A list of winners in the GRAMMY Awards’ American Roots Music Field follows, while the complete list of award recipients may be found at grammy.com.

Best American Roots Performance: “Eve Was Black” – Allison Russell

Best American Roots Song: “Cast Iron Skillet” – Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit)

Best Americana Album: Weathervanes – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Best Americana Performance: “Dear Insecurity” – Brandy Clark (featuring Brandi Carlile)

Best Bluegrass Album: City of Gold – Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

(Note: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway also won in this category last year for Crooked Tree.)

Best Folk Album: Joni Mitchell At Newport (Live) – Joni Mitchell

Best Contemporary Blues Album: Blood Harmony – Larkin Poe

Best Traditional Blues Album: All My Love For You – Bobby Rush

Best Regional Roots Music Album: New Beginnings – Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. & The Legendary Ils Sont Partis Band and Live: Orpheum Theater Nola – Lost Bayou Ramblers & Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (Tie)

Winners in other categories of potential interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers included Bela Fleck for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (As We Speak) and Best Global Music Performance (“Pashto”); Blind Boys of Alabama for Best Roots Gospel Album (Echoes of the South); Chris Stapleton for Best Country Solo Performance (“White Horse”) and Best Country Song (“White Horse”) with co-writer Dan Wilson; Lainey Wilson for Best Country Album (Bell Bottom Country); Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves for Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“I Remember Everything”); and John Carter Cash, Tommy Emmanuel, Markus Illko, Janet Robin, and Roberto Luis Rodriguez, arrangers (The String Revolution featuring Tommy Emmanuel) for Best Arrangement , Instrumental or A Cappella (“Folsom Prison Blues”).

The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Recording Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards.

Here’s a complete listing of the nominees in the American Roots Music Field:

Best Americana Album:

• Brandy Clark — Brandy Clark
• The Chicago Sessions — Rodney Crowell
• You’re The One — Rhiannon Giddens
• Weathervanes — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
• The Returner — Allison Russell

Best Americana Performance:

• “Friendship” — The Blind Boys of Alabama
• “Help Me Make It Through The Night” — Tyler Childers
• “Dear Insecurity” — Brandy Clark featuring Brandi Carlile
• “King of Oklahoma” — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
• “The Returner” — Allison Russell

Best American Roots Performance:

• “Butterfly” — Jon Batiste
• “Heaven Help Us All” — The Blind Boys of Alabama
• “Inventing The Wheel” — Madison Cunningham
• “You Louisiana Man” — Rhiannon Giddens
• “Eve Was Black” — Allison Russell

Best American Roots Song:

• “Blank Page” — Michael Trotter Jr. & Tanya Trotter, songwriters (The War and Treaty)
• “California Sober” — Aaron Allen, William Apostol & Jon Weisberger, songwriters (Billy Strings featuring Willie Nelson)
• “Cast Iron Skillet” — Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit)
• “Dear Insecurity” — Brandy Clark & Michael Pollack, songwriters (Brandy Clark featuring Brandi Carlile)
• “The Returner” — Drew Lindsay, JT Nero & Allison Russell, songwriters (Allison Russell)

Best Bluegrass Album:

• Radio John: Songs Of John Hartford — Sam Bush
• Lovin’ Of The Game — Michael Cleveland
• Mighty Poplar — Mighty Poplar
• Bluegrass — Willie Nelson
• Me/And Dad — Billy Strings
• City Of Gold — Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Best Folk Album:

• Traveling Wildfire — Dom Flemons
• I Only See the Moon — The Milk Carton Kids
• Joni Mitchell At Newport (Live) — Joni Mitchell
• Celebrants — Nickel Creek
• Jubilee — Old Crow Medicine Show
• Seven Psalms — Paul Simon
• Folkocracy — Rufus Wainwright

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

• Death Wish Blues — Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton
• Healing Time — Ruthie Foster
• Live In London — Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
• Blood Harmony — Larkin Poe
• LaVette! — Bettye LaVette

Best Traditional Blues Album:

• Ridin’ — Eric Bibb
• The Soul Side of Sipp — Mr. Sipp
• Life Don’t Miss Nobody — Tracy Nelson
• Teardrops For Magic Slim Live At Rosa’s Lounge — John Primer
• All My Love For You — Bobby Rush

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

• New Beginnings — Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. & The Legendary Ils Sont Partis Band
• Live At The 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers
• Live: Orpheum Theater Nola — Lost Bayou Ramblers & Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
• Made In New Orleans — New Breed Brass Band
• Too Much To Hold — New Orleans Nightcrawlers
• Live At The Maple Leaf — The Rumble Featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.

Also of Note: Among the nominees for Best New Artist are The War and Treaty. Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain & Edgar Meyer featuring Rakesh Chaurasia received nominations in three categories: Best Global Music Performance (for “Pashto”), Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (for As We Speak) and Best Instrumental Composition (for “Motion”). Tyler Childers’ “In Your Love,” Brandy Clark’s “Buried” and Chris Stapleton’s “White Horse” are among those in the running for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song (along with co-writers Geno Seale, Jessie Jo Dillon and Dan Wilson, respectively). Childers’ “In Your Love” also is vying for Best Music Video, while his Rustin’ In The Rain is among the nominees for Best Country Album. Clark’s Shucked is in the running for Best Musical Theater Album. “I Remember Everything” by Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves is in the running for both Best Country Song and Best Country Duo/Group Performance, while Bryan’s self-titled album vies for Best Country Album.

The Recording Academy (grammy.com) represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards.

The awards show – hosted by artists Ronnie Bowman and Dan Tyminki – was a highlight of the IBMA’s week-long World of Bluegrass. The show took place at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh North Carolina and also was broadcast on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction and streamed via Facebook Live (as was the July 26 awards nominees announcement that was previously reported on by AcousticMusicScene.com.).

A Lansing. Michigan-born and Nashville, Tennessee-based genre-bending flatpicker and singer, Billy Strings received the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album (Home) last year and was named 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.

[Here’s a link to view the official video for Billy Strings’ recording of “Red Daisy”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmqr0GqnQoE.]

Billy Strings beat out Del McCoury Band, Po’ Ramblin Boys, Sister Sadie, and Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway for the coveted Entertainer of the Year award. Like him, McCoury, a Bluegrass Hall of Fame member, and Sister Sadie are previous recipients of the award. McCoury was named Male Vocalist of the Year, while Tuttle was honored as Female Vocalist of the Year.

The IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (ibma.org), a nonprofit music organization that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide.

A complete list of award winners appears below, along with brief information about three Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees.

Entertainer of the Year: Billy Strings
Vocal Group of the Year: Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Instrumental Group of the Year: Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart
New Artist of the Year: Rick Faris
Song of the Year: “Red Daisy”
Artist: Billy Strings, Songwriters: Jarrod Walker/Christian Ward
Label: Rounder Records, Producers: Jonathan Wilson/Billy Strings
Album of the Year: My Bluegrass Heart, Artist: Béla Fleck
Label: Renew Records, Producer: Béla Fleck
Gospel Recording of the Year: “In the Sweet By and By”
Artist: Dolly Parton with Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Bradley Walker, and Jerry Salley
Songwriters: S. Fillmore Bennett/Joseph Webster, Label: Billy Blue Records
Producer: Jerry Salley
Instrumental Recording of the Year: “Vertigo”
Artist: Béla Fleck featuring Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Bryan Sutton
Songwriter: Béla Fleck, Label: Renew Records, Producer: Béla Fleck
Collaborative Recording of the Year: “In the Sweet By and By”
Artist: Dolly Parton with Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Bradley Walker, and Jerry Salley
Songwriters: S. Fillmore Bennett/Joseph Webster, Label: Billy Blue Records, Producer: Jerry Salley
Male Vocalist of the Year: Del McCoury
Female Vocalist of the Year: Molly Tuttle
Banjo Player of the Year: Béla FleckBass Player of the Year: Jason Moore
Fiddle Player of the Year: Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year: Justin Moses
Guitar Player of the Year: Cody Kilby
Mandolin Player of the Year: Sierra Hull

