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.

Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), a nonprofit professional music organization that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide. Award recipients will be named during the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Show on Thursday night, September 29, 2022 at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, North Carolina. The awards show — a highlight of the IBMA’s World of Bluegrass — will also be broadcast on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction and streamed via Facebook Live (as was the July 26 awards nominees announcement).

A complete list of nominees appears below, along with information about three Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees, five Distinguished Achievement Awards recipient, and the first recipient of the IBMA International Band Performance Grant.

Entertainer of the Year: Billy Strings, The Del McCoury Band. Po Ramblin’ Boys, Sister Sadie, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Vocal Group of the Year: Balsam Range, Blue Highway, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver,
Del McCoury Band, Sister Sadie

Instrumental Group of the Year: Billy Strings, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper,
Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart, The Travelin’ McCourys, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

New Artist of the Year: Rick Faris, Fireside Collective, Laura Orshaw, Jaelee Roberts,
Tray Wellington

Song of the Year:

“Blink of an Eye”
Artist: Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass
Songwriter: Robert Amos
Label: Pinecastle Records
Producers: Bobby Lundy/Danny Paisley/Ryan Paisley/Wes Easter

“Deep River”
Artist: Rick Faris
Songwriter: Rick Faris/Brink Brinkman
Label: Dark Shadow Recording
Producer: Stephen Mougin

“I’ll Take the Lonesome Every Time”
Artist: Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Songwriters: Glen Duncan/Jerry Salley
Label: Billy Blue Records
Producer: Doyle Lawson

“Red Daisy”
Artist: Billy Strings
Songwriters: Jarrod Walker/Christian Ward
Label: Rounder Records
Producers: Jonathan Wilson/Billy Strings

“Riding the Chief”
Artist: Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
Songwriter: Chris Jones/Thomm Jutz
Label: Mountain Home
Producer: Chris Jones

Album of the Year:

Bluegrass Troubadour
Artist: Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass
Label: Pinecastle Records
Producer: Wes Easter

Crooked Tree
Artist: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
Label: Nonesuch Records
Producers: Molly Tuttle/Jerry Douglas

My Bluegrass Heart
Artist: Béla Fleck
Label: Renew Records
Producer: Béla Fleck

Never Slow Down
Artist: Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Label: Smithsonian Folkways
Producers: Po’ Ramblin’ Boys/Dave Maggard

Renewal
Artist: Billy Strings
Label: Rounder Records
Producers: Jonathan Wilson/Billy Strings

Gospel Recording of the Year:

“A Little More Faith in Jesus”
Artist: Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Songwriters: Jerry Cole/Doyle Lawson
Label: Billy Blue Records
Producer: Doyle Lawson

“He’s Gettin’ Me Ready”
Artist: Darin & Brooke Aldridge with The Oak Ridge Boys
Songwriter: Jimmy Fortune
Label: Billy Blue Records
Producers: Darin Aldridge/Mark Fain

“In the End”
Artist: Dale Ann Bradley
Songwriter: Jill Gilliam
Label: Pinecastle Records
Producer: Dale Ann Bradley

“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

“See You on the Other Side”
Artist: Rick Faris featuring Sam Bush
Songwriter: Rick Faris/Rick Lang
Label: Dark Shadow Recording
Producer: Stephen Mougin

“Traveling the Highway Home”
Artist: The Grascals
Songwriters: Frankie Bailes/Walter Bailes
Label: Mountain Home
Producer: The Rascals

Instrumental Recording of the Year:

“EMD”
Artist: Scott Vestal – Bluegrass 2022
Songwriter: David Grisman
Label: Pinecastle Records
Producer: Scott Vestal

“Happy Go Lucky”
Artist: Doyle Lawson & Alan Bibey
Songwriter: Doyle Lawson
Label: Billy Blue Records
Producer: Doyle Lawson

“Ice Bridges”
Artist: Billy Strings
Songwriter: William Apostol
Label: Rounder Records
Producer: Jonathan Wilson/Billy Strings

“Orange Blossom Breakdown”
Artist: Mike Compton
Songwriter: Bill Monroe
Label: Taterbug Records
Producer: Mark Howard

