Some 2,000 performers, presenters and others engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music are converging on Memphis, Tennessee for the 23rd International Folk Alliance Conference, February 16-20. [To read the article and learn where you can hear live performances from the conference on the radio and online, click on the headline.]
The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, in Los Angeles, California. Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ray LaMontagne, Pete Seeger and Bela Fleck were among the winners in more than 100 categories, most of whom were announced during ceremonies prior to the live broadcast from the Staples Center. [To see a listing of winners in select categories, click on the headline.]
Dailey & Vincent were the top winners in the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) 37th Annual Bluegrass Music Awards, taking home seven trophies, while Rhonda Vincent retained her title as Entertainer of the Year. Winners in 23 categories were announced during an awards show on February 6, 2011 at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. [To read the entire article and see the complete list of winners, click on the headline.]
Barton Hollow, the debut album by Americana-folk duo The Civil Wars, retains the top spot on the Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart this week. Albums by Malcolm Holcombe, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Jonathan Byrd and Abigail Washburn follow. [To view the latest Folk Top 50 albums chart, click on the headline.]
The Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) hosts a special one-day mini-conference on Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the First Universalist Society in Franklin, MA (home of the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse). [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
The Civil Wars' album Barton Hollow continues in the top slot in this week's Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart. Albums by Malcom Holcombe, Jonathan Byrd, Tim O'Brien and Wailin' Jennys follow. [To view the latest Folk Top 50 albums chart, click on the headline.]
Entries are now being sought in the 2011 Wildflower! Performing Songwriter Contest that is associated with the annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, May 20-22, at the Galatyn Park Urban Center in Richardson, Texas, just a few minutes north of Dallas. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
David Francey is the overall grand prize winner in the seventh annual International Acoustic Music Awards competition. One of Canada’s most revered singer-songwriters, Francey also captured first place in the competition’s Folk category for “The Waking Hour.” [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Chuck E. Costa, a talented singer-songwriter from Madison, CT, has been named as Connecticut’s State Troubadour for 2011-2012. He succeeds Lara Herscovitch, the state troubadour for 2009-2010. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Albums by The Civil Wars, Jonathan Byrd and Malcolm Holcombe retain the top three spots on the Roots Music Report Folk Radio Chart this week, while Coyote Grace's Ear to the Ground moves into the #4 position and David Greely's Sud du Sud is #5. [To view the latest Folk Top 50 albums chart, click on the headline.]
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale, who also serves as volunteer chairperson for MerleFest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, will engage in a live chat on Facebook on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. EST. Fans and aspiring songwriters can join the chat and pose questions to Lauderdale about the contest and songwriting in general by visiting the official page of the contest at the social media site. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
The Newport Folk Festival, which has been held in or near the coastal Rhode Island resort city since 1959, is returning to its original roots as a nonprofit event, along with its older sibling, the Newport Jazz Festival. Both will now be produced under the umbrella of he newly formed Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc. George Wein, 85, a pioneer among producers of outdoor festivals, will remain at its helm and, with his staff, continue to steer the folk festival that is set for July 29-31 at Fort Adams State Park. [To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
