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.”

Cris Jacobs is a Baltimore, Maryland-based singer-songwriter. The music on his album One of These Days is rooted in bluegrass, folk and blues. Produced by Jerry Douglas (an acclaimed Dobro player and winner of 16 Grammy Awards), the 11-track album was recorded live and features Jacobs’ friends The Infamous Stringdusters as his backing band. Also lending their musical talents to the recording are Sam Bush, Billy Strings, Lee Ann Womack, The McCrary Sisters, Lindsay Lou, and more.

“I’ve always found so much comfort in roots music — in string band music,” says Jacobs. “ There’s just something about the sound of all those instruments together that resonates with me to my core and brings me grounding and peace.”

[Here’s a link to listen to the title track of Cris Jacobs’ One of These Days: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ar6TOfYs9M.]

Tim Grimm is an acclaimed storytelling balladeer who splits his time between homes in the woods of southern Indiana and a cottage in Oklahoma when not on tour. Over the years, he’s had a number of top albums and songs on the Folk DJ (now FAI Folk) and EuroAmericana charts. Gone and A Stranger In This Town were the most-played albums on folk radio during 2021 and 2017 respectively, while “Gone,” “Gonna Be Great,” “Woody’s Landlord” (about former President Donald Trump’s father), and “King of the Folksingers” (a tribute to his friend and musical icon Ramblin’ Jack Elliott) were the most-played songs of 2020, 2017, 2016, and 2014.

Like the first three songs mentioned above, Grimm’s recent chart-topping single, “Broken Truth” is a politically charged one. About “Broken Truth,” Grimm says: “We as a society should have dismissed Trump after his loss, and certainly after the January 6th storming of the Capitol. We should have arrested him and dismantled the framework that enabled him. But we didn’t, and he’s still out there—telling outright lies and running for another term. We must speak up. We must face this deep tear in the fabric of our society, not bury our heads in the sand. We must fight back. We must not let our country descend into this dystopian madness. We need to wield the songwriting sword with a fervent intent these days. For nine years we’ve lived with sorrow – our will has been tested and our hearts have been broken. Let’s turn the tide and wield Pete Seeger’s Hammer. Let’s make America a good place, a compassionate place which can be called a beacon for truth and hope again. I’ll be singing, loud and clear.”

[Here’s a link to a video for Tim Grimm’s “Broken Truth”: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y7XYGLjP-58.]

The April 2024 top albums, songs and artists charts are based on 11,836 airplays reported on 413 playlists submitted by 108 different folk DJs. The number of reported spins is shown below in parentheses.

Folk Alliance International (folk.org) is a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion.

Top Albums of April 2024

1 One of These Days Cris Jacobs (74)
2 Trail of Flowers Sierra Ferrell (65)
3 Sailing Dreams Muriel Anderson (62)
4 By Now Heather Little (60)
5 Restless Soul Syndrome Jon Shain (55)
6 Diamond Days Brooks Williams (44)
6 Gardens Old, Flowers New Tom Rush (44)
8 Another Side Rachael Sage (43)
9 Bring in the Light Phoebe Rees (38)
10 Little Sun Charlie Parr (36)
10 My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall Various Artists (36)
12 Far Rockaway – The Songs of Phil Ochs Phil Odgers and John Kettle (35)
13 One Guitar Woman Sue Foley (34)
13 Polaroid Lovers Sarah Jarosz (34)
15 Singing to the Moon Jillian Matundan (33)
16 Seed Todd Burge (31)
16 All Is Song Misner and Smith (31)
18 All My Friends Aoife O’Donovan (30)
19 World Brand New Mouths of Babes (29)
20 All About the Bones Chris (27)
20 The Best Part Lisa Redfern (27)
20 Ordinary Sunrise Jay Linden (27)
20 Likely Story Mad Agnes (27)
24 Live at the Scala Theater Eric Bibb (26)
25 Ordinary Elephant Ordinary Elephant (25)
26 Whitechapel West of Eden (24)
26 Leaning In Open Book (24)
26 Wanderer Ruth Moody (24)
26 American Patchwork Quartet American Patchwork Quartet (24)
26 Simple Motion Eric Brace and Thomm Jutz (24)
31 Death’s Little Black Train Roman Barten-Sherman (23)
32 Sparrow Jeff Talmadge (22)
32 Used to Ain’t Here No More Ken Tillery (22)
34 Another Heart Ann Savoy (21)
34 Donegal Altan (21)
36 Out of the Darkness Nina Jo Smith (20)
36 No Such Thing as Forever Josh Fortenbery (20)
36 Tigers Blood Waxahatchee (20)
39 The Fields of Chazy Claudia Gibson (19)
39 More Than a Whisper: Celebrating the Music of Nanci Griffith Various Artists (19)
41 Graced by Leaves Simone Keane (18)
42 Salt Box Charm City Junction (17)
42 The Living Kind John Smith (17)
44 Halfway to Houston Susan Werner (16)
45 Tell ‘Em You Were Gold Pharis and Jason Romero (15)
45 Visitor John Moreland (15)
45 Ezra Ezra (15)
45 Prayin’ for Sunshine Suzy Bogguss (15)
45 The Bard of Aquarius Zera Starchild (15)
50 So Much for Forever Authentic Unlimited (14)
50 On the Water Lisa Bastoni (14)
50 Deeper Well Kacey Musgraves (14)
50 The Last Trip Home Wendy Grossman (14)