“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:

“Blackbird”
Artist: Special Consensus with Amanda Smith, Dale Ann Bradley, Rob Ickes, and Alison Brown
Songwriter: J.P. Cormier
Label: Compass Records
Producer: Alison Brown

“East Bound and Down”
Artist: Po’ Ramblin’ Boys featuring Jason Carter & Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Songwriters: Jerry Reed/Dick Feller
Label: Sound Biscuit Productions
Producer: The Po’ Rambling’ Boys/Dave Haggard

“Honky Tonk Nights”
Artist: Del McCoury Band featuring Vince Gill
Songwriter: Mike O’Reilly
Label: McCoury Music
Producer: Del McCoury/Ronnie McCoy

“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

“One By One”
Artist: Dale Ann Bradley with Danny Paisley
Songwriter: Jim Anglin/Jack Anglin/Johnny Wright
Label: Pinecastle Records
Producer: Dale Ann Bradley

Male Vocalist of the Year: Greg Blake, Rick Faris, Del McCoury, Danny Paisley, Larry Sparks

Female Vocalist of the Year: Brooke Aldridge, Dale Ann Bradley, Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle, Rhonda Vincent

Banjo Player of the Year: Gena Britt, Bela Fleck, Rob McCoury, Kristin Scott Benson, Scott Vestal

Bass Player of the Year: Mike Bub, Jason Moore, Missy Raines, Mark Schatz, Vickie Vaughn

Fiddle Player of the Year: Jason Carter, Michael Cleveland, Stuart Duncan, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes. Beanie Richardson

Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year: Jerry Douglas, Andy Hall, Rob Ickes, Phil Leadbetter, Justin Moses

Guitar Player of the Year: Billy Strings, Trey Hensley, Cody Kilby, Bryan Sutton, Molly Tuttle

Mandolin Player of the Year: Alan Bibey, Jesse Brock, Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, Ronnie McCoury

Inductions into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame are also set to take place during the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Show. Slated for induction are multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Norman Blake, a Grammy and Country Music Association Album of the Year award –winner whose prolific music career spans more than six decades; Paul “Moon” Mullins, a broadcast pioneer and recording artist whose work brought bluegrass music to tens of thousands in Ohio and beyond; and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and renaissance musician Peter Rowan who has been performing for nearly 60 years.

Five Distinguished Achievement Awards Will Also Be Presented

2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the seminal album – Will the Circle be Unbroken.[/caption]Five organizations and individuals will receive Distinguished Achievement Awards in recognition of their significant contributions to the genre. The five, who will be recognized and presented with plaques during a luncheon at the IBMA business conference, are flatpicking innovator Dan Crary, cutting-edge roots music organization Freshgrass Foundation, revered banjo creator and musician Steve Huber, the legendary Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the landmark Will the Circle Be Unbroken album, and online education leaders Peghead Nation.

The IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Show is the centerpiece of World of Bluegrass Week that is slated for September 27-October 1 in North Carolina’s capital city. IBMA World of Bluegrass also features 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.

Estonian Group Curly Strings Awarded IBMA’s First International Band Performance Grant

New for 2022, IBMA recently named the first recipient of its International Band Performance Grant. Curly Strings, an Estonia-based four-piece ensemble, was selected via a competitive process and will be featured as a part of this year’s IBMA World of Bluegrass. The band achieved mainstream recognition and success in its home country — winning national music awards and being the top selling artists in music stores for more than a year. Combining the familiar with the unfamiliar, Curly Strings its unique Baltic take to the acoustic music world.

IBMA (ibma.org) seeks to facilitate the growth and development of the bluegrass community – for professionals and enthusiasts who share a passion for the music.

Earlier this month, AcousticMusicScene.com published an article entitled Bluegrass Ramble and Songwriter Showcase Artists Chosen for IBMA World of Bluegrass.

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.

