Adam Ezra Group, Alison Brown, Joe Crookston The Mammals, Mustard’s Retreat, The Nields, Joan Osborne, Shanna in a Dress, The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Uprooted Band, and Susan Werner are among the artists slated to appear. Also showcasing their talents will be Allison Leah, John John Brown, Ian Campbell (the festival’s artistic director), Riley Cotton, The Currys, Nick Depuy & The Big Fly, Deirdre Flint, Girl Blue, Phil Henry, Kirsten Maxwell, The Midnight Anthem, Adelaide Punkin & Something Simple, Tall Travis, Shawn Taylor, Tracy Walton, Sierra West, and more. A number of artists will also conduct workshops.

“I’m excited for this year. We feel like we are just making this space for others to bring their magic,” said Ian Campbell, who has curated the festival since its inception in 2018. “We are so excited to see how many things are growing organically in the festival … jam tents are doing so many great things … “the “art” part of the festival has a life of its own … so many things to do, and people just keep ‘bringing it’ more than the year before … It’s like we have a space where a community is being built, and it’s beautiful.”

Although still relatively small, the festival has grown each year – with new elements and layers being added to it. In addition to dozens of musical acts on several stages, hour-long Sunset Song Swaps will take place each evening, while daytime classes and workshops are also on the festival schedule. Workshops will focus on such topics as photography, busking, jamming, ukulele, songwriting, hand-drumming, stories and art, and studio pre-production, guitar maintenance and set-up. “We’ll also have a bunch of art workshops – ranging from painting, to prints and book prints, to “immortal jellyfish umbrella” making (conducted by Tink from The Slambovian Circus of Dreams), to pumpkin carving, and more,” said Campbell. Shanna in a Dress leads a songwriting workshop, while John John Brown hosts one on Stories and Art: Lessons from Strangers, and Joe Crookston leads a special print workshop. “Ace Hardware is creating a very cool lounge, and there will also be games and hula hoops and carnival acts,” Campbell added.

“What is most exciting for me is that people are taking it upon themselves to simply make this event cooler, warmer, nicer, kinder,” he said. “We are all making a beautiful community that we get to live in and enjoy, even if just for a few days.”

For his part, Walton, a multi-instrumentalist who also owns a recording studio near Goshen, told AcousticMusicScene.com last year “Black Bear has quickly become one of my favorite festivals in New England.” He performed as half of the duo Belle of the Fall during the festival’s inaugural year (2018), returned to perform a solo set, participate in a songwriters’ round, and lead a workshop last year. In addition to showcasing his own talents again this year, he looks forward to seeing performances by West and Cotton, two of the artists whom he has recorded and played with.

Festivalgoers who opt to camp at Goshen Fairgrounds can also enjoy late-night musical revelry in the campgrounds.

After coming to the Black Bear Americana Music Fest for the first time last year, Alan Rowoth will again host unplugged, late-night song circles under the Big Orange Tarp beginning after the music ends on the main stage on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as one on Thursday night preceding the annual start of the festival.
Inspired by the late-night song circles that he experienced at the Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country, Rowoth has sought to replicate what he calls “the incredibly intimate nature of this listening experience” at other festivals. His Big Orange Tarp has been a late-night staple at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (which now also takes place at the Goshen Fairgrounds) and at Planet Bluegrass-sponsored festivals in Colorado.

Stuart Kabak, an upstate New York-based singer-songwriter, who has curated and hosted late-night music at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival for years, brings Pirate Camp’s large canopy tent and its esprit de corps to Black Bear for the first time this fall. The less-structured, more informal Jubilee Jam Tent also returns this year, while singer-songwriter Adelaide Punkin hosts a jam area during the festival as well.

For Tickets and More Information on the Festival

Day tickets and multi-day camping tickets for the Black Bear Americana Music Festival may be purchased online at blackbearmusicfest.com, where you will also find more information on the festival – including the complete artist lineup and schedule.

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

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.

“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.

