“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

Billy Strings, who turns 29 on Oct. 3, grew up playing traditional bluegrass with his dad. In the years since, he has been among the artists who have helped to expand the boundaries of the genre, widening its appeal. His latest album, Renewal, features 16 songs (mostly originals), that while primarily acoustic, transcends bluegrass via incorporating elements of jam band, psychedelic music, classic rock, and even heavy metal.

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

A complete list of winners in 17 categories appears below, while information about the three previously announced Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees (acclaimed artist Alison Krauss, trailblazing bandleader and banjoist Lynn Morris and early bluegrass influencers the Stoneman Family) and five Distinguished Achievement Awards recipients, as well as a listing of all the category nominees can be found at https://acousticmusicscene.com/2021/07/21/ibma-bluegrass-music-awards-nominees-named/.

Entertainer of the Year:

Billy Strings

Vocal Group of the Year

Sister Sadie

Instrumental Group of the Year

Appalachian Road Show

New Artist of the Year

Appalachian Road Show

Song of the Year

“Richest Man”
Artist: Balsam Range
Songwriters: Jim Beavers/Jimmy Yeary/Connie Harrington
Producer: Balsam Range
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

Album of the Year

Industrial Strength Bluegrass: Southwestern Ohio’s Musical Legacy
Artist: Various Artists
Producer: Joe Mullins
Label: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Gospel Recording of the Year (Tie)

“After Awhile”
Artist: Dale Ann Bradley
Songwriter: Public Domain
Producer: Dale Ann Bradley
Label: Pinecastle Records

“In the Resurrection Morning”
Artists: Sacred Reunion featuring Doyle Lawson, Vince Gill, Barry Abernathy, Tim Stafford, Mark Wheeler, Jim VanCleve, Phil Leadbetter, Jason Moore
Songwriter: Mark Wheeler
Producers: Barry Abernathy, Jim VanCleve, Dottie Leonard Miller
Label: Billy Blue Records

Instrumental Recording of the Year

“Ground Speed”
Artists: Kristin Scott Benson, Skip Cherryholmes, Jeremy Garrett, Kevin Kehrberg, Darren Nicholson
Songwriter: Earl Scruggs
Producer: Jon Weisberger
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

Collaborative Recording of the Year

“White Line Fever”
Artists: Bobby Osborne with Tim O’Brien, Trey Hensley, Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan, Todd Phillips, Alison Brown
Songwriters: Merle Haggard/Jeff Tweedy
Producers: Alison Brown, Garry West
Label: Compass Records

Female Vocalist of the Year

Dale Ann Bradley

Male Vocalist of the Year (Tie)

Del McCoury
Danny Paisley

Banjo Player of the Year

Scott Vestal

Bass Player of the Year

Missy Raines

Fiddle Player of the Year

Bronwyn Keith-Hynes

Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year

Justin Moses

Guitar Player of the Year

Billy Strings

Mandolin Player of the Year

Sierra Hull

“We are so thankful and a little overwhelmed,” says Joe Mullins, the bandleader and banjo player. “To be included in the Entertainer of the Year category alongside some of our heroes and bands we’re huge fans of, was very humbling. To receive the award from our peers provides us with great encouragement and inspiration. What a wonderful blessing!”

Last year’s Song of the Year winners for “If I’d Have Wrote That Song” and 2012 IBMA Emerging Artists of the Year, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers also shared the 2019 award for Collaborative Recording of the Year with guest artist, Grand Ole Opry member and nine-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year Del McCoury for “The Guitar Song.” The Del McCoury Band took home the award for Album of the Year for Del McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass.

Joining the group as first-time winners in their respective categories were Sister Sadie (Vocal Group of the Year), Billy Strings (Guitar Player of the Year and New Artist of he Year) and Alan Bibey (Mandolin Player of the Year).

