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

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

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

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

Hosted by Rhonda Vincent and Jim Lauderdale, Bluegrass Now! Pays homage to bluegrass across genre, gender and generations. Featured performers include Alison Brown, Becky Buller, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Missy Raines, Larry Sparks, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, Molly Tuttle, and Dan Tyminski.

“This feels like a homecoming as many of today’s most prominent bluegrass artists make a pilgrimage back to he source of the music to document their own musical journey,” said Chris Joslin, executive director of the hall of fame & museum. “If bluegrass music is Kentucky’s gift to the world, Bluegrass Now! Feels like Christmas morning.”

Here’s a link to a 30-second trailer for the televised special:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B_4a0nCVqk

Produced by Todd Jarrell (Bluegrass Underground, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 50th Anniversary, and Songwriting With Soldiers), Bluegrass Now! showcases individual artists/bands and also brings together co-host Rhonda Vincent with Brown, Buller, Raines and Tuttle on renditions of “Allegheny Town” and “Girls’ Breakdown,” while Vincent’s band The Rage accompanies Bluegrass Hall of Famer Larry Sparks on “Take Me Back to West Virginia.” Co-host Jim Lauderdale is joined by Brown and Buller on “I Feel Like Singing Today,” while Buller also accompanies Lauderdale on “Iodine.” The PBS special concludes with an all-star finale performance of “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.”

Bluegrass Now! will air on more than 300 PBS stations. Check your local TV listings or visit https://pbs.org to find out when it premieres in your area.

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.

The 19-year-old Indiana native, who started playing music at the age of 11, has performed with such bands as Wildfire The Wildwood Valley Boys, The Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show, and with his own family band – The Baker Boys.

“This is the first time that we’ve hired a new band member,” notes Hull, a young mandolinist who has been working with Highway 111 for just over two years. “We held auditions in Nashville and were really excited when Jessie expressed interest in joining. We’ve all been big fans of his playing and singing for a long time…. The guys and I are thrilled to have Jessie with us and look forward to getting on the road.”

Rounder Records is slated to release Sierra Hull and High 111’s new album on March 8, and the band has a busy touring schedule this year. Hull, who was among the 2010 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) nominees for emerging artist and mandolin player of the year, will graduate from Berklee College of Music this spring.

Russell Moore, who, with his band IIIrd Tyme Out, had received nominations in six categories, was named Male Vocalist of the Year. Claire Lynch is the IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year. The award for Emerging Artist of the Year went to the Josh Williams Band. Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper were named Instrumental Group of the Year, while its leader was honored as Fiddle Player of the Year for the eighth time. “Ring The Bell” (written by Chet O’Keefe and performed by The Gibson Brothers) was named Song of the Year and also was recognized as the Gospel Recorded Project of the Year.

Hosted by Jerry Douglas and Sharon & Cheryl White, the awards show is the centerpiece of the International Bluegrass Music Association’ (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass week which continues through October 3 and also features a business conference and fan fest. In addition to awards in more than 20 categories that are voted on by the professional membership of the IBMA, which serves as a trade association for the bluegrass music industry, John Hartford (the late singer-songwriter, banjo and fiddle stylist) and Louise Scruggs (who served as business manager for Flatt & Scruggs, The Earl Scruggs Revue and Earl Scruggs Family & Friends prior to her death in 2006) were inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

Other award recipients included:

Instrumental Recorded Event of the Year

“Durang’s Hornpipe” by Adam Steffey (artist), Barry Bales and Gary Paczosa (producers)

Instrumental Performers of the Year

BANJO – Kristin Scott Benson

BASS – Marshall Willlborn

DOBRO – Rob Ickes

GUITAR – Josh Williams

MANDOLIN – Adam Steffey

Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients

Benjamin “Tex” Logan
Sherry Boyd
Lynn Morris
Richard Weize
Pete Wernick

Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year

Kyle Cantrell; Sirius XM Satellite Radio

Print Media Person of the Year

Eddie Dean & Dr. Ralph Stanley, authors of Man of Constant Sorrow: My Life and Times (Gotham Books)

Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project

Dr. Ted Olson (writer), Appalachia Music from Home, Various Artists, Lonesome Records

Bluegrass Event of the Year

14th Annual Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival; East Hartford, CT

The awards show is the centerpiece of the International Bluegrass Music Association’ (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass week September 27 to October 3, that also features a business conference and fan fest. Co-hosting the awards show will be award-winning artists Jerry Douglas and Sharon & Cheryl White of The Whites. It will be broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s “Bluegrass Junction” channel 14 and on WSM-AM 650 (live at www.wsmonline.com), as well as syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets.

