. She has also performed as part of a trio called I’m With Her, along with Sara Watkins (a co-founder of Nickel Creek) and Aoife O’Donovan (of Crooked Still fame).

The Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song went to “Kid Sister” – Vince Gill, songwriter (The Time Jumpers). A veteran country crooner, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Gill is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the recipient of more than 20 Grammy awards.

Best Americana Album honors were bestowed on William Bell, a veteran soul and R & B singer-songwriter, for This Is Where I Live. Coming Home by O’Connor Band with Mark O’ Connor was named Best Bluegrass Album. Blues Hall of Famer Bobby Rush’s Porcupine Meat was chosen as the Best Traditional Blues Album, while the award for Best Contemporary Blues Album went to Fantastic Negrito for The Last Days of Oakland. Rounding out the honorees in the American Roots Music Field was Kalani Pe’a, a Hawaiian singer-songwriter whose 2016 debut release, E Walea, was named Best Regional Roots Music Album.

Although Lori McKenna did not win any of the three awards for which she was nominated in the American Roots Music Field, she took home one for Country Song of the Year for writing “Humble and Kind.” Tim McGraw’s recording of the song topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart early last year, while her own rendition of it appears on McKenna’s Grammy-nominated July 2016 release, The Bird & The Rifle. McKenna also co-wrote the 2016 Grammy Award-winning Best Country Song, “Girl Crazy,” which was a huge hit for Little Big Town.

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

Best American Roots Performance:

“Ain’t No Man” — The Avett Brothers
“Mother’s Children Have A Hard Time” — Blind Boys Of Alabama
“Factory Girl” — Rhiannon Giddens
“House Of Mercy” — Sarah Jarosz
“Wreck You” — Lori McKenna

Best American Roots Song:

“Alabama At Night” — Robbie Fulks, songwriter (Robbie Fulks)
“City Lights” — Jack White, songwriter (Jack White)
“Gulfstream” — Eric Adcock & Roddie Romero, songwriters (Roddie Romero And The Hub City All-Stars)
“Kid Sister” — Vince Gill, songwriter (The Time Jumpers)
“Wreck You” — Lori McKenna & Felix McTeigue, songwriters (Lori McKenna)

Best Americana Album:

True Sadness — The Avett Brothers
This Is Where I Live — William Bell
The Cedar Creek Sessions — Kris Kristofferson
The Bird & The Rifle — Lori McKenna
Kid Sister — The Time Jumpers

Best Bluegrass Album:

Original Traditional — Blue Highway
Burden Bearer — Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
The Hazel Sessions — Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands
North And South — Claire Lynch
Coming Home — O’Connor Band With Mark O’Connor

Best Traditional Blues Album:

Can’t Shake The Feeling — Lurrie Bell
Live At The Greek Theatre — Joe Bonamassa
Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger’s Songbook: Volumes I & II) — Luther Dickinson
The Soul of Jimmie Rodgers — Vasti Jackson
Porcupine Meat — Bobby Rush

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

The Last Days Of Oakland — Fantastic Negrito
Love Wins Again — Janiva Magness
Bloodline — Kenny Neal
Give It Back To You — The Record Company
Everybody Wants A Piece — Joe Louis Walker

Best Folk Album:

Silver Skies Blue — Judy Collins & Ari Hest
Upland Stories — Robbie Fulks
Factory Girl — Rhiannon Giddens
Weighted Mind — Sierra Hull
Undercurrent — Sarah Jarosz

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

Broken Promised Land — Barry Jean Ancelet & Sam Broussard
It’s A Cree Thing — Northern Cree
E Walea — Kalani Pe’a
Gulfstream — Roddie Romero And The Hub City All-Stars
I Wanna Sing Right: Rediscovering Lomax In The Evangeline Country — (Various Artists)

Also of note: Among the nominees for Best Historical Album is The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 12 (Collector’s Edition). This Columbia Legacy release is a set of recordings by Bob Dylan comprised primarily of previously unreleased session demos and outtakes from recording sessions for his albums Blonde on Blonde, Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited.