Top Songs of April 2024

1 Broken Truth Tim Grimm (49)
2 Oceans Rising Kristen Grainger and True North (14)
2 Hands Like Mine Heather Little (14)
4 High on a Mountain With Ola Belle Reed Phoebe Rees (13)
4 “Tides” Muriel Anderson (13)
4 “Jersey Barriers” Jon Shain (13)
4 “The Growing Season” Todd Burge (13)
8 “American Dreaming” Sierra Ferrell (12)
8 “The Border” Willie Nelson (12)
10 “Big Sky” Brooks Williams (11)
10 “Albatross” Rachael Sage (11)
10 “Time to Move On” Chris Smither (11)
10 “Runaway Train” Sarah Jarosz (11)
10 “Lighthouse” Sierra Ferrell (11)
10 “Already Free” Ruth Moody (11)
16 “A Meadow” Open Book (10)
16 “Pale Blue Dot” Bett Padgett (10)
16 “One of These Days” Cris Jacobs (10)
16 “World Brand New” Mouths of Babes (10)
16 “Beauty of this World” Mad Agnes (10)
16 “Transistor Radio” Heather Little (10)
16 “Let Loose and Fly” Muriel Anderson (10)
16 “Work Song (I Can Still Sing)” Cris Jacobs (10)
24 “We Are Turning Gold” Joe Crookston (9)
24 “ Dooley” Tony Trischka (9)
24 “The Place of Fun” Rachael Sage (9)
24 “Relic of the Rain” Ordinary Elephant (9)
24 “All About the Bones” Chris Smither (9)
24 “When the Light Has Gone” Jack Williams (9)
24 “Lonesome Homesick Blues” Sue Foley (9)
24 “Small Towns (Are Smaller for Girls)” Leyla McCalla (9)
24 “Heavy Water” Cris Jacobs (9)
24 “Sailing Dream” Muriel Anderson (9)
24 “Bluegrass Radio” Alison Brown and Steve Martin (9)

Top Artists of April 2024

1 Cris Jacobs (74)
2 Tim Grimm (73)
3 Sierra Ferrell (70)
4 Muriel Anderson (67)
5 Si Kahn (66)
6 Heather Little (60)
7 Jon Shain (56)
8 Pete Seeger (54)
9 Brooks Williams (51)
10 Tom Rush (50)
11 Rachael Sage (49)
12 Charlie Parr (40)
12 Phil Ochs (40)
12 Sarah Jarosz (40)
15 Phoebe Rees (38)
16 Sue Foley (36)
16 John Prine (36)
18 Phil Odgers and John Kettle (35)
19 Jillian Matundan (33)
19 Malcolm Holcombe (33)
19 Chris Smither (33)
22 Misner and Smith (32)
22 Mad Agnes (32)
22 Todd Burge (32)
22 Mouths of Babes (32)
22 Aoife O’Donovan (32)
27 John McCutcheon (31)
27 Ordinary Elephant (31)
29 Lisa Redfern (29)
30 Bob Dylan (28)
30 The Seldom Scene (28)
32 Jay Linden (27)
32 Eric Bibb (27)
32 Magpie (27)
32 Susan Werner (27)
36 Ruth Moody (26)
37 Steve Goodman (25)
37 Emmylou Harris (25)
37 Rhiannon Giddens (25)
37 West of Eden (25)

