IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Nominees & Bluegrass Hall of Fame Inductees Named

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.]

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FARM, SWRFA Select Official Showcase Artists

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.

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FAI Folk Radio Charts – June 2022

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.]

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July 16: AcousticMusicScene.com Copresents the Huntington Folk Festival

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.

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Bluegrass Ramble and Songwriter Showcase Artists Chosen for IBMA World of Bluegrass

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.

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Michael Cleveland Named NEA National Heritage Fellow

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.

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Read more about the article New Bedford Folk Festival Set for July 9-10, 2022

New Bedford Folk Festival Set for July 9-10, 2022

After a two-year hiatus, the 25th Annual New Bedford Folk Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10, 2022. Among the Northeast’s most pleasant, refined and enjoyable music festivals, the family-oriented event takes over the cobblestoned streets of this historic Massachusetts port city –- much of which is part of the Whaling National Historic Park. Visitors will soak in the area’s rich maritime history as they stroll its streets while listening to world-class contemporary and traditional folk music, Americana, blues and Celtic performers under tents set up along them and in the air-conditioned comfort of the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center and the fabulous New Bedford Whaling Museum’s auditorium. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article previewing the festival.]

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FAI Folk Radio Charts – May 2022

Singer-Songwriter Chuck Brodsky had the most-played album (Gravity, Wings, and Heavy Things) and three of the top 10 songs on folk radio during May 2022. Cosy Sheridan’s “The Land of 10,000 Mothers” edged out Brodsky’s “It Takes Two Wings” for the most-played song, while Bob Dylan was the month’s top 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 charts.]

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Emerging Artist Showcase Performers Chosen for 2022 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

Fifteen artists/acts have been invited to perform in an abbreviated 2022 Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival on Friday afternoon, July 29, from noon to 3 p.m. This year’s festival is set for July 29-31 at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Goshen, Connecticut – where A Day of Falcon Ridge took place last year.

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Winners Named in 2022 Kerrville New Folk Competition

Six singer-songwriters have been named as winners in the 2022 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 28 and 29 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day event at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country.

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International Folk Music Awards Presented

Folk Alliance International honored artists and others in the folk music community during the annual International Folk Music Awards show that took place May 18, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri on the opening night of FAI’s 34th annual conference. It was also streamed online. Allison Russell was named Artist of the Year (2021) and also accepted the award for Album of the Year (Outside Child), while Crys Matthews’ “Changemakers” was named Song of the Year. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a few videos.]

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Allison Russell, Maria Dunn Win Juno Awards

Allison Russell’s Outside Child was named Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and Maria Dunn’s _Joyful Banner Blazing won Traditional Roots Album of the Year during the 2022 JUNO Awards ceremonies on May 15 at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto, Ontario. Members of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) selected the award recipients in these and other categories.

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