Nashville, Tennessee (October 1, 2021) — Billy Strings received the coveted “Entertainer of the Year” Award at the 32nd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards presented by Yamaha.
The Awards show, hosted by the Infamous Stringdusters. was held September 30 at Raleigh, NC’s Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.
Previously announced inductees into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame – one of the most acclaimed artists in the history of bluegrass, Alison Krauss, trailblazing bandleader/banjoist Lynn Morris, and early bluegrass influencers the Stoneman Family – were honored during the show.
The recipients of the 2021 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR: Billy Strings
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR: Sister Sadie
INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR: Appalachian Road Show
SONG OF THE YEAR: “Richest Man” – Balsam Range (artist), Jim Beavers/Jimmy Yeary/Connie Harrington (songwriters), Balsam Range (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Industrial Strength Bluegrass: Southwestern Ohio’s Musical Legacy – Various Artists, Joe Mullins (producers), Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (label)
GOSPEL RECORDING OF THE YEAR (Tie):
– “After While” – Dale Ann Bradley (artist), Public Domain, Dale Ann Bradley (producer), Pinecastle Records (label)
– “In the Resurrection Morning” – Sacred Reunion featuring Doyle Lawson, Vince Gill, Barry Abernathy, Tim Stafford, Mark Wheeler, Jim VanCleve, Phil Leadbetter, Jason Moore (artists), Mark Wheeler (songwriter), Barry Abernathy, Jim VanCleve (producers), Dottie Leonard Miller (Executive Producer), Billy Blue Records (label)
INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR: “Ground Speed” – Kristin Scott Benson, Skip Cherryholmes, Jeremy Garrett, Kevin Kehrberg, Darren Nicholson (artists), Earl Scruggs (songwriter), Jon Weisberger (producer), Mountain Home Music (label)
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Appalachian Road Show
COLLABORATIVE RECORDING OF THE YEAR: “White Line Fever” – Bobby Osborne with Tim O’Brien, Trey Hensley, Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan, Todd Phillips, Alison Brown (artists), Merle Haggard/Jeff Tweedy (songwriters) Alison Brown, Garry West (producers), Compass Records (label)
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR: Dale Ann Bradley
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR (Tie):
– Danny Paisley
– Del McCoury
BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Scott Vestal
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Missy Raines
RESOPHONIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Justin Moses
FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Billy Strings
MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Sierra Hull
Awards were voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).
The show was aired live on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction channel, and was livestreamed three ways: IBMA’s Facebook Live, YouTube, and via Swapcard, the official event platform for IBMA World of Bluegrass.
Other Awards sponsors include: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, BMI, Boston Bluegrass Union, Compass Records, Deering Banjo Company, D’Addario, Recording Academy, and Ron & Nancy McFarlane.
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IBMA – the International Bluegrass Music Association – is the non-profit music association that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide.
Yamaha, the presenting sponsor of the 32nd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, began manufacturing classical guitars in the early 1940s, expanding to steel-string acoustic guitars by 1966, the year in which they began distributing guitars internationally. The master luthiers at the Yamaha Custom Shop, located in Los Angeles, CA, also design and build some of the world’s finest acoustic guitars for Yamaha artists.
Set amongst the backdrop of our Capitol, the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts has stood as a historic and cultural focal point in Downtown Raleigh since 1932. It has played host to Broadway classics, rock legends and major political figures while maintaining an emphasis on education of the arts and artists housed within Raleigh’s community. With four separate event spaces available, the breadth and depth of events past, present and future has made this Raleigh’s Premier Arts Venue.
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Press Info: Judy McDonough, KCM
[email protected], 615-243-5994
General Info: Casey Campbell, IBMA
[email protected], 615-256-3222