Called DelFest At Home and celebrating musical highlights from DelFests past that have taken place in western Maryland for more than a decade, the free online event will showcase the festival’s namesake and his family, along with notable bluegrass artists and jam bands such as the Trey Anastasio Band, Billy Strings, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck & Chris Thile, Greensky Bluegrass, Hot Rize, I’m With Her, The Infamous Stringdusters, Railroad Earth, Sierra Hull, Marty Stuart, The Wood Brothers, and more.

Like many festivals and other musical events this spring and summer, Delfest was cancelled due to public health concerns surrounding the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“We’ve heard from many folks how much it’s going to hurt not being at DelFest this Memorial Day weekend, so we hope this helps a little,” says Ronnie McCoy, a mandolinist with the Del McCoury Band and The Travelin’ McCourys “We’re grateful to have a dedicated crew that has captured some great moments of DelFest through the years, and are looking forward to reliving some of these great moments with you ourselves.” Adds Rob McCoury, his brother—and banjo-playing bandmate in both ensembles: “We are so excited about this. It’s just a small way we can all feel connected this weekend. … We are going to pop onto Facebook Live from time to time between sets to say ‘hello.’”

DelFest At Home starts Thursday, May 21, at 4:30 p.m. EST and can be viewed on Nugs.tv and via DelFest’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Performances will air until 9:30 p.m EST. on May 21, and from 2:30-11:30 p.m. on May 22, 12:30 p.m. on May 23 – 1 a.m. on May 24, and from 11:30 a.m. on May 24 to 12:30 a.m. on May 25. Although there is no cost to view the virtual festival from the comfort of your own home, donations will be gratefully accepted throughout the holiday weekend that will go toward funding the DelFest Foundation, an organization that works with and supports nonprofit organizations throughout western Maryland.

Editor’s Note: Although I have not been to DelFest to date, I have had the pleasure of seeing Del McCoury perform live a few times — both with his sons and with David Grisman as Del & Dawg.

[Winners of the Americana Music Association’s member-voted awards, shown above (l.-r.): John Prine, Brandi Carlile, I’m With Her, The War and Treaty, and Chris Eldridge. Composite image courtesy of the Americana Music Association ]

Singer-Songwriter John Prine was the big winner in The 2019 Americana Honors & Awards that were presented on Wednesday, September 11 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. His 2019 release, The Tree of Forgiveness, was named Album of the Year, while “Summer’s End” was voted Song of the Year.

An internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter, Prine has been touring and plying his craft for nearly 50 years. The Tree of Forgiveness is his first collection of new material since his Grammy-winning 2005 release, Fair and Square. It was the most-played album on folk radio during 2018 and also featured the year’s top song (“Knockin’ On You Screen Door”), according to charts compiled from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion forum for DJs and others in all folk-based music on the radio. Prine also was nominated for three Grammy Awards in the American Roots Music field last year — including Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song (for both “Knockin’ On Your Screen Door” and “Summer’s End).”

Produced by Dave Cobb, Prine’s The Tree of Forgiveness bested two other Cobb –produced albums – Amanda Shires’ To the Sunset and Lori McKenna’s The Tree – as well as British newcomer Yola’s Walk Through Fire, produced by Dan Auerbach.

“Summer’s End, –which Prine co-wrote with Pat McLaughlin– took top song honors over “By Degrees” by Mark Erelli, “Mockingbird” by Ruston Kelly, and “People Get Old” by Lori McKenna (who also was among the artists featured on Erelli’s song).

Artist of the Year honors went to Brandi Carlile, a folk-rock and Americana singer-songwriter, who also was the big winner in the American Roots Music Field during the 61st annual Grammy Awards presented by the Recording Academy in February at which her eighth album, By The Way, I Forgive You, was named Best Americana Album, while one of its tracks (“The Joke”) was named both Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song. Carlile also is part of a newly-formed group called The Highwomen.