The official showcases take place Thursday-Saturday evenings from 7- 10:15 p.m., with each artist/act performing a 15-minute set. In addition, the conference will include late-night guerilla showcases hosted by AcousticMusicScene.com and others from 10:40 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Also on the agenda are daytime informational seminars and workshops, a Wisdom of the Elders session, one-on-one and group mentoring sessions, the SERFA Awards, an exhibit hall, and plenty of opportunities to learn, share and network –- including during built-in afternoon breaks in the programming.

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

SERFA (https://www.serfa.org) exists to promote, develop and celebrate the diverse heritage of roots and indigenous music, dance, storytelling and related arts in the southeastern United States. Its annual conference is a primary means of doing that. Its move to Chattanooga this year, following consecutive years at the Montreat Conference Center, a beautiful and tranquil spot nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, was necessitated by a growing number of attendees.

“We will miss Montreat, but we outgrew the lovely setting,” noted Don Baker, president of SERFA’s board of directors. “We are very excited to be in the vibrant city of Chattanooga, where we have been welcomed with open arms.” Citing the board’s desire for SERFA to broaden its horizons and be more inclusive, Baker expressed pleasure with the cultural and racial diversity of its new conference home.

Apart from an opening reception at the Songbirds Guitar Museum on Wednesday evening, May 15, all of the conference activities will take place on one level of The Chattanoogan hotel.

Ellis Paul to Deliver Keynote Address

Ellis Paul has played more than 5,000 shows – gracing stages at the Newport Folk Festival, Carnegie Hall, and clubs and coffeehouses the world-over. A prolific songwriter, he’s penned more than 500 songs. “His songs are literate, provocative and urbanely romantic.” (Scott Alarik, The Boston Globe). He’s recorded and released 20 albums, while his music has also been featured in a number of Hollywood film soundtracks – including several by the Farrelly Brothers – as well as commercials, documentaries and TV shows.

“Despite his success and sense of history, Mr. Paul remains an artist with his eye on the future and an interest in discovering the transformative potential in his music.” – The New York Times

SERFA Awards to be Presented

Separately and together, Norman and Nancy Blake have created some 40 albums. They began recording together in 1974 – although Norman had already played on recordings by such notable artists as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and John Hartford by that time. The Blakes’ musical experiences together and separately have encompassed 1950s bluegrass, classical music, session work in Nashville, he Aeroplane Band, and very traditional southern music.

A co-founder of the Fiddle Puppets (1979 — which developed into/was transformed into Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble 15 years later – Eileen Carson has been a pioneer in bringing percussive dance to performing arts sages, folk festivals, and the general public. Mark Schatz has played bass with such notable artists as John Hartford, Claire Lynch, Tim O’Brien, and Tony Rice as well as he bands Nickel Creek and Spectrum.

Fletcher Bright, who died in 2017 at age 86, was part of the Dismembered Tennesseans band for 70 years and hosted legendary jam sessions. He also led the Three Sisters Festival.

J.T. Gray has owned the Station Inn, Nashville’s preeminent bluegrass club, since 1981. Besides being responsible for a 165-seat venue, he is a bassist and previously toured with Jimmy Martin.

Workshops and Panel Discussions Organized by Tracks

More than 40 workshops and special events during the conference will be organized by tracks: Activism, Business, Media, Performing and Recording, Presenting, Roots and Sources, Songwriting, and Special Events. Workshops and panel discussions will delve into such topics as Americana Blues and the Africa-American Folkloric Tradition, The Art of Co-Writing, Claw hammer Banjo, Elements of a Compelling Interview, Fair Trade Music, Folk Music and Social Responsibility, House Concert Roundtable, How to be a Storyteller in Song, How Not to Think Like a Guitarist and Still be One, How Presenters Choose Artists, Reinterpreting the Music of Charlie Poole, 300+ Years of Banjo, Vocal Technique for the Touring Musician, and Women’s Empowerment in the Folk Music World. Also slated are a Community Sing, peer group meetings, Yoga, and a Women’s Song Circle.