Reigning two-time Entertainers of the Year Dailey & Vincent tops the list of nominees with 10 nods for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year and Album of the Year, among others. During the past year, the duo released both an a cappella gospel project and a bluegrass tribute to the legendary country music quartet The Statler Brothers. Russell Moore and his band, IIIrd Tyme Out, received nominations in six categories. Among them are Entertainer of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Vocal Group of the Year (an honor the band receive for seven consecutive years, 1994-2000). Sam Bush, who is widely hailed as the “Father of Newgrass,” and his band received five nods (including Album, Instrumental Group and Song of the Year), as did seven-time Fiddle Player of the Year Michael Cleveland (who leads a band nominated for Entertainer of the Year), and four-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year The Grascals, who also received Entertainer and Album of the Year nods.

The Grascals were the subject of an interview-profile piece posted on AcousticMusicScene.com in 2007.

The Gibson Brothers received four awards nominations, while the Josh Williams Band, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder and the Del McCoury Band received three nods each

In addition to awards in more than 20 categories that are voted on by the professional membership of the IBMA, which serves as a trade association for the bluegrass music industry, John Hartford (the late singer-songwriter, banjo and fiddle stylist) and Louise Scruggs (who served as business manager for Flatt & Scruggs, The Earl Scruggs Revue and Earl Scruggs Family & Friends prior to her death in 2006) will be inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame. IBMA Distinguished Achievement Awards also will be presented.

The complete list of nominees for the International Bluegrass Music Awards may be found at www.ibma.org.

The awards show is the centerpiece of the International Bluegrass Music Association’ (IBMA)’s “World of Bluegrass,” September 28 to Oct. 4, that also features a business conference and fan fest [See article posted June 21 in the Awards & Contests, Bluegrass & Beyond and Conferences of Note sections]. Hosting the awards show will be Grammy Award-winning country artist Kathy Mattea and bluegrass band Hot Rize (the first recipients of the IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award in 1990). It will be broadcast live on Sirius XM Radio’s “Bluegrass Junction” channel 14 and syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets.

Dan Tyminski, who some may recall from his years with Alison Krauss and Union Station, and who was the singing voice of George Clooney in the popular film “O Brother, Where Art Thou” (2000), and members of his band received nominations in nine categories, while reigning Entertainers of the Year Dailey & Vincent scored seven nods. Award-winning actor, musician and author Steve Martin – who burst onto the scene with his banjo in hand last year – secured six nominations, as did six-time Fiddle Player of the Year Michael Cleveland (who is still in his 20s) and his band Flamekeeper. The Grascals, the 2006 and 2007 IBMA Entertainers of the Year, and the subject of one of AcousticMusicScene.com’s first full-length interview-profile pieces in 2007, received five nominations.

In addition to awards in more than 20 categories that are voted on by the professional membership of the IBMA, which serves as a trade association for the bluegrass music industry, two notable groups will be inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame. They are The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers (a string band launched in 1937 by Ezra, Ray and Ned Cline in West Virginia) and The Dillards (an influential band, best known to many from their television appearances on “The Andy Griffith Show,” who are credited with helping both blaze the trail on the West Coast for progressive bluegrass bands during the 1960s and helping lay the foundation for what’s known as country-rock.