The half-hour music, entertainment and lifestyle show – set for a 26-episode run extending through August 2016 – will feature live performances by the duo and special guest artists (including Vince, Dan Tyminski and The Oak Ridge boys, among others), along with cooking and interview segments.

“Words can’t describe the joy and humbleness I feel as our TV show comes to life,” said Darrin Vincent. “We’ve been conceptualizing this show for years, and it brings happy tears to my eyes now that our dreams have come true.” Echoing his sentiments, Jamie Dailey noted: “As a teenager, I used to lie on the floor and watch my favorite TV shows, Nashville Now and The Statler Brothers Show, and dream about what it would be like to have my own TV show someday. That dream has come true, and I couldn’t be more excited or thankful.”

The duo’s latest studio album, Dailey & Vincent Sing The Statler Brothers, a bluegrass tribute to the legendary country music quartet, spent many weeks on Billboard Magazine’s Top Bluegrass Albums Chart and was named Album of the Year in the International Bluegrass Music Awards last year. More recently, Dailey & Vincent released Alive in Concert on both CD and DVD.

In the more than four decades since releasing his eponymous debut that featured the catchy and anthemic “Sunshine,” Edwards has released nearly 20 albums and continued to tour regularly. His latest, Tomorrow’s Child, was produced by Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott and also features Shawn Colvin, Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill and Alison Kraus.

The July 2015 FOLKDJ-L charts are based on 12,906 airplays from 136 different DJs. The number of reported spins (airplays) is shown below in parentheses, while label and release date appear in brackets. They are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission.

