Winners Named in 2025 Kerrville New Folk Competition
Six singer-songwriters have been named as winners in the 2025 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. They were chosen by a panel of judges from among 24 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts on May 24 and 25 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day event at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio.
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Barry Poss, Co-Founder of Sugar Hill Records, 1945-2025
Barry Poss, co-founder and longtime owner of Sugar Hill Records –- an influential independent label whose roster included numerous notable bluegrass, Americana, old-time and roots music artists –- died on May 13, 2025. He was 79 and had been battling cancer for years.
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SolarFest Songwriter Showcase Applications Due June 1
SolarFest -- slated for August 8-10, 2025 in Brandon, Vermont -- hosts a Singer-Songwriter Showcase. It’s free to enter and open to all artists who write and perform original music and are not currently signed to a major recording label.
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FAI Folk Radio Charts – April 2025
Tim Grimm had the top album (Bones of Trees), was the most-played artist, and had five of the top 10 songs on folk radio during April 2025. “Ain’t That the Way“ by Rees Shad was the month’s top song. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio.
[Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view the top albums, songs and artists charts that are posted monthly with permission.]
Remembering Jill Sobule, 1959-2025
Jill Sobule, 66, was groundbreaking and much revered and loved singer-songwriter and human rights activist best-known for her 1995 breakthrough hit single “I Kissed a Girl” (the first openly LGBTQ-themed song to crack the Billboard Top 20) and “Supermodel” from that year’s popular “Clueless” film soundtrack. Both songs appear on the first of her 12 albums. In the week since her tragic death in a Minnesota house fire on May 1, 2025 sent shockwaves through the folk and singer-songwriter communities, many of her fellow artists have expressed their grief and shared personal reflections on Facebook. A sampling follows.
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FAI Folk Radio Charts – March 2025
Lucy Kaplansky had the top album (The Lucy Story: Unreleased and Rare Tracks 1976-2023) and was the most-played artist on folk radio during March 2025, while “Which Side Are You On?” by Artists for Action was the month’s top song. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio.
[Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view the top albums, songs and artists charts that are posted monthly with permission.]
Singer-Songwriter Cape May Conference Set for March 28-29
The maddening crowds of summer won’t be there yet, but several hundred performing artists and others engaged in the music business are expected to converge on the historic Victorian-lined New Jersey seaside resort community of Cape May, March 28-29, 2025 when the Singer-Songwriter Cape May conference resumes following a five-year hiatus. The conference had previously taken place annually from 2018-2019.
[Click on the headline to continue reading this article previewing the conference which features evening artist showcases that are free and open to the public.]
Jesse Colin Young, 1941-2025
Jesse Colin Young -- a noted singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and folk-rock & Americana pioneer who co-founded and fronted The Youngbloods -- passed away in Aiken, South Carolina on March 16, 2025 at age 83.
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FAI Folk Radio Charts – February 2025
Alice Howe and Freebo had the top album (Live) and four of the month’s most-played songs on folk radio during February 2025, while Alison Krauss and Union Station’s “Looks Like the End of the Road” edged them out for top song and John McCutcheon was the most-played artist for a second consecutive month. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio.
Click on the headline to view the top albums, songs and artists charts that are posted monthly with permission.
International Folk Music Award Winners Honored During Conference in Montreal
The 2025 International Folk Music Awards were presented on the opening night of the 37th annual Folk Alliance International Conference at Le Sheraton Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada last month. These included member-voted Best Album, Song and Artist of the Year (2024), as well as Lifetime Achievement Awards, Spirit of Folk Awards, the Clearwater Award, the People’s Voice Award, and the Rising Tide Award, in addition to inductions into the Folk Radio Hall of Fame.
[Click on the headline to continue reading this article, which also includes information about the conference, and to view a couple of videos.]
IBMA Songwriter Showcase Applicants Sought
Up to 10 songwriters (or songwriting teams) will be invited to perform one original bluegrass song each for an audience of artists, producers and other industry professionals during a Songwriter Showcase at this year’s IBMA Business Conference that’s part of the World of Bluegrass in Chattanooga, Tennessee, hosted by the International Bluegrass Music Association, September 16-18. The online application period for the 2025 IBMA Songwriter Showcase extends through March 31.
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