Norman Blake, the late Paul “Moon” Mullins, and Peter Rowan were inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame during the awards show. Blake is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist and a Grammy and Country Music Association Album of the Year award–winner whose prolific music career spans more than six decades. Paul “Moon” Mullins was a broadcast pioneer and recording artist whose work brought bluegrass music to tens of thousands in Ohio and beyond. Peter Rowan is a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and renaissance musician who has been performing for nearly 60 years.

The IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Show is the centerpiece of World of Bluegrass Week that extends through October 1 in North Carolina’s capital city. IBMA World of Bluegrass also featured a September 27-29 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 official showcases in downtown Raleigh and the Raleigh Convention Center), and the two-day IBMA Bluegrass Live! festival, September 30-October 1, that draws throngs of music lovers to downtown Raleigh to enjoy more than 100 acts on different stages set up along Fayetteville Street –- from the state capitol to the Duke Performing Arts Center.

Considered the genre’s annual industry gathering and family reunion. IBMA’s annual World of Bluegrass week has taken place in Raleigh since 2013 – apart from 2020 when the trade and professional association for the global bluegrass community shifted to online presentation of its professional development seminars, artist showcases and awards in light of concerns surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jon Batiste was the night’s big winner, taking home Grammys in five of the 11 categories in which he was nominated – including for Best American Roots Music Performance and Best American Roots Song for “Cry” and the coveted Album of the Year award for We Are. The pianist, composer and bandleader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert also was honored for Best Music Video for “Freedom” (along with video director Alan Ferguson and video producer Alex P. Wilson) and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for composing the music for Soul, the Disney-Pixar animated film for which he previously won an Oscar for Best Original Score. He shared the latter award with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Other winners in the American Roots Music Field include:

Best Americana Album: Native Sons – Los Lobos
Best Bluegrass Album: My Bluegrass Heart – Béla Fleck
Best Traditional Blues Album: I Be Trying – Cedric Burnside
Best Contemporary Blues Album: 662 – Christine “Kingfish” Ingram
Best Folk Album: They’re Calling Me Home – Rhiannon Giddens with Francisco Turrisi
Best Regional Roots Music Album: Kau Ka Pe’a – Kalani Pe’a

Also of note: Angelique Kiddo’s Mother Nature won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album went to Angelique Kidjo for Mother Nature, while Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) was named Best Historical Album.

The Recording Academy (grammy.com) represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the Grammy Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the Grammy Awards.

“We lost one of the greatest banjo players to ever pick up the five,” tweeted fellow banjoist Bela Fleck, just one of numerous artists who took to social media to share their thoughts about the master of the bluegrass banjo in the days following his passing.

“He was an absolute legend… He will be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play bluegrass music,” maintains acclaimed roots guitarist Billy Strings. “He had tone, taste and timing like no other. The space between the notes he played and the way he rolled them out just kept the band driving, running on all cylinders like a V* engine. He was just the best bluegrass banjo player out there, man,” he tweeted.

In social media posts, Mark O’Connor, a noted roots fiddler and guitarist, who had a brief stint in Crowe’s band when he was just 14 in the mid-1970s, called Crowe “one of the absolute greats in bluegrass, and a really wonderful mentor to me when I was a young boy coming.” In O’Connor’s view, there’s “no better bluegrass banjo player the history [of the genre] other than Earl Scruggs.” Crowe might be considered a disciple of Scruggs and, like him, he played in a three-fingered style. However, although he respected and sought to preserve the tradition and the legacy of the genre, Crowe was not a bluegrass purist. He also experimented and expanded bluegrass music’s traditional boundaries and helped redefine the genre and widen its appeal in the process. His pioneering progressive bluegrass band, J.D. Crowe and the New South, his pioneering progressive bluegrass band featured such notable players as Jerry Douglas, Keith Whitley, guitarist Tony Rice (who died last Christmas), Ricky Skaggs, Phil Leadbetter, and Don Rigsby over the years.