The complete list of nominees for the International Bluegrass Music Awards follows:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Dailey & Vincent
• The Grascals
• Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
• The Del McCoury Band
• Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out
• Dan Tyminski Band

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Blue Highway
• Dailey & Vincent
• The Isaacs
• Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
• Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Blue Highway
• Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
• The Infamous Stringdusters
• Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• Dan Tyminski Band

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Jamie Dailey
• Russell Moore
• Danny Paisley
• Junior Sisk
• Dan Tyminski

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Dale Ann Bradley
• Sonya Isaacs
• Claire Lynch
• Alecia Nugent
• Rhonda Vincent

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Recording Title, Artist(s), Producer(s), Label

• Blue Side Of The Blue Ridge, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice (artist), Ronnie Bowman (producer), Rebel Records
• Brothers From Different Mothers, Dailey & Vincent (artist), Jamie Dailey & Darrin Vincent (producers), Rounder Records
• Keep On Walkin’ , The Grascals (artist/producers), Rounder Records
• The Room Over Mine, Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass (artist), Ken Irwin & Danny Paisley (producers), Rounder Records
• Wheels, Dan Tyminski, (artist/producer), Rounder Records

SONG OF THE YEAR
Song Title, Artist (s), Songwriter(s)

• “Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away,” Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass (artist), Chris Stuart & Ivan Rosenberg (writers)
• “Iron & Diamonds,” The Gibson Brothers (artist), Leigh & Eric Gibson (writers)
• “Leaving Baker County,” Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice (artist), Tom T. & Dixie Hall (writers)
• “Moneyland,” Del McCoury Band (artist), John Herald (writer)
• “Wheels,” Dan Tyminski (artist), Patrick McDougal (writer)
RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR
Song Title, Featured Artists, Producer(s), Label
• “After The Fire Is Gone;” Bobby Osborne, Rhonda Vincent & Darrin Vincent (artists); Glen Duncan & Bobby Osborne (producers); Rounder Records
• “Daddy Played The Banjo,” Steve Martin with Tim O’Brien & Earl Scruggs (artists), John McEuen (producer), 40 Share Productions (label)
• “Proud To Be A Daughter of Bluegrass,” Daughters of Bluegrass featuring Dale Ann Bradley, Heather Berry, Lisa Martin, Gloria Belle, Sierra Hull, Rhonda Vincent, Lisa Ray, Linda Lay, Sally Jones, Jeanie Stanley, Carol Lee Cooper, Sonya Isaacs, Becky Isaacs Bowman, Michelle Nixon, Jeanette Williams, Sophie Haislip, Louise Tomberlain, Mindy Rakestraw, Lizzy Long, Frances Mooney, Lorraine Jordan, Annette Kelley, Lily Lieux, Dixie Hall, Judi Marshall, Melissa Lawrence, Beth Lawrence, Rebecca Frazier, Donica Christensen, Lisa Manning & Jenni Lyn Gardner (artists); Dixie Hall, Paula Wolak & Frances Mooney (producers); Blue Circle Records
• “Sad Wind Sighs,” The Grascals with Vince Gill (artists), The Grascals (producers), Rounder Records
• “The Crow,” Steve Martin with Tony Trischka (artists), John McEuen (producer), 40 Share Productions (label)

GOSPEL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Song Title, Artist(s), Songwriter(s), Producer, Label

• “Darkness Wept,” Lonesome River Band (artist/producers), Dee Gaskin & Rebecca Bowman (writers), Rural Rhythm Records
• “On The Other Side;” Dailey & Vincent (artist); Jimmy Fortune, Kevin Denney & Tom Botkin (writers); Jamie Dailey & Darrin Vincent (producers); Rounder Records
• “What A Journey,” Paul Williams & The Victory Trio (artist), Bret Bronson & Louise Gorman (writers), Paul Williams (producer), Rebel Records
• “When The Last Of Our Days Shall Come,” Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artist), Chris Stuart (writer), Doyle Lawson (producer), Rounder Records
• “Who’ll Sing For Me?;” Audie Blaylock & Redline (artist), Thomas J. Farris (writer), Audie Blaylock (producer), Rural Rhythm Records

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Tune Title, Artist(s), Songwriter, Producer(s), Label

