The Gibson Brothers top the list of nominees for the 2013 International Bluegrass Music Awards that were announced during an August 14 news conference at Nashville’s Loveless Barn. The reigning Entertainers of the Year, who hail from upstate New York, garnered a collective eight nominations. Following them were Balsam Range with seven nominations and The Boxcars, Alison Kraus & Union Station and Russell Moore & 111rd Tyme Out with six nods each. [A full list of nominees appears at the end of this article.]

Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), the trade association for the global bluegrass community. Results of the balloting will be revealed at the International Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, September 26, hosted by the Steep Canyon Rangers. The Awards Show is the centerpiece of World of Bluegrass Week, slated for September 24-28, in Raleigh, North Carolina. After a long stint in Nashville, the IBMA has partnered with The Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau, PineCone – The Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, the City of Raleigh and a local organizing committee to have the event in North Carolina’s capital city for the next three years.

The Gibson Brothers They Called It Music cover“We are honored and humbled by the nominations we have received,” says Eric Gibson, expressing thanks “to the IBMA voters for this incredible honor and congratulations to all of the nominees.” Individually and as an ensemble, members of The Gibson Brothers received nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group, Album of the Year for They Called It Music, Song of the Year for “its title track (written by Eric Gibson and Joe Newberry), and Gospel Recorded Event for “Home on the River.” Eric Gibson was also nominated in the Bluegrass Songwriter category along with Louisa Branscomb. Gibson Brothers mandolinist Jesse Brock also earned a nomination for Mandolin Player of the Year. The Gibson Brothers record for Compass Records, whose artists received the most nominations of any label this year.

Balsam Range, a western North Carolina-based band, received nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group, Album of the Year for Papertown, and two Song of the Year nods for its title track and “Any Old Road (Will Take You There). Band member Buddy Melton was nominated in the Gospel Recorded Event and Recorded Event categories for “What’ll I Do” with Terry Baucom).

The IBMA Awards Show will be broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Bluegrass Junction) and syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets and 14 foreign networks.

A complete list of nominees, this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, and Distinguished Achievement Award recipients follows.

2013 Hall of Fame Inductees

Tony Rice
Paul Warren

2013 Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients

Keith Case
The East Mountain Boys
Vic Jordan
The McLain Family Band
Charley Pennell

2013 International Bluegrass Music Award Nominations

Entertainer of the Year

Balsam Range
Blue Highway
Dailey & Vincent
The Gibson Brothers
The Del McCoury Band

Vocal Group of the Year

Balsam Range
Blue Highway
Dailey & Vincent
The Gibson Brothers
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

Instrumental Group of the Year

Blue Highway
The Boxcars
Sam Bush Band
Punch Brothers
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

Song of the Year

“Any Old Road (Will Take You There),” Balsam Range, written by Carl Jackson, Marc Pruett & Jerry Salley
“Gentle on my Mind,” Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, written by John Hartford
“Papertown,” Balsam Range, written by Milan Miller
“The Story of the Day that I Died,” Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, written by Ashby Frank
“They Called It Music,” The Gibson Brothers, written by Eric Gibson & Joe Newberry

Album of the Year

Dear Sister, Claire Lynch, produced by Garry West, Compass Records
Hammer Down, The SteelDrivers, produced by The SteelDrivers
& Luke Wooten, Rounder Records
The Old School, Peter Rowan, produced by Alison Brown, Compass Records
Papertown, Balsam Range, produced by Balsam Range, Mountain Home
They Called It Music, The Gibson Brothers, produced by Eric & Leigh Gibson and Mike Barber, Compass Records.

Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year

“Beulah Land,” Marty Raybon, written by Squire Parsons, produced by Marty Raybon, Rural Rhythm
“Home on the River,” The Gibson Brothers, written by Austin Taylor, produced by Eric & Leigh Gibson and Mike Barber, Compass Records
“Row by Row,” Balsam Range, written by Ashleigh Caudill, produced by Balsam Range, Mountain Home
“Say Hello to Heaven,” Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, written by Lewis N. Hyatt, produced by Doyle Lawson, Mountain Home
“When He Beckons Me Home,” Darin & Brooke Aldridge, written by George Shuffler, produced by Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Mountain Home.

Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year

“By the Waters of the Clinch,” Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, written by Doyle Lawson, produced by Doyle Lawson, Mountain Home
“Foggy Mountain Rock,” Tom Adams, Dan Tyminski, Ron Stewart, Dennis Crouch, Clay Hess, Randy Kohrs; written by Louise Certain, Burkett Graves & Gladys Stacey; Rounder Records.
“New Jerusalem,” Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, written by Ricky Skaggs, produced by Ricky Skaggs, Skaggs Family Records
“Newton’s Grove,” Audie Blaylock & Redline, written by Richard Underwood, produced by Audie Blaylock, Rural Rhythm
“NoraBelle,” Darrell Webb Band, written by Darrell Webb, Rural Rhythm
“Pilgrim’s Knob,” Alan Bibey & Wayne Benson, written by Bill Monroe, produced by Alan Bibey & Wayne Benson, Pinecastle