James Dee Crowe was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1937. While just a teenager and still in school, he performed and toured with acclaimed bluegrass guitarist Jimmy Martin in the mid-1950s. Returning home to Lexington in 1961, he partnered with mandolinist Doyle Lawson and bassist Bobby Sloane to form the Kentucky Mountain Dogs, which became J.D. Crowe and the New South in the 1970s and featured a revolving lineup of players. The group’s 1975 Rounder Records release, The New South, is considered one of bluegrass music’s seminal albums. In 1983, J.D. Crowe and the New South won a Grammy Award for Country Instrumental of the Year for “Fireball.”

Here’s a link to view a video of J.D. Crowe and the New South performing “Fireball”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-2rv9lxNlw

Crowe also formed and recorded with the Bluegrass Album Band featuring Lawson, guitarists Rice and Douglas, fiddlers Vassar Clements and Bobby Hicks, and Todd Phillips and Mark Schatz rotating on bass. He was a recipient of numerous awards and accolades. He was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2003, received the Bluegrass Star Award in 2011, an honorary doctorate from the University of Kentucky in 2012, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lexington Music Awards in 2016. Although he gave up touring in 2019, Crowe had continued to record.

Here’s a link to view a video of the Bluegrass Album Band performing “Big Spike Hammer” during an IBMA Awards Show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO__VTOMNJo

Here are the nominees in the America Roots Music Field as announced via a livestream on November 23. Winners in these categories will likely be announced just prior to the star-studded Grammy Awards show that airs on CBS television stations across The United States. Check your local TV listings.

Best American Roots Performance:

• “Cry” – Jon Batiste
• “Love and Regret” – Billy Strings
• “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” – The Blind Boys Of Alabama & Béla Fleck
• “Same Devil” – Brandy Clark Featuring Brandi Carlile
• “Nightflyer” – Allison Russell

Best American Roots Song:

• “Avalon” – Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson & Francesco Turrisi, songwriters (Rhiannon Giddens With Francesco Turrisi)
• “Call Me A Fool” – Valerie June, songwriter (Valerie June Featuring Carla Thomas)
• “Cry” – Jon Batiste & Steve McEwan, songwriters (Jon Batiste)
• “Diamond Studded Shoes” – Dan Auerbach, Natalie Hemby, Aaron Lee Tasjan & Yola, songwriters (Yola)
• “Nightflyer” – Jeremy Lindsay & Allison Russell, songwriters (Allison Russell)

Best Americana Album:

• Downhill from Everywhere – Jackson Browne
• Leftover Feelings – John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band
• Native Sons – Los Lobos
• Outside Child – Allison Russell
• Stand for Myself – Yola

Best Bluegrass Album:

• Renewal – Billy Strings
• My Bluegrass Heart – Béla Fleck
• A Tribute to Bill Monroe – The Infamous Stringdusters
• Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions) – Sturgill Simpson
• Music is What I See – Rhonda Vincent

Best Traditional Blues Album:

• 100 Years of Blues – Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite
• Traveler’s Blues – Blues Traveler
• I Be Trying – Cedric Burnside
• Be Ready When I Call You – Guy Davis
• Take Me Back – Kim Wilson

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

• Delta Kream – The Black Keys featuring Eric Deaton & Kenny Brown
• Royal Tea – Joe Bonamassa
• Uncivil War – Shemekia Copeland
• Fire It Up – Steve Cropper
• 662 – Christine “Kingfish” Ingram

Best Folk Album:

• One Night Lonely [Live] – Mary Chapin Carpenter
• Long Violent History – Tyler Childers
• Wednesday [Extended Edition] – Madison Cunningham
• Theyr’e Calling Me Home – Rhiannon Giddens with FranciscoTurrisi
• Blue Heron Suite – Sarah Jarosz

