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

Recorded live during the American Music Association’s 15th Annual Honors & Awards ceremony at Nashville’s storied Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 21, the music-filled hour-long show will feature many of the evening’s award-winners and honorees.

Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, who took home trophies for Album of the Year (Something More Than Free) and Song of the Year (“24 Frames”) — accompanied by his wife, fiddler Amanda Shires, and his band, The 400 Unit — performs “if It Takes a Lifetime. The former Drive-By-Trucker is now the recipient of six Americana Awards.

The Honors & Awards ceremony celebrates authentic, diverse and original music from many genres, both traditional and contemporary. “If you can taste the dirt through your ears, that is Americana,” says Jed Hilly, executive director of the Americana Music Association. “It is music that is derived or inspired by American roots traditions.”

The broadcast features tributes to three roots music luminaries who died within the last year: country outlaw Merle Haggard, troubadour Guy Clark, and bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley. Grateful Dead founder Bob Weir, the night’s Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree for Performance, opens the show with a rendition of Haggard’s iconic “Mama Tried.” Steve Earle performs Clark’s classic Desperados Waiting for a Train.” And Alison Krauss sings Stanley’s “Gloryland,” a cappella, joined by Buddy Miller, Melonie Cannon and Stuart Duncan.

The PBS broadcast also features performances of “Bring It On Home” by Duo/Group of the Year honoree Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell and “What I Don’t Know” by honky-tonk maverick Dwight Yoakam. 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Bonnie Raitt performs “Gypsy in Me” (backed by gospel greats The McCrary Sisters) and joins Stax soul legend William Bell, the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree for Songwriting, on “The Three of Me,” accompanied by producer John Leventhal on guitar. Emerging Artist Award-winner Margo Price sings her “Tennessee Song,” while up-and-coming Americana sensation Parker Millsap is joined by Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan on backing vocals as he performs “Heaven Sent” from his critically acclaimed Album of the Year-nominated release. The Lumineers perform a new song, Angela,” while Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats perform “Wasting Time.” Country music star George Strait closes out the broadcast with a performance of his signature “King of Broken Hearts, “ joined by songwriter Jim Lauderdale, the Americana Honors & Awards show’s host for 14 consecutive years and a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

The Americana Honors & Awards show was a highlight of AmericanaFest, the Americana Music Festival and Conference, which extended from September 20-25 and featured lots of learning and networking opportunities as well as musical entertainment at various venues throughout the Music City.

Here’s a link to an article entitled 2016 Americana Honors and Awards Presented that was previously posted on AcousticMusicScene.com:

https://acousticmusicscene.com/2016/09/27/2016-americana-honors-and-awards-presented/

Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is a professional trade association dedicated to building and promoting the Americana genre and the individuals who participate in the industry. For more information, visit www.americanamusic.org.

Since its inception in 1974, Austin City Limits has helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The longest-running music series in American television history, it’s also the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. The show, produced by KLRU-TV, also received a Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.

Isbell, who took home trophies for his 2015 release, Something More Than Free, and for the song “24 Frames,” is now a six-time Americana Award winner. The former Drive-By Trucker had snagged the most nominations (three) earlier this year. Isbell thanked Amanda Shires, his wife and fellow artist, for helping to keep him grounded amid his artistic success. “If you can, keep people around you who will tell you when you’ve done something awful, whether it’s in a song or in your personal life, and listen to them if at all possible,” he said while accepting the award for Song of the Year.

Here’s a link to a lyric video for Isbell’s “24 Frames”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtgPeNKpnyw

Stapleton, a Kentucky-born singer-songwriter, who has co-written six number one country music hit songs and formerly fronted The SteelDrivers, was hailed for his 2015 solo debut Traveller. The critically acclaimed album that also topped the Billboard Top 200 charts and landed him appearances on several late-night television shows, also received a Grammy Award earlier this year for Best Country Album, while Traveller was named 2015 Album of the Year by the Country Music Association (CMA). Stapleton also won a Grammy Award this year for Best Country Solo Performance and was named CMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year in 2015. During the Americana Honors & Awards show, he expressed thanks to all the Americana radio stations, noting: “It’s been a big part of what we’ve been doing.”

Here’s a link to hear the title track of Chris Stapleton’s solo debut album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kBnFgLP8po

Other winners of Americana Music Association member-voted awards included Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell (Duo/Group of the Year for a second time), Margo Price (Emerging Artist of the Year), and Sara Watkins (Instrumentalist of the Year).

Lifetime Achievement Award recipients included Shawn Colvin (Trailblazer), William Bell (Songwriting), Bob Weir (Performance), Jim Lauderdale (WagonMaster), Woody Guthrie (President’s Award) and Billy Bragg (“Spirit of Americana” Free Speech in Music Award, co-presented by the First Amendment Center). On behalf of the Guthrie family, a President’s Award in Honor of Woody Guthrie was presented to Lucinda Williams.

