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

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.