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

• In New Orleans! – Sean Ardoin and Kreole Rock and Soul
• Bloodstains & Teardrops – Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
• My People – Cha Wa
• Corey Ledet Zydeco – Corey Ledet Zydeco
• Kau Ka Pe’a – Kalani Pe’a

Also of note: Folk-rock and Americana singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile — who was the big winner in the American Roots Music Field during the 61st annual Grammy Awards in February 2019, with Grammy Awards for Best American Album, Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song — is in the running for Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Right On Time,” while “A Beautiful Noise,” a co-write with Ruby Amanfu, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry & Hailey Whitters that she recorded with Keys is also up for Song of the Year. Black Pumas are in the running for Best Rock Performance (“Know You Better” – Live from Capitol Studio A) and Best Rock Album (Capitol Cuts – Live from Studio A). Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967), produced by Patrick Milligan & Joni Mitchell, is among the nominees for Best Historical Album, while Girl From The North Country (Simon Hale, Conor McPherson, Dean Sharenow, and Bob Dylan) is in the running for Best Musical Theater Album. Chris Stapleton is among the nominees for Best Country Solo Performance (“You Should Probably Leave”), Best Country Album (Starting Over) and Best Country Song (“Cold” a co-write with Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, and Derek Mixon). Jason Isbell is also in the running for Best Country Solo Performance (“All I Do is Drive’), while Sturgill Simpson’s The Ballad of Dodd & Juanita is among the nominees for Best Country Album.

The Recording Academy (grammy.com) represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards.

Chris Thile, one of the younger artists whom Rice influenced, expressed his thoughts on social media: “I’m beyond heartbroken to hear about the passing of Tony Rice. No one has had a more profound impact on my musical world. His playing, singing, writing, and arranging broke the bluegrass mold and will eternally attest to the fact that music can take you anywhere, from anywhere.”

Born in Danville, Virginia on June 8, 1951, Rice moved with his family to Los Angeles, California as a very young child. It was there that he first became acquainted with the bluegrass music scene – along with his brothers Larry, Wyatt and Ronnie, with whom he also performed during his career. Initially a mandolin player, Rice turned to the guitar and developed his own flatpicking style that melded elements of acoustic jazz, traditional country and folk with bluegrass.

In addition to playing with J.D. Crowe & The New South in the 1970s, Rice performed with the David Grisman Quintet, the Bluegrass Album Band, Tony Rice Unit (whose 1979 release, Manzanita, is widely considered to be his seminal recorded work), and Rice, Hillman & Pedersen (with brother Larry Rice, ex-Byrd Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen). Besides Skaggs, Rice also collaborated with such artists as Norman Blake, Bela Fleck, Jerry Garcia, and Peter Rowan over the years. A Grammy Award-winner for Best Country Instrumental Performance for The New South’s “Fireball” in 1983, Rice was also the recipient of a bevy of awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), including its highest honor – induction into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

It was during the IBMA’s 2013 awards show in Raleigh, North Carolina that Rice last publicly performed on guitar. Arthritis and lateral epiconylitis (tennis elbow) had made playing his Martin D-28 both difficult and painful. Some 20 years earlier, a diagnosis of muscle-tension dysphonia, a vocal chord condition, prompted him to give up singing.

In addition to performing and recording music, Rice made instructional audiotapes beginning in the late 1970s. Happy Traum, who produced and recorded those tapes for his company, Homespun Tapes, hailed Rice as “indisputably, the most gifted and influential acoustic guitarist of our time.” In a post on his Facebook page, Traum, himself a noted guitarist and folksinger, wrote that Rice “was a genius of the flat-pick style, with an unmistakable touch, impeccable taste and incredible tone. In addition, Tony was a fine singer. He was able to bridge the gap between traditional country, bluegrass, folk and acoustic jazz styles with alacrity.”

Tony Rice will surely be missed, but his musical influence will be felt for years to come.