Hosted by Lauderdale for the 14th consecutive year and featuring an all-star band led by Buddy Miller, the Americana Awards and Honors show also featured musical tributes to several luminary artists who died in the past year: Guy Clark, Merle Haggard, Ralph Stanley and Allen Toussaint. The show was a highlight of “AmericanaFest,” the Americana Music Festival and Conference, which extended from September 20-25 and featured lots of learning and networking opportunities as well as musical entertainment at various venues throughout the Music City.

Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is a professional trade association dedicated to building and promoting the Americana genre and the individuals who participate in the industry. For more information, visit www.americanamusic.org.

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

Carlton Haney grew up in the North Carolina Piedmont – tobacco country – where his family listened to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights. His own interest in bluegrass music reportedly emanated from a crush he had on Bill Monroe’s teenage daughter. Like the “father of bluegrass,” for whom he worked as an agent from 1953-1955, Haney referred to the genre as ”Blue Grass,” rather than the nearly universal “Bluegrass.” For the next ten years, he worked as an agent and manager for Don Reno, Red Smiley & the Tennessee Cut-Ups and also wrote or co-wrote several songs in their repertoire – including “Jimmy Caught the Dickens (Pushing Ernest in the Tub),” Kneel Down” and “Never Get to Hold You in My Arms Anymore.” He also worked with country legends Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn at various times during the 1950s and 1960s, introduced Merle Haggard on the live albums Okie From Muskogee and The Fightin’ Side of Me, and published the bluegrass magazine Muleskinner News from its launch in 1969 to 1975.

But Haney’s most notable contribution to bluegrass music came in 1965 when he organized and produced the first weekend-long bluegrass festival. Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, Jimmy Martin, the Stanley Brothers, Doc Watson and Mac Wiseman were among the artists who performed during the “Blue Grass Festival” at Cantrell’s Horse Farm in Fincastle, Virginia, 12 miles north of Roanoke, over Labor Day weekend 1965. Inspired by the Newport Folk Festival, it was the progenitor of the many bluegrass festivals today. Albert Ihde’s Bluegrass Country Soul, the first feature film about bluegrass music, was shot during that festival.

As he would at subsequent festivals in Camp Springs, NC and Berryville, VA, among others, Haney served as the narrator in the emotional, ritualistic retelling of “the bluegrass story,” that capped the festival — “dramatizing the genre’s history with appearances by performers who were part of its rich history,” according to the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) website.

Phil Zimmerman, a bluegrass musician, photographer and author, who helped Haney and Ralph Rinzler (Bill Monroe’s former manager) document the festival on audio tape, recounts that experience in his book, Bluegrass Time. “Most of my memories from Carlton’s first festival have faded into general impressions, but a few memories still stand out,” he wrote. “The highpoint of the weekend for me was the Sunday afternoon “Bluegrass Story.” In the book, Zimmerman relates:

Carlton asked for complete silence from the audience. “We don’t want to hear a sound,” he said, “just the wind in the trees.” Then Bill played his famous mandolin introduction to Muleskinner Blues, and they were off! Bill was on stage for the whole show, with only a few minutes respite while the Stanley Brothers did two songs with their own band. Otherwise, it was a parade of former Blue Grass Boys taking the place at the mic with Bill. Ralph Rinzler was orchestrating things behind the scene, while Carlton was emceeing…

The Bluegrass Story was the festival finale. After the reprise of Muleskinner, and the encore of John Henry, Carlton thanked everyone for coming, and for being such a good crowd. “There wasn’t no fights, no trouble, or nothin’,” he noted. All the way home, the sounds of the weekend were ringing in my ears. I even thought I could hear banjo picking in the radio static.

“Besides being a visionary promoter, Carlton was a master raconteur, philosopher, and folk mystic,” Zimmerman told AcousticMusicScene.com. “Since he and I reconnected ten or so years ago, I looked forward to his random hour-long late-night phone calls that included his “Unified-Field” observations on the connections between, for example, Pythagoras, Bill Monroe, the “music of the spheres,” and Thelonious Monk.” Similarly, Neil Rosenberg writes in Bluegrass: A History: “Haney was not only an intellectual; he was a homegrown mystic who expressed his belief in the strength of Bill Monroe’s music in terms of ‘vibrations.’ “

Haney received an IBMA Award of Merit for distinguished achievement in 1990 and, in 1998, was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor (now the IBMA’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame) that is housed in the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky – an institution devoted to the recognition of noteworthy individuals for their outstanding contributions to bluegrass music. More information on Haney may be found on its website, www.bluegrass-museum.org.

Editor’s Note: Marcia Goodman’s photo of Carlton Haney was taken during the 40th Anniversary Reunion of the first bluegrass festival, held at an adjacent horse farm in Fincastle, VA, in 2005. He was reprising “The Blue Grass Story” at the time.