Officially launched in 1983 by the late Bob Feldman after meeting Iowa-based singer-songwriter Greg Brown, Red House has been home to a number of notable folk, roots and Americana artists. In addition to Brown, these include The Cactus Blossoms, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, Jorma Kaukonen, The Wailin’ Jennys, and Robin and Linda Williams, among others.

Under Feldman’s guidance, up to his untimely death in 2006, Red House received indie music awards, numerous Grammy Award nominations and a Grammy in 1995 for Ramblin’ Jack Elliot’s album, South Coast. Feldman himself became widely recognized as a leading advocate for roots music and a leader in the independent label community.

Compass co-founders Alison Brown and Garry West are longtime admirers of Red House and fans of its artist roster. Brown, a Grammy Award-winning musician, and West, a bassist and producer, first met Feldman at a conference in 1995 — shortly after launching their own label. Both were struck by his transparency and willingness to share his inside knowledge of the business, and over the next ten years their mentoring relationship evolved into a mutual friendship, with Feldman and West often serving as advisors and sounding boards for each other.

“When we first launched Compass, we were really learning the business from the ground up,” said West. “Of all the people from whom we would seek advice, Bob was always the most straightforward and would tell it like it was. His support was immeasurable, and we were extremely grateful for his willingness to take us under his wing. I have to admit it gave me a great feeling of accomplishment when, over time, Bob started calling me to compare notes.”

Adds Brown: “It is incredibly meaningful to us to be able to carry Red House’s legacy into the future. We are really excited to work with such a fine roster of artists and are committed to keeping Red House’s brand of folk and Americana music alive.”

Red House owner Beth Friend, who has kept the label going since Feldman’s death, said, “It’s a great accomplishment, and I couldn’t be prouder or more grateful. We have believed in and worked hard for every artist on the label, and it’s been our privilege to — as Bob used to say as he’d leave for work in the morning — ‘bring music to the people’. “ She acknowledged that selling the iconic label was “a very personal and very difficult decision for me to make,” noting: “It’s simply time for me to bring this chapter of my life to a close and move on. Compass founders Garry West and Alison Brown were friends of Bob’s and have often commented on how his mentorship helped them in the early days of launching their own label. I know they will bring a level of care to the Red House imprint that I don’t believe I could have found in another buyer.”

In an interview with Billboard earlier this month, Gorka, an acclaimed singer-songwriter whose next album is slated for release in the first quarter of 2018, expressed hope that Red House will continue to be a great label. “I understand the economics and I think Compass is the best place to go,” he told the magazine. “Compass has a lot of artists I admire and respect, and I think Red House will be in good company.”

Compass Records’ catalog features more than 600 titles from a diverse roster of artists that includes Beausoleil, Colin Hay, The Infamous Stringdusters, Shannon McNally, Solas, and bluegrass luminaries Claire Lynch and Bobby Osborne, among others. It is also home to two seminal Irish music catalogs, Green Linnet and Mulligan Records, both acquired in the mid-2000s.

Launched in 2013, The FreshGrass Awards are designed to celebrate and reward emerging artists who offer a fresh take on the tradition of bluegrass and roots music. A panel of five judges, led by banjoist Alison Brown, will select five finalists in each category. Finalists will perform one standard or traditional tune and one original composition. A winner and runner-up in each category will be chosen on the basis of compositional originality, instrumental and vocal skills, stage presence and performance, and proficiency in the tradition.

The inaugural No Depression Singer-Songwriter Award recognizes and rewards up-and-coming roots music singer-songwriters from the U.S. and beyond. After a preliminary committee culls five finalists from among all those submitting applications, a panel comprised of No Depression editors and artist judges will select a winner and runner-up following live performances during the festival. Artists, who must perform original material and do so solo, will be evaluated based on the merits of their lyrics, music, instrumentation, and overall performance.

There is no fee to enter these awards competitions. Online submission forms, rules, and more information may be found at www.freshgrass.com/freshgrass-award/.

Among the artists slated to perform during the family-friendly FreshGrass Festival 2017 are Brandi Carlile, Railroad Earth, The Del McCoury Band with special guest David Grisman, Del & Dawg, The Wood Brothers, Bill Frisell: Harmony, Alison Brown, Son Little, The Brothers Comatose, Carrie Rodriguez, Darol Anger’s Republic Strings, Hackensaw Boys, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, The Suitcase Junket, Nell Robinson & Jim Nunally Band, and last year’s FreshGrass Awards winners: The Last Revel, Victor Furtado, Julian Pinelli, and The Page Turners.

