Poss frequently acknowledged that he didn’t have a very conventional career path. “I used to joke that I had the perfect qualifications for being in the music business,” Poss once wrote. “I had no business training; in fact, no formal music background either but I teach Sociology of deviant Behavior.”

After graduating from Duke, he took a position with County Records in Floyd, Virginia. Poss and its owner, Dave Freeman, launched Sugar Hill Records in 1978, embracing what Poss called “contemporary music grounded in traditional music roots.” A self-described “wayward academic in an entrepreneurial role,” Poss assumed full control of the label in 1980, and moved it to Durham. He operated the label from there until its sale to Welk Music Group 20 years later. He became the group’s chairman in 2002. It’s now part of Concord Music, which also owns Rounder Records.

Among the many artists of note who recorded for Sugar Hill Records during Poss’ tenure were Pat Alger, Byron Berline, Ronnie Bowman, Sam Bush, Guy Clark, Mike Cross, Rodney Crowell, Jerry Douglas, Sara Evans, Cathy Fink, Butch Hancock, Hot Rize, The Infamous Stringdusters, Chris Hillman, Wanda Jackson, Sarah Jarosz, Robert Earl Keen, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Lonesome River Band, Lyle Lovett, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Nickel Creek, Tim O’Brien, Dolly Parton, Dirk Powell, The Red Clay Ramblers, Peter Rowan, Ricky Skaggs, Darrell Scott, Marty Stuart, Bryan Sutton, Chris Thile, Townes Van Zandt, Doc Watson, and Jesse Winchester.

“The identity peg for Sugar Hill is having that traditional connection to contemporary music,” Poss Told Blue ridge Outdoors in 2008. “Some have taken to describing a ‘Sugar Hill Sound,” but I am not going to try to define that. To me, it’s what connect Doc Watson to Chris Thile, ricky skaggs to Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt to dolly Parton. They all exhibit a rootedness in their contemporary expressions of music. I like it because the music comes from a place. It’s not prefabricated or manufactured.”

Douglas and Skaggs had been part of a bluegrass group called Boone Creek, whose One Way Track album was Sugar Hill’s first release in 1978. In a May 18 Facebook post, Douglas wrote of Poss: “His dream was to have a label that mirrored the same idea as Sam Phillips and his famous Sun label, which catered to a specific audience and created a new genre, Rockabilly Plus. Barry knew an audience was there for a specific form of music (bluegrass) and there were certain bands who could grow that audience and the music would evolve with the growth of that audience.”

Douglas, who also produced a number of recordings for Sugar Hill Records, noted that he and Poss were “very close friends. Confidants really. He was like my wingman and brother at any event we collided with. We would spend hours talking about the direction of the music and the parameters he wanted his label to maintain no matter the current climate.” Poss was also godfather to Douglas’ daughter Nola. “Barry loved my family, and Jill and I, along with our children, will forever press his memory closer to our hearts.”

In addition to spending many years at the helm of Sugar Hill Records, Poss was a founding board member of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky and helped to launch the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

“Barry Poss was not just a champion of roots music and the artists that made it, but he was instrumental in the founding of our organization,” Ken White, IBMA’s executive director, said in a statement. “For that and so much more, we will always be grateful.”

Poss was a recipient of the IBMA’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 1998. The Americana Music Association also honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 in recognition of Sugar Hill’s pivotal role in both preserving and reinvigorating traditional music, while he was inducted into the Oak Ridge Music Hall of Fame in 2023.

Closer to home, Poss also served on the boards of the Carolina Theater, the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, MerleFest, the North Carolina, Folklife Institute, and WUNC-FM.

While many artists and others have shared tributes to Poss since his passing, for his part Poss once said: “It’s the artists who make the music to which I’m the most indebted. They had something important to say. They needed to be heard. And I wanted to be part of their creative lives – because it mattered.”

A Greensboro native, Giddens studied opera at Oberlin Conservatory before returning home and immersing herself in the rural traditions of North Carolina’s Piedmont region. A powerhouse vocalist and multi-instrumentalist (banjo and fiddle), she launched the Carolina Chocolate Drops with bandmates Justin Robinson and Dom Flemons following a chance meeting at the 2005 Black Banjo Gathering in Boone.

The Chocolate Drops, Durham, NC-based tradition bearers whose music incorporated pre-World War II country blues, early jazz, minstrel songs, southern black music from the 1920s and 30s, and folk balladry, along with old-time string-band tunes, developed a reputation for its energetic live shows punctuated with stories about the origins and history of the tunes they played. The Chocolate Drops released several albums on their own prior to signing with Nonesuch Records in 2010. That same year, they released the chart-topping album Genuine Negro Jig, which also won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording.