Besides its nomination for Best American Roots Music Performance for “Colors,” Black Pumas is also is nominated for two of the top Grammy Awards. The deluxe edition of the Austin, Texas-based psychedelic soul band’s eponymous debut album is among the nominees for Album of the Year, while “Colors” is up for Record of the Year. In addition to her nomination for Best American Roots Music Performance for “Short And Sweet,” singer-songwriter Brittany Howard, who formerly fronted Alabama Shakes, was nominated for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song (“Stay High”), Best Alternative Music Album (for her solo debut, Jaime) and Best R & B Performance (“Goat Head”).

Here’s a list of the nominees in the American Roots Music Field that were announced Nov. 24 during a first-ever livestream on Grammy.com:

Best American Roots Performance

• Colors (Black Pumas)
• Deep In Love (Bonny Light Horseman)
• Short And Sweet (Brittany Howard)
• I’ll Be Gone (Norah Jones & Mavis Staples)
• I Remember Everything (John Prine)

Best American Roots Song – a songwriter(s) award

• “Cabin” – Laura Rogers & Lydia Rogers, songwriters (The Secret Sisters)
• “Ceiling to the Floor” – Sierra Hull & Kai Welch, songwriters (Sierra Hull)
• ”Hometown” – Sarah Jarosz, songwriter (Sarah Jarosz)
• “I Remember Everything” – Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
• “Man Without A Soul” – Tom Overby & Lucinda Williams, songwriters (Lucinda Williams)

Best Americana Album

• Old Flowers (Courtney Marie Andrews)
• Terms Of Surrender (Hiss Golden Messenger)
• World On The Ground (Sarah Jarosz)
• El Dorado (Marcus King)
• Good Souls Better Angels (Lucinda Williams)

Best Bluegrass Album

• Man On Fire (Danny Barnes)
• To Live In Two Worlds, Vol. 1 (Thomas Jutz)
• North Carolina Songbook (Steep Canyon Rangers)
• Home (Billy Strings)
• The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Vol. 1 (Various Artists)

Best Traditional Blues Album

• All My Dues Are Paid (Frank Bey)
• You Make Me Feel (Don Bryant)
• That’s What I Heard (Robert Cray Band)
• Cypress Grove (Jimmy “Duck” Holmes)
• Rawer Than Raw (Bobby Rush)

Best Contemporary Blues Album

• Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? (Fantastic Negrito)
• Live At The Paramount (Ruthie Foster Big Band)
• The Juice (G. Love)
• Blackbirds (Bettye LaVette)
• Up And Rolling (North Mississippi Allstars)

Best Folk Album

• Bonny Light Horseman (Bonny Light Horseman)
• Thanks For The Dance (Leonard Cohen)
• Song For Our Daughter (Laura Marling)
• Saturn Return (The Secret Sisters)
• All The Good Times (Gillian Welch & David Rawlings)

52. Best Regional Roots Music Album

• My Relatives: Nikso’Kowaiks Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Fort Collins (Black Lodge Singers)
• Cameron Dupuy And The Cajun Troubadours (Cameron Dupuy And The Cajun Troubadours)
• Lovely Sunrise (Nā Wai ʽEhā)
• Atmosphere (New Orleans Nightcrawlers)
• A Tribute To Al Berard (Sweet Cecilia)

Also of note: folk-rock and Americana singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile — who was the big winner in the American Roots Music Field during the 61st annual Grammy Awards in February 2019 with Grammy Awards for Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song — is in the running for Grammys for Best Song Written for Visual Media (“Carried Me With You” for Onward, co-written with Phil and Tim Hanseroth) and Best Country Song (“Crowded Table” for The Highwomen), co-written with bandmates Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna. Hemby is also nominated in that category with co-writers Luke Dick and Miranda Lambert for “Bluebird,” recorded by Lambert on Wildcard, which is among the nominees for Best Country Album. Other nominees that may be of particular interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers include Bela Fleck, whose Throw Down Your Heart: The Complete Africa Sessions” is nominated for Best Historical Album; Alastair Moock and Friends, whose Be A Pain: An Album for Young (and Old) Leaders is vying for Best Children’s Music Album; Grace Potter, whose “Daylight” is in the running for Best Rock Performance; and James Taylor, whose American Standard is up for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Nominees for Producer of the Year include Dave Cobb, who produced albums for Lori McKenna (The Balladeer), The Highwomen (The Highwomen), John Prine (I Remember Everything), Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit (Reunion), and William Prince (The Spark), among others. Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice is nominated in the Best Music Film category.

