Bluegrass & Beyond – AcousticMusicScene.com

Billy Strings was named Entertainer of the Year during the 36th Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. (Photo: Ed Rode)

IBMA 2025 Bluegrass Music Awards Presented

Post published:September 21, 2025
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond

Billy Strings was named Entertainer of the Year for a fourth time, while bluegrass fiddle virtuosos Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland received several awards during the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s 36th Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards on September 18. The awards show – co-hosted by Steve Martin and Allison Brown – was a highlight of the IBMA’s five-day--long World of Bluegrass and took place at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to see the complete list of award recipients.]

Carolyn and Daniel Routh are the hosts of Bluegrass Ridge.

Bluegrass Ridge TV Celebrates 25 Years

Post published:June 9, 2025
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond

Bluegrass Ridge TV, a trailblazing weekly television program marks its 25th year of production in 2025. The largest broadcast show dedicated to bluegrass music in the world, Bluegrass Ridge showcases bluegrass music videos, exclusive artist interviews, and behind-the-scenes content.

Barry Poss, who co-founded and led Sugar Hill records for many years, died on may 13, 2025.

Barry Poss, Co-Founder of Sugar Hill Records, 1945-2025

Post published:May 19, 2025
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond News - U.S. National

Barry Poss, co-founder and longtime owner of Sugar Hill Records –- an influential independent label whose roster included numerous notable bluegrass, Americana, old-time and roots music artists –- died on May 13, 2025. He was 79 and had been battling cancer for years.

IBMA Songwriter Showcase Applicants Sought

Post published:March 4, 2025
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond

Up to 10 songwriters (or songwriting teams) will be invited to perform one original bluegrass song each for an audience of artists, producers and other industry professionals during a Songwriter Showcase at this year’s IBMA Business Conference that’s part of the World of Bluegrass in Chattanooga, Tennessee, hosted by the International Bluegrass Music Association, September 16-18. The online application period for the 2025 IBMA Songwriter Showcase extends through March 31.

IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Presented

Post published:September 30, 2022
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond

Billy Strings was named Entertainer of the Year for the second consecutive year, while his recording of “Red Daisy” was named Song of the Year in the 33rd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards on September 29, 2022. Béla Fleck received the most awards of the evening as he was honored for Album of the Year (My Bluegrass Heart), Instrumental Group of the Year (Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart), Instrumental Recording of the Year, and Banjo Player of the Year. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to see the complete list of winners.]

IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Nominees & Bluegrass Hall of Fame Inductees Named

Post published:July 29, 2022
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond

Nominees for the 33rd annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards were announced July 26 in Nashville, Tennessee. In the running for the coveted Entertainer of the Year award are Billy Strings, Del McCoury Band, and Po ‘Ramblin’ Boys. Sister Sadie, and Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view the complete list of nominees, this year’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductees and Distinguished Achievement Award recipients, as well as the first recipient of IBMA’s new International Band Performance Grant.]

Bluegrass Ramble and Songwriter Showcase Artists Chosen for IBMA World of Bluegrass

Post published:July 5, 2022
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond Conferences of Note

The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) has extended invites to 40 artists/acts/songwriters to participate in its Bluegrass Ramble official showcases and Songwriter Showcase during the 2022 IBMA World of Bluegrass that is slated for September 27-October 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Michael Cleveland Named NEA National Heritage Fellow

Post published:June 29, 2022
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond News - U.S. National

Virtuosic, Grammy Award-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland is among the recipients of 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. Created in 1982, the one-time only fellowships are presented annually to nine-13 individuals (“national living treasures”) in recognition of lifetime achievement, artistic excellence and contributions to the United States’ cultural heritage. The fellowships are the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Applications Open for IBMA World of Bluegrass

Post published:March 2, 2022
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond Conferences of Note Festival Focus

Artists interested in showcasing their talents during the 2022 IBMA World of Bluegrass that is slated for September 27-October 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina can now submit applications. Proposals for business conference sessions from artists, educators and industry professionals are also now being accepted, while conference registration opens in April.

J.D. Crowe, Pioneering Bluegrass Banjo Player, 1937-2021

Post published:December 28, 2021
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Bluegrass & Beyond News - U.S. National

J.D. Crowe, an influential and visionary bluegrass banjo player, who plied his craft for more than 60 years, died on Dec. 24. The Lexington, Kentucky native and Grammy Award-winning artist was 84.

Winners Named in IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards

Post published:October 1, 2021
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond

Billy Strings was the recipient of the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award, the top honor in the 32nd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, presented September 30, 2021 at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Duke Energy Center for the Arts. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view the complete list of award winners.]

IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Nominees Named

Post published:July 21, 2021
Post author:Michael Kornfeld
Post category:Awards & Contests Bluegrass & Beyond

Nominees for the 32nd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards were announced July 20 in Nashville, Tennessee. In the running for the coveted Entertainer of the Year award are Balsam Range, Billy Strings, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Del McCoury Band, and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. McCoury and Lawson are Bluegrass Hall of Fame members, while McCoury and Balsam Range are past winners of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s top award. [Click on the headline to continue to read this article and view the complete list of nominees, as well as this year's inductees into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Distinguished Achievement Award recipients.]