Buddy Miller Wins a Slew of Americana Music Awards
Buddy Miller was the big winner during last night’s Eighth Annual Americana Music Association Honors & Awards Show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The acclaimed singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer and much sought-after collaborator and sideman, was named Artist of the Year and also won Album of the Year (for Written In Chalk, with wife Julie Miller), Duo/Group of the Year (again with Julie), and Song of the Year (“Chalk,” written by Julie and performed by Buddy and Patty Griffin.)
[To view the entire article and learn who the other winners were, click on the headline.]
Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary, 1936-2009
Mary Travers, who rose to international stardom with the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, died tonight at 72 in Danbury, Connecticut.
Loving tributes and remembrances from Peter and Paul appear at www.marytravers.com.
Upcoming Americana Music Festival and Conference in Nashville Features Keynote Interview with Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash will be the 2009 keynote interview subject during the Americana Music Association’s Festival and Conference on Thursday morning, September 17, at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Author and journalist Michael Streissguth, whose latest book, Always Been There: Rosanne Cash, The List and the Spirit of Southern Music, chronicles the making of her forthcoming album, will pose questions to the Grammy Award-winning artist, who has had more than 20 top 40 country singles over the course of her 30-year career to date.
Photo by Deborah Feingold.
[To view the entire article, click on the headline.] Mike Seeger, 1933-2009
Mike Seeger, who, as a solo performer, collector of songs, and member of the New Lost City Ramblers, helped to revive and widen interest in southern traditional music, died at his Lexington, Virginia home on August 7, just a week shy of his 76th birthday.
[To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Sandy Paton, Folksinger and Founder of Folk-Legacy, 1928-2009
Sandy Paton, a traditional folksinger, folklorist and co-founder of Folk-Legacy, has died at the age of 80. Paton, who launched the independent label based in Sharon, Connecticut with his wife Caroline and the late Lee Haggerty in 1961, passed away on July 26.
Report Examines ‘The State of Music Online’
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the official launch of Napster, the revolutionary file-sharing network application that led to millions of people downloading music files online and prompted many music industry observers to sound the death knell for record labels long before sales figures had shown any marked decline. In a June 15 report prepared for the Pew Internet & American Life Project and posted on its website (www.pewinternet.org), Mary Madden examines “The State of Music Online: Ten Years After Napster.”
[To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Theodore Bikel Tribute Concert at NYC’s Carnegie Hall, June 15
Acclaimed actor and folksinger Theodore Bikel, who turned 85 last month, will be feted on Monday evening, June 15, during a tribute concert at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall, where the versatile baritone made his debut in 1956. Joining him on stage will be Alan Alda, Arlo Guthrie, Noel Paul Stookey, Peter Yarrow, Tom Paxton, The Klezmatics, Judy Kaye, Susan Werner, David Amram, Beyond the Pale, Artie Butler, Patricia, Conolly, David Krakauer, Hankus Netsky, Sarah Horowitz, Serendipity 4 (featuring Bikel, Tamara Brooks, Merlima Kljuco and Shura Lipovsky), and Michael Wex.
Several photos taken during a reception preceding the concert now accompany this article.
[To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
‘Performing Songwriter’ Ends 16-Year Run
Performing Songwriter is ceasing publication after 16 years. The magazine’s June 2009 issue, sent to subscribers and newsstands this week, will be its final edition, Lydia Hutchinson, its editor and publisher, has announced.
[To read the article in its entirety, click on the headline.]
Grammy Awards Folk Field Renamed and Expanded
The Recording Academy announced today that its trustees have voted to rename and expand the Folk Field in the Grammy Awards.
Citing the increasing growth of traditional music, the Academy has split the category Best Contemporary Folk/Americana into two categories: Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Americana Album. In addition, the Folk Field has been renamed American Roots Music.
[To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
NEA Honors Mike Seeger with Bess Lomax Hawes Award
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) last week named Mike Seeger as the recipient of its 2009 Bess Lomax Hawes Award. The award is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the preservation and awareness of our cultural heritage.
[To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
Stephen Bruton, ‘the Soul of Texas Music,’ 1948-2009
Stephen Bruton, an Austin, Texas-based guitarist, songwriter and actor, has died at age 60, after battling throat cancer for more than two years. Bruton died peacefully in his sleep on May 9, at the Los Angeles, California home of his childhood friend, musician and producer T Bone Burnett, who considered him “the soul of Texas music” and with whom he was working on the soundtrack for Jeff Bridges’ film “Crazy Heart.”
[To read the entire article, click on the headline.]
‘For Pete’s Sake, Sing!’ as Seeger Turns 90
Pete Seeger, the inspirational American folk music icon, political activist and humanitarian, whose songs have helped to provide a musical backdrop for many of the historical movements of the past 50-plus years, marks a historic milestone himself on Sunday, May 3. Throughout the country and the world over, many special events are planned in celebration of Pete’s 90th birthday. In addition, a five-CD box set of Seeger songs has just been released, and a number of folk radio programs airing over the weekend are likely to focus on his life and legacy.
[To read the entire article, including listings of more than a dozen "For Pete's Sake, Sing" events across the U.S., click on the headline.]
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