IBMA Bluegrass Music Award Nominations Announced

Nominees for the 34th annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards were announced today in a live event at the SiriusXM studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The five nominees for “Entertainer of the Year” are Appalachian Road Show (first nomination), Billy Strings (reigning recipient), Del McCoury Band (Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame member, and nine-time Entertainer of the Year), Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway (second nomination), and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys (third nomination).

Nominated songs this year cover a vast array of genres, including those from an array of songwriters such as Huey Lewis, Joe Ely, Marty Stuart; and, even revive legendary bluegrass standards by Bill Monroe, Vassar Clements, and John Hartford.

Also announced today were three inductees into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame: “The King of Newgrass”, Sam Bush, one of bluegrass music’s most important early women musicians, Wilma Lee Cooper; and one of the most influential mandolin players of all time, David Grisman. Additionally, the following were named as recipients of the Distinguished Achievement Award: The Bluegrass Situation, Tom Ewing, Red Wine, Terry Baucom, and Carl Goldstein.

Results of the balloting will be revealed at the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, September 28, at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), the professional nonprofit association for the bluegrass music industry.

The complete list of nominations:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Appalachian Road Show

Billy Strings

Del McCoury Band

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Authentic Unlimited

Balsam Range

Blue Highway

Del McCoury Band

Sister Sadie

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Billy Strings

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper

The Infamous Stringdusters

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

The Travelin’ McCourys

SONG OF THE YEAR

“Blue Ridge Mountain Baby”

Artist: Appalachian Road Show

Songwriters: Barry Abernathy/Jim VanCleve

Label: Billy Blue Records

Producer: Appalachian Road Show

“Crooked Tree”

Artist: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Songwriters: Molly Tuttle/Melody Walker

Label: Nonesuch Records

Producers: Jerry Douglas and Molly Tuttle

“Diane”

Artist: Sister Sadie

Songwriters: Jeffrey Nath Bhasker/Samuel Tyler Johnson/Cameron Marvel Ochs

Label: Mountain Home

Producer: Sister Sadie

“Heyday”

Artist: Lonesome River Band

Songwriters: Barry Huchens/Will Huchens

Label: Mountain Home Music Company

Producer: Lonesome River Band

“Power of Love”

Artist: Rick Faris

Songwriters: Johnny Colla/Huey Lewis/Christopher Hayes

Label: Dark Shadow Recording

Producer: Stephen Mougin

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Crooked Tree

Artist: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Label: Nonesuch Records

Producer: Jerry Douglas and Molly Tuttle

Lovin’ of the Game

Artist: Michael Cleveland

Label: Compass Records

Producers: Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan

Lowdown Hoedown

Artist: Jason Carter

Label: Fiddle Man Records

Producers: Jason Carter and Brent Truitt

Me/And/Dad

Artist: Billy Strings and Terry Barber

Label: Rounder Records

Producers: Billy Strings and Gary Paczosa

Radio John: The Songs of John Hartford

Artist: Sam Bush

Label: Smithsonian Folkways

Producer: Sam Bush

GOSPEL RECORDING OF THE YEAR

“The Glory Road”

Artist: Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers

Songwriters: Paul Martin/Harry Stinson/Marty Stuart

Label: Billy Blue Records

Producers: Joe Mullins and Adam McIntosh

“Jordan”

Artist: Darin & Brooke Aldridge with Ricky Skaggs, Mo Pitney and Mark Fain

Songwriter: Fred Rich

Label: Billy Blue Records

Producer: Darin Aldridge and Mark Fain

“The Scarlet Red Lines”

Artist: Larry Sparks

Songwriter: Daniel Crabtree

Label: Rebel Records

Producer: Larry Sparks

“Take a Little Time for Jesus”

Artist: Junior Sisk

Songwriter: David Marshall

Label: Mountain Fever Records

Producers: Junior Sisk and Aaron Ramsey

“Tell Me the Story of Jesus”

Artist: Becky Buller with Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs

Songwriter: Fanny Crosby, arrangement by Becky Buller

Label: Dark Shadow Recording

Producer: Stephen Mougin

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR

“Contact”

Artist: Michael Cleveland with Cody Kilby, Barry Bales, and Béla Fleck

Songwriter: Michael Cleveland

Label: Compass Records

Producer: Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan

“Foggy Morning Breaking”

Artist: Alison Brown with Steve Martin

Songwriters: Alison Brown/Steve Martin

Label: Compass Records

Producers: Alison Brown and Garry West

“Gold Rush”

Artist: Scott Vestal’s Bluegrass 2022

Songwriter: Bill Monroe

Label: Pinecastle Records

Producer: Scott Vestal

“Kissimmee Kid”

Artist: Jason Carter

Songwriter: Vassar Clements

Label: Fiddle Man Records

Producers: Jason Carter and Brent Truitt

“Scorchin’ the Gravy”

Artist: Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

Songwriter: Frank Solivan

Label: Compass Records

Producer: Frank Solivan

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Authentic Unlimited

East Nash Grass

Henhouse Prowlers

The Tennessee Bluegrass Band

Tray Wellington

COLLABORATIVE RECORDING OF THE YEAR

“Alberta Bound”

Artist: Special Consensus with Ray Legere, John Reischman, Tisha Gagnon, Claire Lynch, Pharis & Jason Romero

Songwriter: Gordon Lightfoot

Label: Compass Records

Producer: Alison Brown

“Big Mon”

Artist: Andy Leftwich with Sierra Hull

Songwriter: Bill Monroe

Label: Mountain Home Music Company

Producer: Andy Leftwich

“Foggy Morning Breaking”

Artist: Alison Brown with Steve Martin

Songwriter: Alison Brown/Steve Martin

Label: Compass Records

Producer: Alison Brown and Garry West

“For Your Love”

Artist: Michael Cleveland with Billy Strings and Jeff White

Songwriter: Joe Ely

Label: Compass Records

Producer: Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan

“From My Mountain (Calling You)”

Artist: Peter Rowan with Molly Tuttle and Lindsay Lou

Songwriter: Peter Rowan

Label: Rebel Records

Producer: Peter Rowan

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Greg Blake

Del McCoury

Danny Paisley

Larry Sparks

Dan Tyminski

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Brooke Aldridge

Dale Ann Bradley

Jaelee Roberts

Molly Tuttle

Rhonda Vincent

BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Kristin Scott Benson

Alison Brown

Béla Fleck

Ned Luberecki

Scott Vestal

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Mike Bub

Todd Phillips

Missy Raines

Mark Schatz

Vickie Vaughn

FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jason Carter

Michael Cleveland

Stuart Duncan

Bronwyn Keith-Hynes

Deanie Richardson

RESOPHONIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jerry Douglas

Andy Hall

Rob Ickes

Matt Leadbetter

Justin Moses

GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Chris Eldridge

Trey Hensley

Billy Strings

Bryan Sutton

Molly Tuttle

MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Alan Bibey

Jesse Brock

Sam Bush

Sierra Hull

Ronnie McCoury