The complete list of award winners in 17 categories voted on by IBMA’s professional members follows:

Entertainer of the Year: Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers
Vocal Group of the Year: Sister Sadie
Instrumental Group of the Year: Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (its fifth win in his category)
Song of the Year: “Thunder Dan” – Sideline (artist), Josh Manning (writer), Tim Surrett (producer), Mountain Home Music Company (label)
Album of the Year: Del McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass – Del McCoury Band (artist), Del and Ronnie McCoury (producers), McCoury Music (label). This marks the band’s second win in this category.
Gospel Recording of the Year: “Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout” – Claire Lynch (artist), Jerry Salley (producer), Billy Blue Records (label)
Instrumental Recording of the Year: “Darlin’ Pal(s) of Mine” – Missy Raines with Alison Brown, Mike Bub, and Todd Phillips (artist), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records (label)
New Artist of the Year: Billy Strings
Collaborative Recording of the Year: “The Guitar Song” – Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers with Del McCoury (artists), Joe Mullins (producer), Jerry Salley (associate producer), Billy Blue (label)
Female Vocalist of the Year: Brooke Aldridge (her third win in this category)
Male Vocalist of the Year: Russell Moore (his sixth win in this category)
Banjo Player of the Year: Kristin Scott Benson (her fifth win in this category)
Bass Player of the Year: Missy Raines (her eighth win in this category)
Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year: Phil Leadbetter (his third win in this category)
Fiddle Player of the Year: Michael Cleveland (his 12th win in this category)
Guitar Player of the Year: Billy Strings
Mandolin Player of the Year: Alan Bibey

Here’s a link to view the official video for Sideline’s “Thunder Dan,” the Song of the Year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWrdtE-jKQs

These IBMA Industry Awards also were presented on Sept. 26:

Broadcaster of the Year: Michelle Lee
Event of the Year: Blueberry Bluegrass Festival in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada
Liner Notes of the Year: Epilogue: A Tribute to John Duffey, Akira Otsuka, Dudley Connell, Jeff Place, and Katy Daley
Graphic Designer of the Year: Michael Armistead
Writer of the Year: David Morris
Songwriter of the Year: Jerry Salley
Sound Engineer of the Year: Ben Surratt
Distinguished Achievement Awards: Katy Daley, Mickey Gamble, Dan Hays, Allen Mills, and Moonshiner

In addition, Mike Auldridge, Bill Emerson and The Kentucky Colonels were formally inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame during the awards ceremony that was co-hosted by McCoury and Jim Lauderdale.

The International Bluegrass Music Awards Show was a centerpiece of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s annual five-day World of bluegrass, the genre’s annual industry gathering and family reunion. Held in Raleigh for the seventh consecutive year, World of Bluegrass also featured a wide array of professional development seminars, meetings and forums, artist showcases and late-night hospitality functions, an exhibit hall, plenty of networking and relationship-building opportunities, and the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival.

Balsam Range, which takes its name from a majestic mountain range that surrounds part of its home county in western North Carolina, where the Smokies meet the Blue Ridge, formed in 2007. Besides Melton on vocals and fiddle, its members include Tim Surrett (bass, vocals), Caleb Smith (guitar, vocals), Darren Nicholson (mandolin, vocals) and Mark Pruett (banjo). Balsam Range was previously recognized for Album of the Year (Papertown, 2013) and Song of the Year (“Trains I Missed, 2011).

This year’s coveted Album of the Year award was presented to Noam Pikelny for Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe. Pikelny, a founding member of the Punch Brothers and formerly part of Leftover Salmon and the John Cowan Band, also was named Banjo Player of the Year. Accompanying the first recipient of the annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass (2010) on the album were bluegrass stalwarts Stuart Duncan (a fiddle player with whom he’s been playing a number of duo shows this year), Bryan Sutton (guitar), Ronnie McCoury (mandolin) and Mike Bub (bass). Pikelny plans to tour next month with Aoife O’Donovan.