I’m With Her — the up-and-coming female Americana-folk trio comprised of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins –- was voted Duo/Group of the Year. Named as Emerging Act of the Year was The War and Treaty, the husband-and-wife duo of Michael and Tanya Trotter, who initially wowed folks when they filled in for Buddy Miller (who produced their album, Healing Tide) during the 2017 Americana Music Festival & Conference at Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom. In accepting the award on 9-11, the duo paid tribute to everyone suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The custom-designed award for Instrumentalist of the Year was presented to Chris Eldridge, a guitarist and member of Punch Brothers, who also was a founding member of the bluegrass group The Infamous Stringdusters.

The recipients of the new Legacy of Americana Award, presented in partnership with the National Museum of African-American Music that is slated to open next year in Nashville, were Rhiannon Giddens and the late Frank Johnson. Giddens, honored for her “unstinting devotion to African-American folk tradition” currently performs solo as a powerhouse vocalist and as part of Our Native Daughters, a group of four female African-American artists that was among the nominees for Duo/Group of the Year. Formerly a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, Giddens also accepted the award for Jackson. In doing so, she referred to him as “an inextricable part of American music [whose] legacy I carry and will, God willing, pass on in my time.”

AMERICANAFEST, which began Sept. 10, continues through Sept. 15. Filled with daytime panel discussions and seminars and evenings chock-full of artist showcases at venues throughout the Music City, the annual event attracts several thousand artists, music industry professionals and fans.

Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is a professional not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American roots music around the world. For more information, visit www.americanamusic.org.

Several artists are nominated for two awards in the American Roots Music Field. Among the nominees for both Best Americana Roots Song and Best Americana Album are the late Gregg Allman (for “My Only True Friend” and Southern Blood, respectively), Jason Isbell (for “If We Were Vampires” and The Nashville Sound, respectively), and The Mavericks (for “I Wish You Well” and Brand New Day, respectively). Besides being nominated for Best American Roots Performance, Alison Krauss (“I Never Cared For You”) and the late Leonard Cohen (“Steer Your Way”) also are nominated for awards outside of the American Roots Music Field. Krauss is among those vying for Best Country Solo Performance (for “Losing You”), while Cohen is in the running for Best Rock Performance (for “You Want It Darker”).

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

Best American Roots Performance:

• “Killer Diller Blues” – Alabama Shakes
• “Let My Mother Live” – Blind Boys Of Alabama
• “Arkansas Farmboy” – Glen Campbell
• “Steer Your Way” – Leonard Cohen
• “I Never Cared For You” – Alison Krauss

Best American Roots Song:

• “Cumberland Gap” – David Rawlings & Gillian Welch, songwriters (David Rawlings)
• “I Wish You Well” – Raul Malo & Alan Miller, songwriters (The Mavericks)
• “If We Were Vampires” – Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit)
• “It Ain’t Over Yet” – Rodney Crowell, songwriter (Rodney Crowell featuring Rosanne Cash & John Paul White)
• “My Only True Friend” – Gregg Allman & Scott Sharrard, songwriters (Gregg Allman)

Best Americana Album:

• Southern Blood – Gregg Allman
• Shine On Rainy Day – Brent Cobb
• Beast Epic – Iron & Wine
• The Nashville Sound – Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit
• Brand New Day – The Mavericks

Best Bluegrass Album:

• Fiddler’s Dream – Michael Cleveland
• Laws Of Gravity – The Infamous Stringdusters
• Original – Bobby Osborne
• Universal Favorite – Noam Pikelny
• All The Rage – In Concert Volume One [Live] – Rhonda Vincent And The Rage

Best Traditional Blues Album:

• Migration Blues – Eric Bibb
• Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio – Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio
• Roll And Tumble – R.L. Boyce
• Sonny & Brownie’s Last Train – Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi
• Blue & Lonesome – The Rolling Stones

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

• Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm – Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm
• Recorded Live In Lafayette – Sonny Landreth
• TajMo – Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’
• Got Soul – Robert Randolph & The Family Band
• Live From The Fox Oakland – Tedeschi Trucks Band

Best Folk Album:

• Mental Illness – Aimee Mann
• Semper Femina – Laura Marling
• The Queen Of Hearts – Offa Rex
• You Don’t Own Me Anymore – The Secret Sisters
• The Laughing Apple – Yusuf / Cat Stevens

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

• Top Of The Mountain – Dwayne Dopsie And The Zydeco Hellraisers
• Ho’okena 3.0 – Ho’okena
• Kalenda – Lost Bayou Ramblers
• Miyo Kekisepa, Make A Stand [Live] – Northern Cree
• Pua Kiele – Josh Tatofi

Also of note: The Jerry Douglas Band is among the nominees for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for its debut studio release What If, as is the guitar duo of Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge for Mount Royal. Douglas is a 14-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Country Music Association Musician of the Year. A founding member of The Infamous Stringdusters, Eldridge also is a member of Punch Brothers and is in the house band on A Prairie Home Companion. Folk-rockers Bob Dylan and Sarah McLachlan are among the five artists whose recent recordings (Triplicate and Wonderland, respectively) are in the running for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

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

More than 100 artists and acts are slated to perform during the festival. These include David Amram, Eric Andersen, Baile An Salsa, Sam Baker, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards, Cry Cry Cry (featuring Lucy Kaplansky, Richard Shindell and Dar Williams), Skip Denenberg, Brian Dunne, Samantha Fish, John Flynn, Bella Hardy, Sierra Hull, The Infamous Stringdusters, David Jacobs-Strain & Bob Beach, The Kennedys, Laura Love Duo, Heather Maloney, John McCutcheon, Tift Merritt, Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, Graham Nash, Old Crow Medicine Show, Corin Raymond, RUNA, Son of Town Hall, Spirit Wing, Spuyten Duyvil, Taj Mo: The Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Band, Ken Tizzard, Susan Werner, and Toronto-based duo The Young Novelists.

Among the notable up-and-coming local touring artists who will showcase their talents during the festival are Ben Arnold and the 48 Hour Orchestra, Michael Braunfeld, The End of America, Ladybird, Man About A Horse, Mist Covered Mountains, Andrea Nardello, No Good Sister, and Katherine Rondeau & The Show.

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.

In partnership with the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, the festival will also showcase the talents of three up-and-coming young artists — Jeremy Aaron, Quentin Callewaert and Sara Chodak — during a NERFA Presents Young Folk song swap on Saturday morning. (Aaron also plays fiddle with the Hudson Valley, New York-based Americana-roots band, Spuyten Duyvil, during the festival.)

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 in the shady Dulcimer Grove – including craft-making and performances by The Give & Take Jugglers and such children- and family-oriented artists as the husband-and-wife duo Two of a Kind. 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 Kentucky-based singer-songwriter Joan Shelley, Brooklyn, NY’s The National Reserve, and Toronto rock duo Whitehorse — exclusively for all-festival camping ticket holders.

Both day and full-festival passes are available, with ticket prices starting at $65 for a single-day. Children under 12 will be admitted free with an adult, while discounted tickets are available for youth, ages 12-17.

For more information about the Philadelphia Folk Festival and to order tickets, visit
www.pfs.org//Philadelphia-folk-festival/. A festival app also has been developed for use on smartphones before and during the festival.

Editor’s Note: As 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 morning, Aug. 19, at 11 a.m. Cheryl Prashker, my predecessor at NERFA and percussionist with the Celtic roots group Runa, will join me.

Del McCoury, 76, a guitarist and vocalist, who has been making music for more than 55 years, teamed with High Sierra Music in 2008 to create this family-friendly music festival celebrating his family’s musical legacy, fostering opportunities for top-notch musical collaborations, offering ‘playshops’ (informal workshops emphasizing performance rather than instruction), providing late-night indoor performances and picking sessions, and showcasing new talent with a down-home feeling.

To order tickets and for more information on the festival and a three-day Music Academy hosted by The Travelin’ McCourys and other players that will precede it, visit www.delfest.com.

Kicking off the festivities on Friday, Sept. 19 will be flatpicking guitarist Michael Daves and banjoist Tony Trischka. The artist lineup for FreshGrass 2014 also includes Sam Amidon, Darol Anger, Alison Brown, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Michael Cleveland, The Dukhs, The Gibson Brothers, Haas Kowert Tice, Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Infamous Stringdusters, Aoife O’Donovan, Railroad Earth, Martha Redbone Roots Project, Valerie June, and several local bands. There will be a mix of concerts, pop-up performances and jam sessions.