Lawrence Azerrad and Jeff Tweedy, art directors for Wilco’s Ode To Joy, are in the running for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. Brittany Howard’s aforementioned album, Jaime, is among the nominees for Best Engineered Album – non-classical (Brian Everett, engineer and mastering engineer) as are Sierra Hull’s 25 Trips (Shani Gandhi and Gary Paczosa, engineers; Adam Grover, mastering engineer) and Katie Pruitt’s Expectations (Gary Paczosa and Mike Robinson, engineers, Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer).

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.

The November 2017 FOLKDJ-L charts are based on 13,878 airplays from 141 different DJs. Label and release date appear in brackets below, while the number of reported spins is shown in parentheses. The top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission.

Top Albums of November 2017

1: Letters Never Read, Dori Freeman [Free Dirt, 10/17] (90)
2: Echo In The Valley, Bela Fleck And Abigail Washburn [Rounder, 10/17]
(89)
3: Fifteen, The Wailin’ Jennys [Red House, 10/17] (88)
4: Short Stories, Beppe Gambetta [Borealis, 10/17] (73)
5: Rise, Molly Tuttle [mollytuttlemusic.com, 6/17] (59)
6: Sing Louder, Meghan Cary [Angel Bear, 11/17] (58)
7: The Long-Awaited Album, Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers
[Rounder, 9/17] (50)
8: Turmoil And Tinfoil, Billy Strings [Apostol , 9/17] (48)
9: Spirit To The Sea, Trout Steak Revival [troutsteak.com, 11/17] (47)
10: Bidin’ My Time, Chris Hillman [Rounder, 9/17] (43)
11: Facets Of Folk (preview), Mara Levine [Mara’s Creations, new] (42)
12: One Go Around, Jeffrey Martin [Fluff And Gravy, 10/17] (41)
13: Down Hearted Blues, Eilen Jewell [Signature, 9/17] (34)
13: A Hand Full Of Songs, Jim Page [jimpage.net, 10/17] (34)
13: Poor David’s Almanack, Dave Rawlings [Acony, 8/17] (34)
16: At The End Of The Day, Bett Padgett [bettpadgett.com, 10/17] (33)
16: Folksinger, Vol. 2, Willie Watson [Acony, 9/17] (33)
18: Small Believer, Anna Tivel [Fluff And Gravy, 9/17] (32)
18: Summerfallwinterspring (EP), Noel Paul Stookey [Neworld, new] (32)
20: Happy Little Trees, KC Groves [thebluegrassgirl.com, 9/17] (31)
21: Long Hot Summer Days, Jim Byrnes [Black Hen, new] (30)
21: The Oxygen Girl, Jeni Hankins [Jewel Ridge, 6/17] (30)
21: Wake Up Call, Michael Veitch [Burt Street, 10/17] (30)
24: Edge Of America, Crowes Pasture [crowespastureduo.com, 9/17] (28)
24: The Ultimate Guide To Welsh Folk, Various Artists [Arc Music, 10/17]
(28)
26: Dounia Tabolo, Boubacar Traore [Hearth, new] (27)
26: Same As I Ever Have Been, Matt Patershuk [Black Hen, 10/17] (27)
28: Headwaters, Misner And Smith [misnerandsmith.com, 10/17] (25)
29: Leadbelly, Baby!, Dan Zane And Friends [Smithsonian/Folkways, 9/17]
(24)
29: Night Tree, Night Tree [nighttreemusic.com, 9/17] (24)
31: All American Made, Margo Price [Third Man, 10/17] (23)