T-Bone Burnett produced Giddens’ solo debut Tomorrow Is My Turn in 2015, a Grammy-nominated album of songs exploring facets of the human condition, after initially recruiting her to perform solo during the 2013 Another Day, Another Time concert at The Town Hall in New York City. During that concert celebrating the early 1960s’ folk revival that had inspired the Coen Brothers’ film Inside Llewyn Davis, Giddens was widely viewed as the star of the evening. Her rendition of Odetta’s “Water Boy” reportedly “stole the show.” Giddens, who currently divides her time between North Carolina and Ireland, has also been cast in the upcoming fifth season of the television series Nashville in which she plays a social worker with the voice of an angel.

Steve martin, the acclaimed actor, author, comedian and musician, established his namesake prize in 2010 to recognize artistry and heighten awareness of talented bluegrass performers. A banjo player himself for more than four decades, Martin has toured in recent years with the Steep Canyon Rangers.

Recipients receive $50,000 cash and a specially designed bronze sculpture. The Steve Martin Charitable Foundation funds the prize, while a panel of musical luminaries that includes Martin, Alison Brown, J.D. Crowe, Bela Fleck, Alison Brown, Tony Trischka, Pete Wernick and others chooses the winner. Previous winners have included Noam Pikelny – banjoist for the Punch Brothers (2010), Sammy Shelor of the Lonesome River Band (2011), Mark Johnson (2012), Jens Kruger (2013), Eddie Adcock (2014), and Danny Barnes (2015). Like the MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” fellowships, no one can apply for the Steve Martin Prize.

Although Old Settler’s has grown in popularity over the years, it retains a more casual and laid-back down-home Texas vibe than a couple of other notable Austin area music festivals – and that’s part of its allure. Among the diverse array of talented performers on the 2016 lineup are The Accidentals, The Jeff Austin Band, The Band of Heathens, The Black Lillies, Hayes Carll, Rodney Crowell, Dawes, Deer Tick, Della Mae, Jerry Douglas presents The Earls of Leicester, The HillBenders present The Who’s TOMMY: A Bluegrass Opry, Sierra Hull, Sarah Jarosz (who grew up playing the festival’s workshops and smaller stages), The Jayhawks, Lonesome River Band, The Milk Carton Kids, Bob Schneider, Carolyn Wonderland, The Woods Brothers, and more.

In addition to music on four stages, there will be performance workshops, sing-a-longs and impromptu jam sessions, a youth talent competition and children’s activities, a market area featuring arts and crafts or crafts people and artisans, specialty foods and craft brews, and lots of tasty barbecue. Those camping on-site can also enjoy late-night jams around the campfires.

Discounted admission wristbands are available online via EventBrite until April 1. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.oldsettlersmusicfest.org.

Each year, the nonprofit festival provides financial support to several community organizations. The beneficiaries for 2016 will be the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, Kids in New Groove, and the Center for Texas Music History. In addition, four scholarships will be provided to students pursuing music-related degrees at two area colleges.

An eclectic player, Barnes is helping to redefine how the banjo can be used in contemporary music. His own music has been informed by punk rock and dub music of the 1970s, along with his tenure in the 1990s as principal songwriter, producer and singer for alt-country rockers Bad Livers, stints with all sorts of alternative string bands and as a backing player with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, Tim O’Brien and others.

“My whole thing is music, and trying to make my own sound,” writes Barnes in an introduction on his own website. “I have developed a specific technique I call barnyard electronics – which is an aesthetic combining various bits of bluegrass, noise, rock and electronic music.”

Barnes’ father and grandmother instilled a love of country and bluegrass music in him, while his brothers introduced him to Delta blues and punk rock. Seeing Grandpa Jones and Stringbean in concert as a youngster reportedly stirred his interest in the banjo. Barnes, who briefly had his own band (Danny Barnes & Three Old Codgers), has been a guest musician on albums by Frisell, Wayne Horvitz and the Dave Matthews Band, among others, and is currently playing with the Jeff Austin Band, helmed by a former member of the Yonder Mountain String Band. Besides the banjo, he also plays guitar and resonator guitar.

http://dannybarnes.com/video/maintain-done-jeff-austin-band

The Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass was established by the acclaimed actor, author, comedian and musician in 2010 to recognize artistry and heighten awareness of talented bluegrass performers. A banjo player himself for more than four decades, Steve Martin has toured in recent years with the Steep Canyon Rangers.

Recipients are awarded a $50,000 cash prize and a specially designed bronze sculpture. Previous honorees have also joined Martin in performing on the Late Show with David Letterman. The Steve Martin Charitable Foundation funds the prize, while a panel of musical luminaries that includes Martin, Bela Fleck, Alison Brown, Pete Wernick and others chooses the winner. Previous winners have included Noam Pikelny – banjoist for the Punch Brothers (2010), Sammy Shelor of the Lonesome River Band (2011), Mark Johnson (2012), Jens Kruger (2013), and Eddie Adcock (2014).

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