Byron Berline, a three-time national fiddle champion and a leading figure on the contemporary bluegrass music scene, died July 10, 2021 – just a few days after turning 77. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article that also includes video links.]
The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) has selected Pat Morris as its new executive director. Morris succeeds Paul Schiminger, who is retiring after nearly six years at the helm of the Nashville, Tennessee-based nonprofit professional music organization that connects, educates and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide.
Submissions are now being sought in the 29th annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Hosted by MerleFest, the contest affords aspiring writers an opportunity to have their original songs heard and judged by a volunteer panel of Nashville music industry professionals chaired by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale.
The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and its partners on the City of Raleigh’s local organizing committee have expressed cautious optimism that they will be able to hold a hybrid IBMA World of Bluegrass this fall (Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2021) with a meaningful and safe in-person component in North Carolina’s capital city, as well as online content.
Tony Rice, an influential acoustic guitarist and 2013 inductee into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, died on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2020 at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina. He was 69. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Sister Sadie –- a female quartet featuring Tina Adair, Dale Ann Bradley, Gena Britt and Deannie Richardson –- was the recipient of the coveted Entertainer of the Year award during the 31st annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards on October 1, 2020. The reigning IBMA Vocal Group of the Year also retained that distinction, while Richardson was named Fiddle Player of the Year and was also part of the Collaborative Recording of the Year (The Barber’s Fiddle). [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and view the complete list of award winners.]
Nominees have been named in 17 categories for the 2020 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. On June 26, the International Bluegrass Music Association also announced the 2020 inductees into the Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame and a number of Distinguished Achievement Awards recipients. [To continue reading this article and to see the complete list of nominees, click on the headline.]
A number of artists will celebrate the life and legacy of American music legend Doc Watson on social media during the week of May 25-29, 2020 under the auspices of MerleFest, one of America’s premiere music festivals. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
DelFest will stream performances from previous editions of the festival launched by Del McCoury, an acclaimed bluegrass musician, and members of his extended family, May 21-May 24, 2020 -- the originally scheduled festival weekend. Called DelFest At Home and celebrating musical highlights from DelFests past that have taken place in western Maryland for more than a decade, the free online event will showcase the festival’s namesake and his family, along with other notable bluegrass artists and jam bands. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
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." [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Carolina Blue was the top winner in the 46th annual Bluegrass Music Awards presented by The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee on Sunday, February 2, 2020. Winners in 19 categories were honored during an awards show that capped the nonprofit organization’s 37th national convention. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
February 29 is the deadline for artists to submit online applications for Official Showcases during the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble and IBMA Business Conference that are part of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual five-day World of Bluegrass, September 29 – October 3, 2020. Considered the genre’s annual industry gathering and family reunion, World of Bluegrass takes place in Raleigh, North Carolina for an eighth consecutive year. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
