Kerrville Folk Festival Hosts Virtual Celebration; 24 New Folk Finalists Named
Although the annual Kerrville Folk Festival won’t be taking place in late May- June on the Quiet Valley Ranch campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, “virtual concerts” featuring nearly 40 of the artists who were booked to perform during it will be streamed from the festival’s website and its Facebook page on three successive Saturdays in late May-early June. Meanwhile, 24 songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2020 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Contest for Emerging Songwriters that organizers hope will take place Oct. 9 and 10 during the 49th annual Kerrville Folk Festival that has been tentatively rescheduled for Oct. 8-18.
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Livestreaming Links and Websites of Note
In the wake of the continuing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a number of Facebook groups and pages have been launched that welcome artists and presenters to post their livestreaming concerts and/or information about them.
[To view a descriptive listing of some new Facebook groups and pages -- as well as websites -- that include livestreaming concerts, click on the headline.]
Eric Taylor, Singer-Songwriter, 1949-2020
Eric Taylor, an internationally touring Houston, Texas-based singer-songwriter, storyteller and guitarist, died March 9 at the age of 70. Taylor released 10 studio and live albums, while his songs have been recorded by such notable artists as Nanci Griffith (to whom he was formerly married) and Lyle Lovett, on whom he was a major influence.
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Bluegrass Now! Airs on PBS Television Stations
Bluegrass Now!, a television special featuring a wide array of the musical genre’s leading performing artists, will begin airing on PBS stations across the U.S. on Saturday, February 29. Fittingly, it was filmed during a concert on December 19, 2019 at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum’s Woodward Theatre in Owensboro, Kentucky -- near the home of Bill Monroe, the "Father of Bluegrass Music."
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Bob Shane, Co-Founder of The Kingston Trio, 1934-2020
Bob Shane, the last original member of The Kingston Trio, died on January 26 – just a few days shy of his 86h birthday. Along with his bandmates, Shane, a singer and guitarist, helped to spur the folk revival of the late 1950s -1960s.
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International Folk Music Awards Presented
The Small Glories, Amythyst Kiah and Mavis Staples were among the recipients of International Folk Music Awards presented Wednesday, Jan. 22, on the opening night of the 32nd annual Folk Alliance International Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana that continues through Jan. 26..
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David Olney, Beloved Singer-Songwriter, 1948-2020
David Olney, a revered folk and Americana singer-songwriter, died after suffering an apparent heart attack on Saturday night, Jan. 18, while onstage at the 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. During a musical career that spanned more than four decades, Olney, 71, recorded and released more than 20 albums and had his songs covered or co-written by such other notable artists as Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Laurie Lewis, Del McCoury, and Linda Ronstadt.
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Grammy Award Nominees Named in American Roots Music Field
Nominees in 84 categories have been named for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards to be presented by The Recording Academy on Sunday, January 26, 2020. Yola and I’m With Her lead the nominees for awards in the American Roots Music Field with three and two nominations, respectively. Those awards will likely be presented prior to the live broadcast airing on CBS television stations that evening from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
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NERFA Celebrates 25 Years of Music and Community at Its Annual Conference, Nov. 7-10
Some 700 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs, and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music are expected to converge on the Crowne Plaza in Stamford, Connecticut, Nov. 7-10, 2019 for the 25th Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. AcousticMusicScene.com will again have a major presence as it hosts afternoon and late-night song swaps in addition to its popular Midnight Hoot at the close of the conference’s first day.
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John Cohen, Founding Member of the New Lost City Ramblers, 1932-2019
John Cohen, a founding member of the influential folk group the New Lost City Ramblers, died on Sept. 16, 2019. Cohen, 87, also was a musicologist, photographer and filmmaker.
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2019 Americana Honors & Awards Presented
Singer-Songwriter John Prine was the big winner in The 2019 Americana Honors & Awards that were presented on Wednesday, September 11 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. His 2019 release, The Tree of Forgiveness, was named Album of the Year, while “Summer’s End” was voted Song of the Year.
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