Top Albums of July 2015

1: Tomorrow’s Child, Jonathan Edwards [Rising, 6/15] (54)
2: Coffee Creek, The Slocan Ramblers [slocanramblers.com, new] (49)
3: Banjo & Fiddle: Tunes From The North, Songs From The South, Karrnnel Sawitsky and Daniel Koulack [hearthmusic.com, 3/15] (45)
4: Ordinary Band, Katie Dahl [Waterbug, 6/15] (43)
5: Too Big World, Bumper Jacksons [bumperjacksons.com, 6/15] (42)
6: Morning In A New Machine, Dubl Handi [dublhandimusic.com, 6/15] (38)
7: Still She Will Fly (EP), Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio [Vessel, 5/15] (36)
8: Django And Jimmie, Willie Nelson And Merle Haggard [Legacy, 6/15] (34)
8: What I’m Lookin’ For, Dan Weber [Highway 142, 3/15] (34)
10: Eat The Moon, FY5 – Finnders & Youngberg [Swingfingers, new] (33)
10: Further West, Hungrytown [Listen Here!, 5/15] (33)
12: Bright Shadow, Ana Egge [Grace/Parkinsong, 5/15] (32)
12: Rural Electrification, Peter Keane [Little Hat, new] (32)
14: Grandma’s Got A Boombox, Sandy Ross [sandyross.com, 5/15] (31)
15: Domestic Eccentric, Old Man Luedecke [True North, new] (30)
16: Joe Hill’s Last Will, John McCutcheon [Appalsongs, 5/15] (29)
17: Dogwood Cats, Jefferson Ross [Deep Fried, 6/15] (27)
19: Sorrow Bound, Kaia Kater [Kingswood, 6/15] (26)
23: L.A. Blues, John Malcolm Penn [Blue Night, 6/15] (24)
23: Mother Country, Dave Crossland [Folk Era, 4/15] (24)
23: The Social Music Hour Vol. 1, Spuyten Duyvil [spuytenduyvilmusic.com, 3/15] (24)
26: Power In The Blood, Buffy Sainte-Marie [True North, 5/15] (23)
26: Tangled Country, The Honey Dewdrops [thehoneydewdrops.com, 3/15] (23)
26: The Traveling Kind, Emmylou Harris And Rodney Crowell [Nonesuch, 5/15] (23)
29: Beautiful You, The Waifs [Compass, new] (22)
29: Building A Human Being, Dana Cooper [Self, 6/15] (22)
29: Monterey, The Milk Carton Kids [Self, 5/15] (22)
29: Owls, Danny Schmidt [Live Once, 5/15] (22)
33: Anna And Elizabeth, Anna And Elizabeth [Free Dirt, 3/15] (21)
33: Larry Campbell And Teresa Williams, Larry Campbell And Teresa Williams [Red House, 6/15] (21)
33: Soul Of A Man, Adam Michael Rothberg [amrsounds.com, 4/15] (21)
33: Starlight Highway, Corinne West [Make, 5/15] (21)
33: When I’m Free, Hot Rize [Ten In Hand, 9/14] (21)
38: Nearness Of You, Vance Gilbert [Disismye, 4/15] (20)
38: The Night Tribe, Jimmy Lafave [Music Road, 5/15] (20)
38: The People Need Light, Mr Sun [Compass, new] (20)
38: Solo Flight, Steve Spurgin [Blue Night, 6/15] (20)
38: Stumpjumper, Charlie Parr [Red House, 4/15] (20)
38: Wilder Days, Natasha Borzilova [Hadley, 4/15] (20)
44: Get Ready, The Revelers [Self, 5/15] (19)
44: Ghost, Annie Gallup [Gallway Bay, 5/15] (19)
46: Ten From The Pen, Roy Schneider [Shiny Gnu, 6/15] (18)
46: Della Mae, Della Mae [Rounder, 5/15] (18)
46: Out From The Harbor, Nikki Talley [Self, 6/15] (18)
46: The Pedestrian, Steep Ravine [Self, 6/15] (18)
46: Walk On Solid Ground, Gene And Gayla Mills [Heart Pine, 4/15] (18)
46: Woody Pines, Woody Pines [Muddy Roots, 5/15] (18)
52: Before This World,”James Taylor [Concord, 6/15] (17)
52: Don’t Forget Me Little Darling: Remembering The Carter Family, Antique Persuasion [Voxhall, 3/15] (17)
52: The Faster It Goes, The Railsplitters [therailsplitters.com, 5/15] (17)
52: The Hour Before, Elaine Romanelli [elaineromanelli.com, 4/15] (17)
52: Something More Than Free, Jason Isbell [Southeastern, new] (17)
52: The Trackless Woods, Iris DeMent [Flariella, new] (17)
58: Best Medicine, The Stray Birds [Yep Roc, 10/14] (16)
58: Dear Jean: Artists Celebrate Jean Ritchie, Various Artists [Compass, 9/14] (16)
58: Leave Some Things Behind, The Steel Wheels [Big Ring, 4/15] (16)
58: The Longest River, Olivia Chaney [Nonesuch, 4/15] (16)
58: The Rose Of Roscrae: A Ballad Of The West, Tom Russell [Frontera, 4/15] (16)
58: Tim May And Steve Smith, Tim May And Steve Smith [Desert Night, 4/15] (16)
58: With A Lampshade On, The Dustbowl Revival [Signature, 7/15] (16)
65: Didn’t It Rain, Amy Helm [E One, new] (15)
65: Muscle Shoals Recordings, The Steeldrivers [Rounder, 6/15] (15)
65: Pageant Material, Kacey Musgraves [Mercury, new] (15)
65: Sun Might Shine On Me, Grant Dermody [grantdermody.com, 5/15] (15)
65: Tell Tale Heart, Chuck Brodsky [chuckbrodsky.com, 3/15] (15)
70: The 45th Parallel, Neptune’s Car [neptunescar.com, 1/15] (14)
70: Baladista, Joel Rafael [Inside, 4/15] (14)
70: Beyond the Blue, The Duhks [Compass, 5/14] (14)
70: Can’t Forget, Leonard Cohen [Columbia, 5/15] (14)
70: Carnero Vaquero, Ian Tyson [Stony Plain, 6/15] (14)
70: Follow Your Dream, Andy And Judy [Cherry Bridge, 6/15] (14)
70: Little Hinges, Qristina And Quinn Bachand [Beacon Ridge, 1/15] (14)
70: The Newpart, April Verch [Slab Town, 4/15] (14)
70: The Songwriter In Me: The Demo Recordings, Donna Ulisse [Hadley, 3/15] (14)
70: Such Jubilee, Mandolin Orange [Yep Roc, 5/15] (14)