Amanda Smith was named Female Vocalist of the Year. The award for Emerging Artist of the Year went to Flatt Lonesome, while veterans Special Consensus, now in its 39th year as a band, won its first awards for both Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year. Although The Boxcars topped the list of nominees with 10 individual and collective nods, only member Adam Steffey took home an award (Mandolin Player of the Year).

Awards were voted on by the professional membership of the IBMA, the trade association for the global bluegrass music community. Hosted by artists Jerry Douglas and Lee Ann Womack, the awards show featured live performances by Balsam Ridge, The Boxcars, Claire Lynch (Song of the Year winner), Gibson Brothers, Della Mae (2013 Emerging Artist of the Year), Blue Highway, Noam Pikelny, Del McCoury Band, and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen (Instrumental Group of the Year), as well as individual performances by each of the evening’s hosts.

Original members of the Seldom Scene – Ben Eldridge, Tom Gray and John Starling – received a standing ovation as they were inducted into the Hall of Fame and recognized the late John Duffey and Mike Auldridge in their acceptance speech before being joined by current band members in a performance of their hit song “Wait A Minute.” Bluegrass historian Neil Rosenberg also was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Fiddle players Michael Cleveland, Stuart Duncan and Jason Carter joined Rosenberg’s fellow Canadians, The Spinney Brothers, in a special performance to celebrate his achievement.

The awards show – which was broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Bluegrass Junction and streamed live by Music City Roots — was the centerpiece of IBMA’s five-day World of Bluegrass event that continues through Saturday, Oct. 4 with the Wide Open Bluegrass festival featuring both free stages and ticketed performances. Its annual business conference, as well as a Bluegrass Ramble (an innovative series of showcases), extended from Sept. 30 through Oct. 2.

A listing of the award winners, including the recipients of the IBMA’s Distinguished Achievement Award, appears below.

The 2014 International Bluegrass Music Awards

Entertainer of the Year: Balsam Range
Vocal Group of the Year: Balsam Range
Instrumental Group of the Year: Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Male Vocalist of the Year: Buddy Melton
Female Vocalist of the Year: Amanda Smith
Emerging Artist of the Year: Flatt Lonesome
Album of the Year: Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe – Noam Pikelny (artist) Gabe Witcher (producer), Compass Records
Song of the Year: “Dear Sister” – Claire Lynch (artist), Claire Lynch and Louisa Branscomb (writers)
Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year: “Thank God I’m A Country Boy”- Special Consensus with Buddy Spicher, Michael Cleveland and Alison Brown (artists), Country Boy: A Bluegrass Tribute to John Denver (album), John Martin Sommers (writer), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records
Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: “Won’t It Be Wonderful There” – Dailey & Vincent (artist), Brothers of the Highway (album), Mildred Styles Johnson (writer), Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent (producers), Rounder Records
Recorded Event of the Year: “Wild Montana Skies” – Special Consensus with Claire Lynch & Rob Ickes (artists), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records
Mandolin Player of the Year: Adam Steffey
Dobro Player of the Year: Phil Leadbetter
Bass Player of the Year: Barry Bales
Fiddle Player of the Year: Jason Carter
Guitar Player of the Yearr: Bryan Sutton
Banjo Player of the Year: Noam Pikelny

Special Awards (presented earlier in the day on Oct. 2)

Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year: Tim Stafford
Broadcaster of the Year: Kyle Cantrell, Bluegrass Junction, Sirius XM
Print/Media Person of the Year: Chris Jones, writer at Bluegrass Today
Bluegrass Event of the Year: Bluegrass Underground
Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project: Lou Everhart (designer), Lonely Comes Easy, Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, Rebel Records
Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project: Neil V Rosenberg, Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, Noam Pikelny, Compass Records

Distinguished Achievement Award recipients: Bill Keith, Deering Banjos, the European Bluegrass Music Association, Hillbilly at Harvard, and The Delmore Brothers.