The Earls of Leicester, which also was the top winner in the 2015 International Bluegrass Music Awards, pay homage to the musical legacy of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and their band, the Foggy Mountain Boys. Besides being named Entertainer of the Year again, the bluegrass supergroup’s bandleader, Jerry Douglas, was again named Dobro Player of the Year, while bandmate Barry Bales repeated as Bass Player of the Year and Charlie Cushman was named Banjo Player of the Year.

Last year, The Earls of Leicester also took home trophies for Album of the Year for its self-titled debut release, Instrumental Group of the Year and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year, while member Shawn Camp was named Male Vocalist of the Year. Also in the group is Johnny Warren (fiddle).

Flatt Lonesome has been garnering considerable attention, accolades and radio airplay. Launched in 2011 by siblings Kelsi Robertson Harrigil (mandolin), Buddy Robertson (guitar), and Charli Robetrtson (fiddle), along with neighbor Dominic Illingworth (bass) and longtime friend Michael Stockton (dobro), and joined by Paul Harrigil (banjo) the following year, the band released its eponymous debut album in 2013.

During the awards show, members of Flatt Lonesome expressed thanks to their parents for teaching them how to sing. “We wouldn’t be Vocal Group of the Year without them,” said Charli Robertson, while twin brother Buddy remarked: “I’ve spent a lot of hours picking in the house with dad growing up and if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be who I am today.” Commenting on winning Album of the Year, older sister Kelsi Harrigill said: “This is our first album to have the majority of material to be all original and that is a huge deal to us. We want to pay tribute to those who came before us but we also want to show people what’s in our hearts…”

Earlier this year, Flatt Lonesome was named Best Overall Bluegrass Band and took home Album of the Year honors during the 42nd annual SPBGMA Awards.

A listing of all the award winners appears below.

2016 International Bluegrass Music Awards

Entertainer of the Year: The Earls of Leicester
Female Vocalist of the Year: Becky Buller
Male Vocalist of the Year: Danny Paisley
Vocal Group of the Year: Flatt Lonesome
Instrumental Group of the Year: Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Song of the Year: “You’re the One,” Flatt Lonesome
Album of the Year: Runaway Train, Flatt Lonesome
Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: “All Dressed Up,” Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers
Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year: “Fireball,” Special Consensus featuring Rob Ickes, Trey Hensley and Alison Brown
Emerging Artist of the Year: Mountain Faith
Recorded Event of the Year: Longneck Blues, Junior Sisk and Ronnie Bowman
Banjo Player of the Year: Charlie Cushman
Bass Player of the Year: Barry Bales
Dobro Player of the Year: Jerry Douglas
Fiddle Player of the Year: Becky Buller
Guitar Player of the Year: Bryan Sutton
Mandolin Player of the Year: Sierra Hull

Inductees into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame: Clarence White; the Rounder Founders: Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy and Bill Nowlin

Distinguished Achievement Awards: Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine, Boston Bluegrass Union, SiriusXM Radio’s Bluegrass Junction, Bill Emerson, Jim Rooney


The International Bluegrass Awards Show was a centerpiece of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s five-day World of Bluegrass, which is considered the genre’s annual industry gathering and family reunion. Held in Raleigh for the fourth 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 Music Festival.

A Greensboro native, Giddens studied opera at Oberlin Conservatory before returning home and immersing herself in the rural traditions of North Carolina’s Piedmont region. A powerhouse vocalist and multi-instrumentalist (banjo and fiddle), she launched the Carolina Chocolate Drops with bandmates Justin Robinson and Dom Flemons following a chance meeting at the 2005 Black Banjo Gathering in Boone.