Recorded Event of the Year

“Another Night,” Alan Bibey, Wayne Benson and Russell Moore, produced by Alan Bibey & Wayne Benson, Pinecastle
“Golden Ring,” Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out with Sonya Isaacs, produced by Barry Bales, Cracker Barrel
“On the Edge of Letting Go,” Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen with Tim O’Brien and Rob Ickes, produced by Frank Solivan & Brent Truitt, Compass Records
“This Old Guitar and Me,” Grasstowne with Ronnie Bowman, produced by Ronnie Bowman & Grasstowne, Mountain Fever Records
“What’ll I Do;” Terry Baucom with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Wyatt Rice, Steve Bryant & Buddy Melton; produced by Terry Baucom, Cindy Baucom and Ed Lowe; John Boy & Billy label

Emerging Artist of the Year

Della Mae
Flatt Lonesome
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
The Spinney Brothers
The Darrell Webb Band

Male Vocalist of the Year

Jamie Dailey
Russell Moore
Tim O’Brien
Marty Raybon
Junior Sisk

Female Vocalist of the Year

Dale Ann Bradley
Sonya Isaacs
Claire Lynch
Amanda Smith
Rhonda Vincent

Instrumental Performers of the Year

Banjo:

J.D. Crowe
Mike Munford
Sammy Shelor
Ron Stewart
Scott Vestal

Bass:

Barry Bales
Mike Bub
Missy Raines
Mark Schatz
Marshall Wilborn

Fiddle:

Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
Bobby Hicks
Ron Stewart

Dobro:

Mike Auldridge
Jerry Douglas
Rob Ickes
Randy Kohrs
Phil Leadbetter

Guitar:

Jim Hurst
Tony Rice
Kenny Smith
Bryan Sutton
Josh Williams

Mandolin:

Wayne Benson
Jesse Brock
Sam Bush
Sierra Hull
Adam Steffey

Special Award Nominations

Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year

Joe Mullins, WBZI, Xenia, Ohio
Ronnie Reno, Reno’s Old Time Music Festival, BlueHighways TV and RFD
Wayne Rice, KSON, San Diego, California
David Smith, North Dakota’s Prairie Public Radio
Tim White, Song of the Mountains, PBS

Bluegrass Event of the Year

The 2013 Bluegrass First Class, Asheville, North Carolina
The 2012 Father’s Day Festival, Grass Valley, California
The 2012 Huck Finn Jubilee, Ontario, California
The 2012 Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival, Tunbridge, Vermont
Bill Monroe Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, Bean Blossom, Indiana

Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project

Dak Alley, Carl Jackson & Jimmy Metts (designers); Grace Notes; Carl Jackson; Voxhall Records
Erick Anderson (designer), Music To My Ears, Ricky Skaggs,
Skaggs Family Records
Sue Meyer (designer), Doctor’s Orders, Don Rigsby, Rebel Records
Pharis Romero (designer), In Good Company, Bill Evans,
Native & Fine Records.
Tom Rozum, Catherine Manning & Dave Weiland (designers); Chicken on a Rocketship; Chad Manning; Manning Music and Arts label

Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project

Tom Adams; Foggy Mountain Special; Tom Adams, Ron Block, J.D. Crowe, Charlie Cushman, Kenny Ingram, Jim Mills, Joe Mullins, Larry Perkins, Craig Smith, Ron Stewart, David Talbot & Tony Trischka; Rounder Records
Fred Bartenstein, They’re Playing My Song, Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers, Rebel Records
Jamie Lynn Brinkman, God Didn’t Choose Sides, Various Artists,
Rural Rhythm Records
Carl Jackson, Grace Notes, Carl Jackson, Voxhall Records
Don Rigsby, Doctor’s Orders, Don Rigsby, Rebel Records.

Bluegrass Print/Media Person of the Year

Fred Bartenstein, editor, Bluegrass Bluesman:
A Memoir by Uncle Josh Graves (book)
Derek Halsey, writer for the Herald Dispatch in Huntington, West Virginia and Bluegrass Unlimited magazine
Chris Jones, writer for Bluegrass Today
Ted Lehman, blogger for Ted Lehmann’s Bluegrass, Books & Brainstorms
Amy Reitnouer, editor of The Bluegrass Situation

Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year

Louisa Branscomb
Paula Breedlove
Mark “Brink” Brinkman
Eric Gibson
Donna Ulisse

Momentum Awards

Industry, New Professional:

Danny Clark, The Bluegrass Bus & LeRoy Troy PR
Martha Dantzic, Quicksilver Productions
Amy Reitnouer, The Bluegrass Situation

Industry, New Festival or Venue:

Bluegrass on the Plains, Auburn, AL
The Festy, Roseland, VA
The Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival, Roanoke Island, NC

Industry, Mentor:

Stephen Mougin
Denise Stiff
Jon Weisberger

Performance, Vocalist:

Amber Collins, Amber Collins & Turning Point
Robert Greer, Town Mountain
Sarah Harris, Trinity River Band
Isaac Moore, The Moore Brothers
Celia Woodsmith, Della Mae

Performance, Band:

The Bankesters
Cumberland River
Front Country
Snyder Family Band
Town Mountain

Performance, Instrumentalist:

Bobby Britt, Town Mountain
Kimber Ludiker, Della Mae
Chris Luquette, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Bryan McDowell, Claire Lynch Band
Zeb Snyder, Snyder Family Band

Special Awards and Distinguished Achievement Awards will be presented at a luncheon on Thursday, September 26 from 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. at the World of Bluegrass Business Conference in Raleigh, NC. The Momentum Awards will be presented during a Showcase Luncheon on Wednesday, September 25.

More information about the International Bluegrass Music Awards and World of Bluegrass 2013 may be found online at www.ibma.org.