A Wisdom of the Elders session — to be moderated by Art Menius, SERFA’s executive director — will feature Norman and Nancy Blake (described above) and music industry veteran David Wilkes. Among other things, Wilkes was active in New York’s folk scene for six decades, managed the iconic The Bitter End in NYC’s Greenwich Village, was a music publisher, and served as vice president of A&R for the influential folk label Vanguard Records and as manager or co-manager for such artists as Emmylou Harris, Richie Havens, Tom Paxton, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Josh White, Jr. He also owned the Coffee House Circuit — which booked Havens, Harry Chapin, Jim Croce, and John Denver. Still active as a manager and agent, Wilkes also is the U.S. representative for the Canadian folk-world music group Sultans of String.

Besides the workshops and panel discussions, there will be one-on-one mentoring sessions, yoga, an exhibit hall, communal meals, and, of course, a lot of music. Grady Ormsby of Down East Folk Arts will host several open mics.

Official and Guerilla Showcases Abound

Slated to present official showcases on Thursday, May 16, are (in order of appearance) Crossing the Caney, Andy Cohen, Rod Abernethy, Grace Morison, Wolf and Clover, Antonio Andrade, Boomtown Trio, Karyn Oliver, and Resonant Rogues. Friday’s official showcase lineup features David Davis and the Warrior River Boys, Carolann Solebello, Frank and Allie Lee, Belle Plaine, Grant Peeples, Amy Speace, Twin Kennedy, Wyatt Easterling, and Ben Van Winkle. Saturday’s showcase artists include After Jack, Nancy Beaudette, Nicholas Edward Williams, Deidra McCalla, The Currys, Cary Morin, Flint & Feather, Eric Brace Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz, and Ginger Cowgirl.

Here’s a link to listen to a sampler featuring 23 of the official showcase artists/acts: https://noisetrade.com/serfaartists/serfa-showcase-artists-2019

Following the official showcases (as well as on Wednesday overnight), late-night guerilla showcases will take place in various rooms for several hours. AcousticMusicScene.com, which has had a presence at the SERFA Conference for the past eight years, will host late-night showcases on Thursday, May 16, overnight. These will primarily take the form of song swaps.

Here’s the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase schedule:

11:00: Todd Hoke and Jeff Talmadge

11:30: O Canada: Nancy Beaudette, Flint & Feather and Twin Kennedy

12:00: Women of Note: Deidre McCalla, Kate Mills and Grace Morrison

12:30: Guys of Note: Wyatt Easterling, Brian Ashley Jones and Dennis Warner

1:00: Songswarm: Nancy Dillon, Ruby Lovett, Taylor Pie

1:30: Long Island Sounds: Joe Iadanza and Hank Stone

Here’s a link to view a couple of Ruby Lovett videos — including a recent one for her song, “A Father’s Love,” that appears on her new album entitled It’s A Hard Life. Taylor Pie accompanies her, while AcousticMusicScene.com‘s Michael Kornfeld and singer-songwriter Nancy Dillon also can be seen at the bonfire: https://www.rubylovett.com/videos.

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Editor’s Note: In addition to hosting AcousticMusicScene.com showcases, I will moderate and participate in a panel discussion entitled Recording Promotion Demystified. I will also again be a mentor offering advice and counsel on various aspects of public relations and strategic communications. An elected board member of Folk Alliance International, I also serve as board president for the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA). I have been an active participant at SERFA conferences since 2011.

Best American Roots Performance

And Am I Born To Die – Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn
Track from Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn (Rounder)

Born To Play Guitar – Buddy Guy
Track from Born To Play Guitar (RCA/Silvertone)

City Of Our Lady – The Milk Carton Kids
Track from Monterey (Anti)

Julep – Punch Brothers
Track from The Phosphorescent Blues (Nonesuch)

See That Grave Is Kept Clean – Mavis Staples
Track from Your Good Fortune (Anti)

Best American Roots Song

All Night Long – Raul Malo, songwriter (The Mavericks)
Track from Mono (The Valory Music Co.)