The Chocolate Drops, Durham, NC-based tradition bearers whose music incorporated pre-World War II country blues, early jazz, minstrel songs, southern black music from the 1920s and 30s, and folk balladry, along with old-time string-band tunes, developed a reputation for its energetic live shows punctuated with stories about the origins and history of the tunes they played. The Chocolate Drops released several albums on their own prior to signing with Nonesuch Records in 2010. That same year, they released the chart-topping album Genuine Negro Jig, which also won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording.

T-Bone Burnett produced Giddens’ solo debut Tomorrow Is My Turn in 2015, a Grammy-nominated album of songs exploring facets of the human condition, after initially recruiting her to perform solo during the 2013 Another Day, Another Time concert at The Town Hall in New York City. During that concert celebrating the early 1960s’ folk revival that had inspired the Coen Brothers’ film Inside Llewyn Davis, Giddens was widely viewed as the star of the evening. Her rendition of Odetta’s “Water Boy” reportedly “stole the show.” Giddens, who currently divides her time between North Carolina and Ireland, has also been cast in the upcoming fifth season of the television series Nashville in which she plays a social worker with the voice of an angel.

Steve martin, the acclaimed actor, author, comedian and musician, established his namesake prize in 2010 to recognize artistry and heighten awareness of talented bluegrass performers. A banjo player himself for more than four decades, Martin has toured in recent years with the Steep Canyon Rangers.

Recipients receive $50,000 cash and a specially designed bronze sculpture. The Steve Martin Charitable Foundation funds the prize, while a panel of musical luminaries that includes Martin, Alison Brown, J.D. Crowe, Bela Fleck, Alison Brown, Tony Trischka, Pete Wernick and others chooses the winner. Previous winners have included Noam Pikelny – banjoist for the Punch Brothers (2010), Sammy Shelor of the Lonesome River Band (2011), Mark Johnson (2012), Jens Kruger (2013), Eddie Adcock (2014), and Danny Barnes (2015). Like the MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” fellowships, no one can apply for the Steve Martin Prize.

The theme for the 2016 conference is Makers – recognizing the craft and contributions of performing artists and all who are critical to the process of making art and bringing live performances to communities worldwide. The conference coincides with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, and some sessions will focus on the performing arts as they relate to resolving societal challenges posed by conflict, violence social injustices, racial and religious discourse, poverty, and humanitarian crises, as well as opportunities for collaboration. Conference subthemes include Make Art, Make a Difference, Make Decisions, and Make Money.

“APAP members – artists, presenters and industry leaders – view APAP/NYC as an indispensible tool for conducting the business of performing arts, but when our members gather in New York city, non-members and enthusiasts wanting a glimpse inside the business of performing arts presenting also benefit,” said Mario Garcia Durham, APAP’s president and CEO. He cited pre-conference public events on Thursday and Friday (including the Wavelengths: APAP Global Music Pre-Conference featuring workshops, panels discussions and artist pitch sessions arranged by music PR firm Rock Paper Scissors) and the live streaming of select conference activities via Howlround.tv that began with last year’s conference. For information on the plenaries and other sessions to be live-streamed and to find a link to RSVP to them, visit www.apapnyc.apap365.org.

Folk and Roots Artists to Showcase Their Talents

As in years past, dozens of performers from the folk, roots and singer-songwriter communities in the U.S., Canada and several other countries will showcase their talents during the conference. Among them will be string-band duo The Aching Heart, Punjabi vocalist Kiran Ahlywolia, singer-songwriter Kristen Andreassen (with Jefferson Hamer), Asleep at the Wheel (masters of western swing), rollicking roadhouse blues singer and pianist Marcia Ball, Balsam Range (2014 IBMA Entertainers of the Year), Birds of Chicago, Blind Boys of Alabama, Grammy Award-winning banjo player Alison Brown, Buckwheat Zydeco, the rollicking Washington, DC-based roots music ensemble Bumper Jacksons, Caladh Nua from Ireland, Colcannon (Irish music), DakhaBraha (Ukrainian folkdrone Bjorkpunk quartet), indie-folk quartet Darlingside, Newfoundland harmonic duo Ennis Sisters, female international roots vocal trio EVA, Lauren Fox’s “The Songs of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen,” The Grahams, The Hillbenders Present The Who’s Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry, The Hunts (Virginia-based band of siblings), Isle of Lesbos (klezmer), Bettye LaVette, Los Llaneros (music of the Colombian and Venezuelan savannas), Makem & Spain (continuing the Irish tradition), Matuto (a NYC-based Brazilian bluegrass ensemble), Metropolitan Klezmer, David Orlowsky Trio (klezmer), singer-songwriter Eliza Paltouf, Americana band Parsonsfield, jig-rockers The Prodigals, singer-songwriter Carrie Rodriguez, Samite of Uganda, folk-rock jam band The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, New Orleans’ The Subdudes, Celtic-Americana duo Switchback, singer-songwriter Teddy Thompson, and the French-Acadian party music of Vishten.

