A dozen songwriters have been chosen to perform 10 original bluegrass songs 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 2026 World of Bluegrass in Chattanooga, Tennessee, hosted by the International Bluegrass Music Association in October. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]
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.]
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, 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.
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.
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.]
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.]
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.
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.
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, 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.
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.]
