Singer-Songwriter Jim Post, 1939-2022
Jim Post, a singer-songwriter who was a fixture on the folk music scene in Chicago for more than 50 years, died on September 14, 2022 following a long illness.
Jim Post, a singer-songwriter who was a fixture on the folk music scene in Chicago for more than 50 years, died on September 14, 2022 following a long illness.
Winners in the 2022 Americana Honors & Awards were recognized during an awards show in Nashville, Tennessee on September 14 that is a highlight of AMERICANAFEST, a six-day festival and conference celebrating American roots-inspired music that is hosted by the Americana Music Association and extends through September 17.
Nearly 150 artists/acts from more than 20 countries have been jury-selected to perform in Official Showcases during the 35th annual Folk Alliance International Conference that is slated for February 1-5, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to see a listing of official showcase artists.]
Happy Traum was the most-played artist on folk radio during August 2022, while his recent release, There’s a Bright Side Somewhere, was the top album and its title track was the month’s most-played 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 monthly top albums, songs and artists charts that are posted with permission.]
Shanna in a Dress was named the winner of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase that took place at the Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, Colorado on the festival’s opening day, August 12. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a couple of performance videos.]
Judith Durham, lead singer of the Australian folk-pop quartet The Seekers, has died at age 79. Durham -- whose crystalline voice can be heard on such 1960s hit songs as “Georgy Girl” (the title track of the movie of the same name) and “I’ll Never Find Another You” -- passed away on August 5, 2022, as a result of long-standing chronic lung disease. She had been admitted to palliative care earlier that day following a brief hospital stay, according to Musicoast and Universal Music Australia. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a couple of videos.]
Nominees for the 33rd annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards were announced July 26 in Nashville, Tennessee. In the running for the coveted Entertainer of the Year award are Billy Strings, Del McCoury Band, and Po ‘Ramblin’ Boys. Sister Sadie, and Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view the complete list of nominees, this year’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductees and Distinguished Achievement Award recipients, as well as the first recipient of IBMA’s new International Band Performance Grant.]
Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) and Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA), two regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International, have selected artists/acts to participate in juried official showcases during their respective annual conferences this fall. Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) will do so in August.
Singer-Songwriter Deidre McCalla had the most-played album (Endless Grace) and song (“Shoulder to the Wheel”) on folk radio during June 2022, while Tom Paxton, Cathy Fink &Marcy Marxer edged her out for the month’s most-played artist. 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 short article and to view the monthly top albums, songs and artists charts that are posted with permission.]
The 16th annual Huntington Folk Festival is set for Saturday, July 16, at Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue, in Huntington, New York. Extending from 12 noon-10 p.m., with a dinner break from 5-7:15 p.m., the free event is co-presented by the Huntington Arts Council, Folk Music Society of Huntington and AcousticMusicScene.com as part of the 57th Huntington Summer Arts Festival produced by the Town of Huntington. ‘An Evening with Paula Cole and Sophie B. Hawkins’ will be preceded by a series of amplified showcases and song swaps, along with a musical tribute to Lois Morton and an open mic, during the afternoon.
The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) has extended invites to 40 artists/acts/songwriters to participate in its Bluegrass Ramble official showcases and Songwriter Showcase during the 2022 IBMA World of Bluegrass that is slated for September 27-October 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Virtuosic, Grammy Award-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland is among the recipients of 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. Created in 1982, the one-time only fellowships are presented annually to nine-13 individuals (“national living treasures”) in recognition of lifetime achievement, artistic excellence and contributions to the United States’ cultural heritage. The fellowships are the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.