32: California Calling, Laura Cortese And The Dance Cards [Compass,
10/17] (22)
32: Folk Hotel, Tom Russell [Frontera, 9/17] (22)
32: The Laughing Apple, Yusuf (Cat Stevens) [Decca, 9/17] (22)
32: Lost At Last Vol. 1, Langhorne Slim [Dualtone, 11/17] (22)
32: Undone, Sean McConnell [Rounder, 9/17] (22)
37: The Lonely, The Lonesome And The Gone, Lee Ann Womack [ATO, new] (21)
37: Tribute To The Travelin’ Lady Rosalie Sorrels, Various Artists
[Self, 9/17] (21)
39: Three Black Crows, Hope Dunbar [Self, 10/17] (20)
39: Medicine Songs, Buffy Sainte-Marie [True North, new] (20)
39: Not My Monkey, Fiddle Whamdiddle [Self, 7/17] (20)
39: Where The Heart Is, Katy Moffatt [Centerfire, 4/17] (20)
43: Said Little Sparrow, Kim Beggs [Baselinemusic, 10/17] (19)
44: Chase The Sun, The Early Mays [Bird On The Wing, 8/17] (18)
44: Eric Gerber Three, Eric Gerber [Scruffy Dog, 10/17] (18)
46: Jump In, The Railsplitters [Self, 11/17] (17)
46: The Wild, Kris Delmhorst [Blue Blade, 9/17] (17)
48: Laughing With The Reckless, The Contenders [Rock Ridge, new] (16)
48: Mingle With The Universe: The Worlds Of Lord Byron, Eric Andersen
[Meyer, 5/17] (16)
48: On That Other Green Shore, John Reischman And The Jaybirds [Corvus,
6/17] (16)
48: Run Away, Rebekah Long [LUK, 9/17] (16)
52: Belle Of The West, Samantha Fish [Ruf, new] (15)
52: Bone On Bone, Bruce Cockburn [True North, 9/17] (15)
52: The Femme Fatale Of Maine, The Jeremiahs [thejeremiahs.ie, 7/17] (15)
52: Ladies Auxiliary, Scott Miller [F. A. Y., new] (15)
52: The Quiet Places, Terry Kitchen [Urban Campfire, 9/17] (15)
52: Ruckus And Romance, Bruce T. Carroll [Self, new] (15)
52: A Stranger In This Time, Tim Grimm And The Family Band [Vault, 3/17]
(15)
52: Where The River Meets The Road, Tim O’Brien [Howdy Skies, 3/17] (15)
52: Wildflower Blues, Jolie Holland And Samantha Parton [Cinquefoil,
9/17] (15)
61: Deep Water, Amanda Cook [Mountain Fever, 11/17] (14)
61: Champion, Nora Jane Struthers [Blue Pig, 10/17] (14)
61: Middle Of Nowhere, Folkapotamus [Phatcat, 9/17] (14)
61: Portraits In Fiddles, Mike Barnett [Compass, 10/17] (14)
61: Some Distant Shore, Bill Booth [Wheeling, 3/17] (14)
61: Spaghettification, Christine Lavin [christinelavin.com, 8/17] (14)
67: Any Port In A Storm, Mark Stepakoff [markstepakoff.com, 10/17] (13)
67: Crazy If You Let It, Thomm Jutz [Mountain Fever, 10/17] (13)
67: For You To See The Stars, Radney Foster [Devil’s River, 9/17] (13)
67: The Hammer And The Heart, Susan Cattaneo [Jersey Girl, 6/17] (13)
67: Last Man Standing, Brother Roy [Self, new] (13)
67: Live From Long Island City, D. B. Rielly [Shut Up And Play!, new]
(13)
67: Mother Lion, May Erlewine [Earthwork, 11/17] (13)
67: Poets, Philosophers, Workers And Wanderers, Joe Jencks [Turtle Bear,
5/17] (13)
67: Songs From The Dog House, Dennis Dougherty [Thinking Dog, 10/17] (13)

Top Songs of November 2017