Top Songs of July 2015

1. “Cindy” (12)
by Dubl Handi
from Morning In A New Machine
1. “Crowns” (12)
by Katie Dahl
from Ordinary Band
3. “Coffee Creek” (11)
by The Slocan Ramblers
from Coffee Creek
3. “Sitting On Top Of The World” (11)
by Peter Keane
from Rural Electrification
5. “Distant Campfire” (10)
by Sandy Ross
from Grandma’s Got A Boombox
5. “Little Birdie” (10)
by Karrnnel Sawitsky and Daniel Koulack
from Banjo & Fiddle: Tunes From The North, Songs From The South
5. “Still She Will Fly” (10)
by Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio
from Still She Will Fly (EP)
5. “This Old Guitar” (10)
by Jonathan Edwards
from Tomorrow’s Child
5. “The Traveling Kind” (10)
by Emmylou Harris And Rodney Crowell
from The Traveling Kind
5. “You Don’t Know Him The Way I Do” (10)
by Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio
from Still She Will Fly (EP)
11. “Down In The Woods” (9)
by Jonathan Edwards
from Tomorrow’s Child
11. “Elk River” (9)
by The Slocan Ramblers
from Coffee Creek
11. “Flat Top Guitar” (9)
by Ana Egge
from Bright Shadow
11. “Mole In The Ground” (9)
by Jonathan Edwards
from Tomorrow’s Child
11. “Oh Woody” (9)
by Dan Weber
from What I’m Lookin’ For
11. “Pastures Of Plenty/Honey Babe” (9)
by The Slocan Ramblers
from Coffee Creek
11. “Wildflowers” (9)
by Ana Egge
from Bright Shadow
18. “Boston Town” (8)
by Della Mae
from Della Mae
18. “Further West” (8)
by Hungrytown
from Further West
18. “She Wants To Eat The Moon” (8)
by FY5 – Finnders & Youngberg
from Eat The Moon
18. “When I Go” (8)
by Joel Rafael
from Baladista
18. “Yodelady” (8)
by Old Man Luedecke
from Domestic Eccentric
23. “Ain’t Gotten Around” (7)
by Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio
from Still She Will Fly (EP)
23. “Bicentennial” (7)
by Katie Dahl
from Ordinary Band
23. “En Filant Ma Quenouille” (7)
by Kaia Kater
from Sorrow Bound
23. “Low On The Hog” (7)
by Old Man Luedecke
from Domestic Eccentric
23. “Rescue Me” (7)
by Amy Helm
from Didn’t It Rain
23. “Shadow Of A Cloud” (7)
by Steep Ravine
from The Pedestrian
23. “Tomorrow’s Child” (7)
by Jonathan Edwards
from Tomorrow’s Child
23. “Train That Carried My Girl From Town” (7)
by Dubl Handi
from Morning In A New Machine

Lauderdale, who hails from the Carolinas, has had songs recorded by such notable artists as Solomon Burke, Mark Chesnutt, the Dixie Chicks, Dave Edmunds, Vince Gill, George Jones, Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea, George Strait and Lee Ann Womack, among others. He has collaborated with such artists as Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris and Ralph Stanley and is currently part of a six-week Hot Tuna Blues Tour. Lauderdale chairs a volunteer panel of Nashville songwriters, publishers and other music industry professionals, who will judge entries in the songwriting contest based on originality, lyrics, melody and overall commercial potential.

The 19th Annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest is open to aspiring songwriters who derive no more than 50% of their income from songwriting or music publishing. Winners will be recognized in four categories – country, bluegrass, gospel/inspirational and general. The contest deadline is February 18. Entries may be submitted via mail to P.O. Box 121855, Nashville, TN 37212, Sonicbids or American Songspace.

As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com, 12 finalists – three from each category – will be named in early April and will compete on the Austin Stage at MerleFest, April 28-May 1, on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The first place winners will receive performance slots on the Cabin Stage during the festival.

Additional information is available online at www.chrisaustinsongwritingcontest.org or by calling the contest hotline at (800) 799-3838.