The Cost Of Living – Don Henley & Stan Lynch, songwriters (Don Henley & Merle Haggard)
Track from Cass County (Capitol Records)

Julep – Chris Eldridge, Paul Kowert, Noam Pikelny, Chris Thile & Gabe Witcher, songwriters (Punch Brothers)
Track from The Phosphorescent Blues (Nonesuch)

The Traveling Kind – Chris Chisel, Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris, songwriters
(Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell)
Track from The Traveling Kind (Nonesuch)

24 Frames – Jason Isbell
Track from Something More Than Free (Southeastern Records)

Best Americana Album

The Firewatcher’s Daughter – Brandi Carlile (ATO Records)

The Traveling Kind – Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell (Nonesuch)

Something More Than Free – Jason Isbell (Southeastern Records)

Mono – The Mavericks (The Valory Music Co.)

The Phosphorescent Blues –Punch Brothers (Nonesuch)

Best Bluegrass Album

Pocket Full Of Keys – Dale Ann Bradley (Pinecastle Records)

Before The Sun Goes Down – Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley (Compass Records Group)

In Session – Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (Mountain Home Music Company)

Man Of Constant Sorrow – Ralph Stanley & Friends (Red River Entertainment)

The Muscle Shoals Recordings – The Steeldrivers (Rounder)

Best Blues Album

Descendants Of Hill Country – Cedric Burnside Project (Self)

Outskirts Of Love – Shemekia Copeland (Alligator Records)

Born To Play Guitar – Buddy Guy (RCA Records/Silvertone Records)

Worthy – Bettye LaVette (Cherry Red)

Muddy Waters 100 – John Primer & Various Artists (Raisin Music Records)

Best Folk Album

Wood, Wire & Words – Norman Blake (Plectrafone Records)

Béla Fleck And Abigail Washburn – Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn (Rounder)

Tomorrow Is My Turn – Rhiannon Giddens (Nonesuch)

Servant Of Love – Patty Griffin (PGM)

Didn’t He Ramble – Glen Hansard (Anti)

Best Regional Roots Music Album

Go Go Juice – Jon Cleary (FHQ Records)

La La La La – Natalie Ai Kamauu (Keko Records)

Kawaiokalena – Keali’I Reichel (Punahele Productions)

Get Ready – The Revelers (Self)

Generations – Windwalker And The MCW (MCW Productions)

Among the nominees for the coveted Song of the Year award is Lori McKenna (with co-writers Hillary Lindsay and Liz Rose) for “Girl Crazy,” recorded by country artists Little Big Town (Capitol Records). “Girl Crazy” also received nods for for Best Country Song, along with Hayes Carll’s “Chances Are” (recorded by Lee Ann Womack on Sugar Hill Records), and for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, along with labelmates Diercks Bentley, Charles Kelly and Eric Paslay’s “The Driver,” among others.

Wilco’s Star Wars is In the running for Alternative Album of the Year, while Janis Ian and Jean Smart’s Patience and Sarah (Isabel Miller) is among the nominees for Best Spoken Word Album, and James Taylor’s Before This World is up for Best Pop album.

Among the nominees for Best Album Notes are:

Folksongs Of Another America: Field Recordings From The Upper Midwest, 1937-1946
James P. Leary, album notes writer (Various Artists) on
Dust-To-Digital/University of Wisconsin Press

Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection
Jeff Place, album notes writer (Lead Belly) on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced
Joni Mitchell, album notes writer (Joni Mitchell) on Rhino

Nominees for Best Historical Album include:

The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11
Steve Berkowitz, Jan Haust & Jeff Rosen, compilation producers; Peter J. Moore, mastering engineer (Bob Dylan And The Band) on Columbia/Legacy

The Complete Concert By The Sea
Geri Allen, Jocelyn Arem & Steve Rosenthal, compilation producers; Jessica Thompson, mastering engineer (Erroll Garner) on Columbia/Legacy

Native North America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, And Country 1966–1985
Kevin Howes, compilation producer; Greg Mindorff, mastering engineer (Various Artists) on
Light In The Attic Records

Parchman Farm: Photographs And Field Recordings, 1947–1959
Steven Lance Ledbetter & Nathan Salsburg, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Various Artists) on Dust-To-Digital

Songs My Mother Taught Me
Mark Puryear, compilation producer; Pete Reiniger, mastering engineer (Fannie Lou Hamer) on
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings