Dan Tyminski Band, Dailey & Vincent, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, The Grascals and Steve Martin lead the list of nominees for the 20th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards that takes place on Thursday, October 1, at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

The awards show is the centerpiece of the International Bluegrass Music Association’ (IBMA)’s “World of Bluegrass,” September 28 to Oct. 4, that also features a business conference and fan fest [See article posted June 21 in the Awards & Contests, Bluegrass & Beyond and Conferences of Note sections]. Hosting the awards show will be Grammy Award-winning country artist Kathy Mattea and bluegrass band Hot Rize (the first recipients of the IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award in 1990). It will be broadcast live on Sirius XM Radio’s “Bluegrass Junction” channel 14 and syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets.

Dan Tyminski, who some may recall from his years with Alison Krauss and Union Station, and who was the singing voice of George Clooney in the popular film “O Brother, Where Art Thou” (2000), and members of his band received nominations in nine categories, while reigning Entertainers of the Year Dailey & Vincent scored seven nods. Award-winning actor, musician and author Steve Martin – who burst onto the scene with his banjo in hand last year – secured six nominations, as did six-time Fiddle Player of the Year Michael Cleveland (who is still in his 20s) and his band Flamekeeper. The Grascals, the 2006 and 2007 IBMA Entertainers of the Year, and the subject of one of AcousticMusicScene.com’s first full-length interview-profile pieces in 2007, received five nominations.

In addition to awards in more than 20 categories that are voted on by the professional membership of the IBMA, which serves as a trade association for the bluegrass music industry, two notable groups will be inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame. They are The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers (a string band launched in 1937 by Ezra, Ray and Ned Cline in West Virginia) and The Dillards (an influential band, best known to many from their television appearances on “The Andy Griffith Show,” who are credited with helping both blaze the trail on the West Coast for progressive bluegrass bands during the 1960s and helping lay the foundation for what’s known as country-rock.

The complete list of nominees for the International Bluegrass Music Awards follows:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Dailey & Vincent
• The Grascals
• Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
• The Del McCoury Band
• Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out
• Dan Tyminski Band

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Blue Highway
• Dailey & Vincent
• The Isaacs
• Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
• Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Blue Highway
• Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
• The Infamous Stringdusters
• Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• Dan Tyminski Band

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Jamie Dailey
• Russell Moore
• Danny Paisley
• Junior Sisk
• Dan Tyminski

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Dale Ann Bradley
• Sonya Isaacs
• Claire Lynch
• Alecia Nugent
• Rhonda Vincent

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Recording Title, Artist(s), Producer(s), Label

• Blue Side Of The Blue Ridge, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice (artist), Ronnie Bowman (producer), Rebel Records
• Brothers From Different Mothers, Dailey & Vincent (artist), Jamie Dailey & Darrin Vincent (producers), Rounder Records
• Keep On Walkin’ , The Grascals (artist/producers), Rounder Records
• The Room Over Mine, Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass (artist), Ken Irwin & Danny Paisley (producers), Rounder Records
• Wheels, Dan Tyminski, (artist/producer), Rounder Records

SONG OF THE YEAR
Song Title, Artist (s), Songwriter(s)

• “Don’t Throw Mama’s Flowers Away,” Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass (artist), Chris Stuart & Ivan Rosenberg (writers)
• “Iron & Diamonds,” The Gibson Brothers (artist), Leigh & Eric Gibson (writers)
• “Leaving Baker County,” Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice (artist), Tom T. & Dixie Hall (writers)
• “Moneyland,” Del McCoury Band (artist), John Herald (writer)
• “Wheels,” Dan Tyminski (artist), Patrick McDougal (writer)
RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR
Song Title, Featured Artists, Producer(s), Label
• “After The Fire Is Gone;” Bobby Osborne, Rhonda Vincent & Darrin Vincent (artists); Glen Duncan & Bobby Osborne (producers); Rounder Records
• “Daddy Played The Banjo,” Steve Martin with Tim O’Brien & Earl Scruggs (artists), John McEuen (producer), 40 Share Productions (label)
• “Proud To Be A Daughter of Bluegrass,” Daughters of Bluegrass featuring Dale Ann Bradley, Heather Berry, Lisa Martin, Gloria Belle, Sierra Hull, Rhonda Vincent, Lisa Ray, Linda Lay, Sally Jones, Jeanie Stanley, Carol Lee Cooper, Sonya Isaacs, Becky Isaacs Bowman, Michelle Nixon, Jeanette Williams, Sophie Haislip, Louise Tomberlain, Mindy Rakestraw, Lizzy Long, Frances Mooney, Lorraine Jordan, Annette Kelley, Lily Lieux, Dixie Hall, Judi Marshall, Melissa Lawrence, Beth Lawrence, Rebecca Frazier, Donica Christensen, Lisa Manning & Jenni Lyn Gardner (artists); Dixie Hall, Paula Wolak & Frances Mooney (producers); Blue Circle Records
• “Sad Wind Sighs,” The Grascals with Vince Gill (artists), The Grascals (producers), Rounder Records
• “The Crow,” Steve Martin with Tony Trischka (artists), John McEuen (producer), 40 Share Productions (label)

GOSPEL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Song Title, Artist(s), Songwriter(s), Producer, Label

• “Darkness Wept,” Lonesome River Band (artist/producers), Dee Gaskin & Rebecca Bowman (writers), Rural Rhythm Records
• “On The Other Side;” Dailey & Vincent (artist); Jimmy Fortune, Kevin Denney & Tom Botkin (writers); Jamie Dailey & Darrin Vincent (producers); Rounder Records
• “What A Journey,” Paul Williams & The Victory Trio (artist), Bret Bronson & Louise Gorman (writers), Paul Williams (producer), Rebel Records
• “When The Last Of Our Days Shall Come,” Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artist), Chris Stuart (writer), Doyle Lawson (producer), Rounder Records
• “Who’ll Sing For Me?;” Audie Blaylock & Redline (artist), Thomas J. Farris (writer), Audie Blaylock (producer), Rural Rhythm Records

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Tune Title, Artist(s), Songwriter, Producer(s), Label

• “Angeline The Baker,” Rob Ickes & Andy Leftwich (artists), (public domain), Rob Haines (producer), Mel Bay Music
• “Don’t Tread On Me,” Kristin Scott Benson (artist/writer/producer), Pinecastle Records
• “Jerusalem Ridge,” Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (artist), Bill Monroe (writer), Jeff White & Michael Cleveland (producers), Rounder Records
• “Struttin’ To Ferrum,” Lonesome River Band (artist/producer), arrangement by Gene Parker, Rural Rhythm Records
• “The Crow,” Steve Martin (artist/writer), John McEuen (producer), 40 Share Productions (label)

EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR

• Sierra Hull & Highway 111
• Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass
• Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice
• The SteelDrivers
• Josh Williams Band

INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMERS OF THE YEAR

BANJO
• Kristin Scott Benson
• J.D. Crowe
• Steve Martin
• Sammy Shelor
• Ron Stewart

BASS
• Barry Bales
• Mike Bub
• Missy Raines
• Darrin Vincent
• Marshall Wilborn

FIDDLE
• Hunter Berry
• Jason Carter
• Michael Cleveland
• Stuart Duncan
• Ron Stewart

DOBRO
• Mike Auldridge
• Jerry Douglas
• Andy Hall
• Rob Ickes
• Randy Kohrs
• Phil Leadbetter

GUITAR
• Jim Hurst
• Tony Rice
• Bryan Sutton
• Kenny Smith
• Josh Williams

MANDOLIN
• Jesse Brock
• Sam Bush
• Sierra Hull
• Ronnie McCoury
• Adam Steffey

BLUEGRASS EVENT OF THE YEAR
• Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival; Oak Hill, New York; July 2008
• 33rd Annual Tri-State Bluegrass Festival; Kendallville, Indiana; May 2008
• 2008 World Cultural Fusion Festival; Kawaguchi City, Japan; July 2008

BLUEGRASS BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR

• Kyle Cantrell, Sirius-XM Satellite Radio, Nashville, Tennessee
• Katy Daley; HD Radio WAMU 88.5 Channel 2, 105.5 FM & www.bluegrasscountry.org; Washington, D.C.
• Ned Luberecki, Sirius-XM Satellite Radio, Nashville, Tennessee

PRINT MEDIA PERSON OF THE YEAR

• Tom Adams, Banjo Newsletter
• Dan Miller, Flatpicking Guitar
• Roger Siminoff; Siminoff’s Luthiers Glossary, Banjo Newsletter and Bluegrass Breakdown

BEST LINER NOTES FOR RECORDED PROJECT
Writers, Album, Artists, Label

• Charlie Cushman, Marty Stuart, Eddie Stubbs & Johnny Warren (writers); A Tribute to Fiddlin’ Paul Warren; Johnny Warren & Charlie Cushman (artists); (no label)
• Eddie Dean (writer); Old-Time Pickin’: A Clawhammer Banjo Collection, Ralph Stanley (artist), Rebel Records
• Steve Martin (writer), The Crow, Steve Martin (artist), 40 Share Productions (label)

BEST GRAPHIC DESIGN FOR RECORDED PROJECT
Designer, Album, Artists, Label

• G. Carr & Salli Ratts (designers), The Crow, Steve Martin (artist), 40 Share Productions (label)
• Stumptown Printers (designer), Uncle Charlie Osborne: The June Appal Recordings, Uncle Charlie Osborne (artist), June Appal Recordings
• Loren Witcher (designer), Inside Out, Missy Raines & the New Hip (artist), Compass Records

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS

• Hylo Brown – an early bluegrass music pioneer
• Pati Crooker – longtime producer of the Thomas Point Bluegrass Festival in Maine
• Jody Rainwater – veteran performer and radio announcer
• Dick Spottswood – author, musicologist and radio broadcaster, who has cataloged and been responsible for the re-issue of thousands of recordings in the U.S. and was a founder and the first editor of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine
• Joe Wilson – a folklore advocate, NEA National Heritage Fellowship recipient (2001) and presenter, who currently chairs the National Council for the Traditional Arts and directs The Blue Ridge Music Center near Galax, Virginia

Both Brown and Rainwater also are former members of Flatt & Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Boys.