• “Angeline The Baker,” Rob Ickes & Andy Leftwich (artists), (public domain), Rob Haines (producer), Mel Bay Music
• “Don’t Tread On Me,” Kristin Scott Benson (artist/writer/producer), Pinecastle Records
• “Jerusalem Ridge,” Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (artist), Bill Monroe (writer), Jeff White & Michael Cleveland (producers), Rounder Records
• “Struttin’ To Ferrum,” Lonesome River Band (artist/producer), arrangement by Gene Parker, Rural Rhythm Records
• “The Crow,” Steve Martin (artist/writer), John McEuen (producer), 40 Share Productions (label)

EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR

• Sierra Hull & Highway 111
• Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass
• Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice
• The SteelDrivers
• Josh Williams Band

INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMERS OF THE YEAR

BANJO
• Kristin Scott Benson
• J.D. Crowe
• Steve Martin
• Sammy Shelor
• Ron Stewart

BASS
• Barry Bales
• Mike Bub
• Missy Raines
• Darrin Vincent
• Marshall Wilborn

FIDDLE
• Hunter Berry
• Jason Carter
• Michael Cleveland
• Stuart Duncan
• Ron Stewart

DOBRO
• Mike Auldridge
• Jerry Douglas
• Andy Hall
• Rob Ickes
• Randy Kohrs
• Phil Leadbetter

GUITAR
• Jim Hurst
• Tony Rice
• Bryan Sutton
• Kenny Smith
• Josh Williams

MANDOLIN
• Jesse Brock
• Sam Bush
• Sierra Hull
• Ronnie McCoury
• Adam Steffey

BLUEGRASS EVENT OF THE YEAR
• Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival; Oak Hill, New York; July 2008
• 33rd Annual Tri-State Bluegrass Festival; Kendallville, Indiana; May 2008
• 2008 World Cultural Fusion Festival; Kawaguchi City, Japan; July 2008

BLUEGRASS BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR

• Kyle Cantrell, Sirius-XM Satellite Radio, Nashville, Tennessee
• Katy Daley; HD Radio WAMU 88.5 Channel 2, 105.5 FM & www.bluegrasscountry.org; Washington, D.C.
• Ned Luberecki, Sirius-XM Satellite Radio, Nashville, Tennessee

PRINT MEDIA PERSON OF THE YEAR

• Tom Adams, Banjo Newsletter
• Dan Miller, Flatpicking Guitar
• Roger Siminoff; Siminoff’s Luthiers Glossary, Banjo Newsletter and Bluegrass Breakdown

BEST LINER NOTES FOR RECORDED PROJECT
Writers, Album, Artists, Label

• Charlie Cushman, Marty Stuart, Eddie Stubbs & Johnny Warren (writers); A Tribute to Fiddlin’ Paul Warren; Johnny Warren & Charlie Cushman (artists); (no label)
• Eddie Dean (writer); Old-Time Pickin’: A Clawhammer Banjo Collection, Ralph Stanley (artist), Rebel Records
• Steve Martin (writer), The Crow, Steve Martin (artist), 40 Share Productions (label)

BEST GRAPHIC DESIGN FOR RECORDED PROJECT
Designer, Album, Artists, Label

• G. Carr & Salli Ratts (designers), The Crow, Steve Martin (artist), 40 Share Productions (label)
• Stumptown Printers (designer), Uncle Charlie Osborne: The June Appal Recordings, Uncle Charlie Osborne (artist), June Appal Recordings
• Loren Witcher (designer), Inside Out, Missy Raines & the New Hip (artist), Compass Records

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS

• Hylo Brown – an early bluegrass music pioneer
• Pati Crooker – longtime producer of the Thomas Point Bluegrass Festival in Maine
• Jody Rainwater – veteran performer and radio announcer
• Dick Spottswood – author, musicologist and radio broadcaster, who has cataloged and been responsible for the re-issue of thousands of recordings in the U.S. and was a founder and the first editor of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine
• Joe Wilson – a folklore advocate, NEA National Heritage Fellowship recipient (2001) and presenter, who currently chairs the National Council for the Traditional Arts and directs The Blue Ridge Music Center near Galax, Virginia

Both Brown and Rainwater also are former members of Flatt & Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Boys.