Balsam Range is IBMA Entertainer of the Year
Entertainer of The Year, the top honor in the 25th annual International Bluegrass Music Awards – presented Oct. 2 at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Duke Energy Center for the Arts – went to the Tar Heel State’s own Balsam Range. The acoustic quintet also was named Vocal Group of the Year, while member Buddy Melton was voted Male Vocalist of the Year.
[To read the full article and see a listing of 2014 International Bluegrass Music Award winners, click on the headline.]
Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Winners Named
Five songwriters and a duo have been named as winners in the 2014 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters.
[To read the full article, click on the headline.]
Jesse Winchester, 1944-2014
Singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester lost his battle with cancer on April 11, 2014, just over a month shy of his 70th birthday. He died at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia. A songwriter’s songwriter, Jesse Winchester was revered and widely covered by other artists.
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Everything’s Up to “Folk” in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri may be better known for jazz, blues, barbecue chefs and the football Chiefs. However, more than 2,000 people are expected to converge on this midwestern U.S. metropolis Feb. 19-23, 2014, for the 26th Annual International Folk Alliance Conference and a new Winter Music Camp that will run concurrently with it.
[To continue reading the article, click on the headline.]
Nickel Creek Reunites, Sets Spring Tour
Nickel Creek, the popular progressive acoustic trio that went on a self-described “indefinite hiatus” in 2007, is reuniting. To mark its 25th anniversary, the Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum-selling band will embark on a U.S. tour this spring and summer and is at work on a new album.
[To read the full article and view a video of Nickel Creek performing a song from its forthcoming album, click on the headline.]
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival’s ‘Most Wanted’ Emerging Artists Named
The Boxcar Lilies, Darlingside, Connor Garvey and Roosevelt Dime have been invited to participate in the Most Wanted Song Swap at this summer’s Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. They were chosen in balloting by 2013 festival goers from among 24 artists/bands who performed in last year’s Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artists Showcase.
[To read the full article and view videos of the "Most Wanted" artists, click on the headline.]
Reflecting on Pete Seeger, 1919-2014
Pete Seeger, the inspirational American folk music icon, political activist, environmentalist and humanitarian, whose songs helped provide a musical backdrop for many of the historical movements of the past 50-plus years, died on Jan.. 27. He was 94 and had been preceded in death last year by his wife and soulmate of nearly 70 years, Toshi.
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Grammy Winners Named in American Roots Music Field
Most of the winners in more than 80 categories in the 56th Annual Grammy Awards were announced during ceremonies held prior to the televised event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on Jan. 26. To view the list of winners in the American Roots Music Field, click on the headline.
Steven Fromholz, Texas Singer-Songwriter, 1945-2014
Steven Fromholz, a well-respected Texas singer-songwriter, engaging and witty performer, author, actor, humorist, “singing cowboy,” acclaimed whitewater rafting guide, and one-time poet laureate of the Lone Star State, died Jan. 19 following a hunting accident. He was 68.
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U.S. Court Strikes Down Net Neutrality Rules
A U.S. federal appeals court in Washington, DC has dealt a serious blow to musicians, the music community and others eager to maintain a level online playing field. On Jan. 14, the three-judge panel struck down the Federal Communications Commission’s rules designed to keep the Internet open to free expression, entrepreneurship and innovation.
[To continue reading the article, including a statement from the Future of Music Coalition, click on the headline.]
Top Albums and Songs of 2013 (FOLKDJ-L)
Folk harmony trio Brother Sun's sophomore release, Some Part of the Truth, was the most-played album on folk radio during 2013. The trio -- comprised of veteran touring singer-songwriters Joe Jencks, Greg Greenway and Pat Wictor -- also had the most-played song, Jencks’"Lady of the Harbor," according to charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio.
The FOLKDJ-L charts are based on 157,864 airplays from 187 different DJs. The number of reported spins (airplays) is shown in parentheses, while label and release dates appear in brackets. They are posted, with permission, on AcousticMusicScene.com.
[To view the Top Albums and Songs of 2013,...
Sarah Elizabeth Campbell, 1953-2013
Sarah Elizabeth Campbell, an Austin, Texas-based performing songwriter, succumbed to liver cancer on Dec. 26, 2013 at the age of 60.The cancer stemmed from a rare form of Hepatitis C to which she had been exposed as a child.
[To read the full article and view a video of Sarah, click on the headline.]
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