Piedmont Blues Guitarist John Cephas, 1930-2009
“Bowling Green” John Cephas, one-half of the noted East Coast Piedmont-style blues duo Cephas and Wiggins, has died at age 78. His label, Alligator Records, reported that the guitarist and singer died of natural causes today at his home in Bowling Green, Virginia.
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New York Songwriter Joe Crookston Earns Album of the Year Award
Joe Crookston, an Ithaca, New York-based singer-songwriter and guitarist, received the prestigious Album of the Year Award during the 21st annual International Folk Alliance Conference, Feb. 18, in Memphis, Tennessee. His 2008 recording, Able Baker Charlie & Dog, ended the year as the #1 most-aired recording by folk/acoustic radio DJs in the United States.
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1,600 Head to Memphis for International Folk Alliance Conference
More than 1,600 performing artists, presenters, agents and managers, independent label and recording industry representatives, folk DJs, music journalists, folklorists and educators will converge on Memphis, Tennessee, Feb. 18-22, for the 21st Annual International Folk Alliance Conference.
Ranked among the five largest music conferences in North America, it will feature four days of panels and workshops and four nights of artist showcases, feature performances and hundreds of private showcases that extend late into the night (or early morning hours, depending on your vantage point). Roger McGuinn, former frontman for The Byrds and one of the pioneers of folk-rock music, will deliver a keynote address, while other leading and emerging artists will pay tribute to Phil Ochs and Utah Phillips and honor...
Plant and Krauss Dominate 51st Annual Grammy Awards
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the top winners in the 51st Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 8. The duo’s Rounder release, Raising Sand, produced by T Bone Burnett, was named Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Folk/Americana album. Plant and Krauss also captured awards for Record of the Year (“Please Read the Letter”), Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (“Rich Woman”) and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (“Killing The Blues”).
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Memorial Celebration for Odetta Set for Feb. 24 in New York
Artists, friends and family of Odetta, a singer of folk, blues, jazz and spirituals, whose powerful, deep voice helped spark the flames of social justice and freedom during the height of the civil rights movement, will celebrate her life and career in words and song on Feb. 24 at New York’s Riverside Church.
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Pete Seeger to Join in Obama Inaugural Celebration, Jan. 18
American folk music icon Pete Seeger, whose songs have helped to provide a musical backdrop for many of the historical movements of the past 50-plus years, will join other musical luminaries in performing during “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial” in Washington, D.C. on Sunday. Jan. 18.
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Winners Named in 8th Annual Independent Music Awards
Winners in the eighth annual Independent Music Awards were announced this month. Produced by Music Resource Group, publishers of The Musician’s Atlas, the Independent Music Awards feature more than 50 music and design categories and were open to any indie-label release or self-produced, self-distributed recording released between July 1, 2007 and Sept. 30, 2008.
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Future of Music Coalition Policy Day Set for Feb. 11 in D.C.
The potential impact of media and broadband policy and changes in federal copyright law on the music and technology communities will be explored and debated during the Future of Music Coalition’s second Policy Day. Slated for Wednesday, February 11, at National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium in Washington, D.C., the day-long event -- sponsored by the national nonprofit education, research and advocacy organization --comes just weeks after the Obama Administration assumes power.
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Odetta, 1930-2008, The Spark Goes Out
Odetta, a singer of folk, blues, jazz and spirituals whose powerful, deep voice helped spark the flames of social justice and freedom during the height of the civil rights movement, has died. The artist, who helped keep the light of folk music burning brightly for more than half a century, succumbed to heart disease on Dec. 2, less than a month short of her 78th birthday and less than 50 days shy of the inauguration of President Barack Obama at which she had hoped to sing.Roots Music Association Presents Awards
Anne McCue was named Folk Artist of the Year, while Carrie Rodriguez took Folk Songwriter of the Year honors in the inaugural Roots Music Association Awards. Others recognized during an awards ceremony that took place on the closing day of the World United Music Festival and Radio Conference in San Marcos, Texas, Nov. 14-16, included Emmylou Harris (Roots/Americana Artist of the Year), Chris Knight (Roots/Americana Country Songwriter of the Year), The Dixie Bee-Liners (Bluegrass Artist of the Year), Pinetop Perkins (Blues Artist of the Year), Tom Gray (Blues Songwriter of the Year), Asleep at the Wheel (Cowboy/Western Swing Artist of the Year), and Jo-el Sonnier (Zydeco Artist of the Year).
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2008 MountainStage NewSong Contest Winners Named
Jeff Ellis of Huntington, West Virginia; Jacob & Lily of Winnipeg, Manitoba; Kangero of Brooklyn, New York; Kelleigh McKenzie of Rosendale, New York; and Rose Polenzani of Somerville, Massachusetts were named as winners of the 2008 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, presented by Folk Alliance.
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Dailey & Vincent Dominate International Bluegrass Music Awards
Dailey & Vincent, who released their debut CD earlier this year, captured the most awards during last night’s 19th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards Show at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville Tennessee. The group, whose leaders (Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent) apprenticed for years under Doyle Lawson and Ricky Skaggs, was named Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year, while its self-titled debut on Rounder Records was named Album of the Year and “By the Mark†was named Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year. In addition, Dailey was named Male Vocalist of the Year, while Vincent was among the featured artists on the Recorded Event of the Year –...
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