FreshGrass Award Finalists Named and Set to Perform

Fifteen up-and-coming bluegrass artists and acts who offer a fresh take on the genre have been named as finalists for this year’s FreshGrass Award and will perform in the museum’s indoor galleries throughout the festival.

In its sophomore year, the contest has expanded from one category to three – affording unsigned bands, duos and banjo players an opportunity to compete for cash prizes totaling $15,000, recording time at Compass Records’ studio in Nashville, and a main stage slot at FreshGrass 2015. Winners will be named on Sunday, Sept. 21. A panel of industry professionals that included Alison Brown, The Gibson Brothers and Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters selected the following finalists:

Band Finalists: Eastbound Jesus, Many Nights Ahead, Pert Near Sandstone, The Sons of Bluegrass, Twisted Pine

Duo Finalists: Chris Coole & Ivan Rosenberg, Tatiana Hargreaves & Ethan Jodziewicz, No Bones About It, Quiles & Cloud, Molly Tuttle & John Mailander

Banjo Finalists: Jordan Alleman, Douglas Jay Goldstein, Gabe Hirschfeld, Ricky Mier, Walker Turner

“It’s a thrill to watch the next generation of music-makers hunker down in this contest, while the top bluegrass musicians in the country are playing right outside the doors on festival stages, jamming in workshops, picking in the courtyards, and sometimes popping on to the contest stage to have a listen,” says FreshGrass producer Chris Wadsworth.

Clinics and Workshops Abound

FreshGrass 2014 also will feature an array of instrumental clinics and industry workshops. These will include a Banjo MegaJam led by Grammy Award-winning banjo virtuoso Alison Brown, a FreshGrass Fiddle Summit, and a fingerpicking workshop conducted by Happy Traum. Budding mandolinists will have an opportunity to practice new methods with mandolin mavens. Professors from the American Roots Music Program at Berklee College of Music will discuss various aspects of bluegrass and roots music. And luthiers will demonstrate their craft throughout the weekend.

Children’s programming and a bounty of Berkshire fresh food and spirits round out the menu for FreshGrass; while festivalgoers also can enjoy the contemporary art exhibitions in MASS MoCA’s galleries.

Tickets for the festival may be purchased online at www.freshgrass.com, where you’ll also find daily schedules and more information on the event.

In its sophomore year, the contest expands from one category to three – affording unsigned bands, duos and banjo players an opportunity to compete for cash prizes totaling $15,000, recording time at Compass Records’ studio in Nashville, and a main stage slot at FreshGrass 2015. Judged by a panel of industry professionals, the competition is held concurrently with the festival on September 19-21, 2014, with contest performances taking place on an indoor stage throughout the event.

“We want to hear musicians who know the rules well enough to break them,” says festival producer Chris Wadsworth. Entrants must submit two videos via the festival’s website (www.freshgrass.com) – one live performance of an original composition and one live performance of a traditional bluegrass number. The videos will be evaluated based on originality, instrumental/vocal skill, and bluegrass proficiency. Finalists will be notified in mid-August, while the winners will be announced on the festival main stage on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 21.

“It’s a thrill to watch the next generation of music-makers hunker down in this contest, while the top bluegrass musicians in the country are playing right outside the doors on festival stages, jamming in workshops, picking in the courtyards, and sometimes popping on to the contest stage to have a listen,” Wadsworth continues.

The artist lineup for FreshGrass 2014 includes Sam Amidon, Darol Anger, Alison Brown, Sam Bush, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Cricket Tell the Weather (2013 FreshGrass Award winner), Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn, The Gibson Brothers, David Grisman Sextet, The Infamous Stringdusters, Claire Lynch, Aoife O’Donovan, Liam O Maonlai, Railroad Earth, Martha Redbone Roots Project, and Valerie June.

The family-friendly festival in the Berkshires of northwestern Massachusetts will be held rain or shine. Limited-time, early-bird, three day festival passes are available via the FreshGrass website, while single-day tickets may be offered closer to the event.

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.