Conference exhibition halls will again teem with booking agents and presenters eager to speak with them, and there’ll be a whole lot of networking opportunities.

A Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, APAP is a national service, advocacy and membership organization dedicated to developing and supporting a robust performing arts presenters field and the professionals who work within it.

Speaking during the awards show, Douglas said: “This is unbelievable fun, and we’re going to keep doing it.”

The Tar Heel State’s own Balsam Range, last year’s Entertainer of the Year and previous winner for Album and Song of the Year, was honored as Vocal Group of the Year, while its “Moon Over Memphis” was named Song of the Year. The acoustic quintet’s Tim Surrett was named Bass Player of the Year.

During the show, Balsam Range performed another one of its songs “Stacking Up The Rocks,” a cappella. Other performers included Flatt Lonesome, the Gibson Brothers (hosts of the event), The Del McCoury Band and Hot Rize.

Alison Krauss joined singer-guitarist Larry Sparks and his band, the Lonesome Ramblers, on a medley of his signature songs after inducting him into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Sparks recently released a new album to mark his 50th year in bluegrass music. Also inducted into the Hall of Fame was banjoist Bill Keith – whom Bill Monroe had hailed as the first banjo player who could play banjo songs in a fiddle style and with a fiddler’s virtuosity. Musician and author Jim Rooney and fellow banjo player Alan Munde sang Keith’s praises in inducting him, while banjoist Noam Pikelny – a founding member of the Punch Brothers and last year’s Album and Banjo Player of the Year winner — played Keith’s tune “Beating Around the Bush” in tribute.

The 26th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards is the centerpiece of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s five-day World of Bluegrass event that continues through Saturday, Oct. 3, with the Wide Open Bluegrass festival featuring free and ticketed events. Awards were voted on by the professional membership of the IBMA (www.ibma.org), the trade association for the global bluegrass music community. Prior to the evening awards show, winners of five 2015 Distinguished Achievement Awards were recognized.

A listing of all the award winners appears below.

2015 International Bluegrass Music Awards

Entertainer of the Year: The Earls of Leicester
Female Vocalist of the Year: Rhonda Vincent
Male Vocalist of the Year: Shawn Camp
Vocal Group of the Year: Balsam Range
Instrumental Group of the Year: The Earls of Leicester
Song of the Year: “Moon Over Memphis,” Balsam Range
Album of the Year: The Earls of Leicester, The Earls of Leicester (produced by Jerry Douglas)
Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: “Who Will Sing for Me,” the Earls of Leicester
Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year: “The Three Bells,” Jerry Douglas, Mike Auldridge, Rob Ickes
Emerging Artist of the Year: Becky Buller
Recorded Event of the Year: “Southern Flavor,” Becky Buller with Peter Rowan, Michael Feagan, Buddy Spicher, Ernie Sykes, Roland White and Blake Williams
Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year: Becky Buller
Banjo Player of the Year: Rob McCoury
Bass Player of the Year: Tim Surrett
Dobro Player of the Year: Jerry Douglas
Fiddle Player of the Year: Michael Cleveland
Guitar Player of the Year: Bryan Sutton
Mandolin Player of the Year: Jesse Brock

Inductees into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame: Bill Keith and Larry Sparks
Distinguished Achievement Awards: Alison Brown, Murphy Henry, the International Bluegrass Music Museum, “Bashful Brother” Oswald Kirby and Steve Martin