2018 International Bluegrass Music Awards Presented
Entertainer of the Year, the top honor in the 29th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards – presented Sept. 27 at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Duke Energy Center for the Arts – went to the Tar Heel State’s own Balsam Range. The five-member acoustic ensemble previously won this award in 2014. Balsam Range’s Buddy Melton was voted 2018 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year, while Tim Surrett was named Bass Player of the Year.
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IBMA Songwriter Showcase Applications Sought
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 World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, North Carolina, hosted by the International Bluegrass Music Association. The online application period for the IBMA Songwriter Showcase -- slated for Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 -- extends through March 31.
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SPBGMA Presents Bluegrass Music Awards
The Farm Hands were the top winners in the 44th 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 4, 2018. Winners in 19 categories were honored during an awards show that capped the nonprofit organization’s 35th national convention.
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Winners Named in 60th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field
Winners in the 60th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field were recognized during a Premiere Ceremony that streamed online prior to The Recording Academy’s televised awards show on Sunday, January 28 from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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Entries Sought for 2017 FreshGrass Awards
Online submissions are being sought through May 31 for the 2017 FreshGrass Awards and a new No Depression Singer-Songwriter Award. Unsigned bluegrass bands, banjo pickers, fiddlers and roots music-oriented singer-songwriters are invited to compete for more than $25,000 in cash prizes, instruments, recording sessions at Compass Records, and a spot on the main stage during FreshGrass 2018. Finalists will perform for a panel of music industry judges during this year’s festival, which is set for Sept. 15-17 on the grounds of MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts.
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SPBGMA Presents Bluegrass Music Awards
The Farm Hands were the top winners in the 43rd 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 5. Winners in 19 categories were honored during an awards show that capped the nonprofit organization’s 34th national convention.
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Acts Sought for IBMA’s 2017 Bluegrass Ramble
Applications will be accepted through February 28 for the 2017 Bluegrass Ramble, a series of artist showcases slated to take place September 26-28 at select venues throughout downtown Raleigh, North Carolina during the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass 2017.
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DelFest 2016 Set for Memorial Day Weekend
DelFest 2016 takes place at the Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, Maryland over Memorial Day Weekend. Joining the Del McCoury Band and Del’s sons’ spin-offs, The Travelin’ McCourys and The McCoury Brothers, May 26-29, at the fairgrounds, nestled along the Potomac River in the Appalachian Mountains, 2.5 hours from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., will be a host of other artists.
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Winners Named in Chris Austin Songwriting Contest
Winners were named in the 24th Annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, hosted by MerleFest 2016, following performances by finalists on April 29 during the popular roots-oriented music festival held at the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
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2016 IBMA Songwriter Showcase Application Deadline is March 31
Ten selected songwriters or songwriting teams will be afforded the opportunity to perform an original bluegrass song in front of some of the top bluegrass artists and producers in the industry as part of a Sept. 29 Songwriter Showcase during the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, North Carolina. Online applications are due March 31. Judges will consider both the quality of submitted songs and their appeal to bluegrass audiences in making their selections.
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