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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Bill Keith, Banjo Player and Stylist, 1939-2015
Bill Keith, a noted five-string banjoist who introduced a melodic style of playing the instrument and designed a specialized type of tuning peg that bears his name, died Oct. 23 at age 75.
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The Earls of Leicester Take Home a Bevy of International Bluegrass Music Awards
The Earls of Leicester were the big winners during the International Bluegrass Music Awards show, Oct. 1, at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Duke Energy Center for the Arts. The group –- which pays homage to the musical legacy of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and their band, the Foggy Mountain Boys -- took home Entertainer, Album (for its Grammy Award-winning self-entitled debut), Instrumental Group and Gospel Recorded Performance (“Who Will Sing For Me”) of the Year awards.
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Grammy Awards Nominees Named
Nominees in 83 categories have been named for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. Of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com are the nominees in the American Roots Music Field.
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Balsam Range is IBMA Entertainer of the Year
Entertainer of The Year, the top honor in the 25th annual International Bluegrass Music Awards – presented Oct. 2 at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Duke Energy Center for the Arts – went to the Tar Heel State’s own Balsam Range. The acoustic quintet also was named Vocal Group of the Year, while member Buddy Melton was voted Male Vocalist of the Year.
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Nickel Creek Reunites, Sets Spring Tour
Nickel Creek, the popular progressive acoustic trio that went on a self-described “indefinite hiatus” in 2007, is reuniting. To mark its 25th anniversary, the Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum-selling band will embark on a U.S. tour this spring and summer and is at work on a new album.
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Chris Thile Awarded MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant
Chris Thile, 31, a multi-instrumentalist and composer best known for his role as virtuosic mandolinist and singer for the Grammy Award-winning progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek and currently with the Punch Brothers, has been awarded a “Genius” grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. As a MacArthur Foundation Fellow, he will receive an unrestricted award of $500,000 over the next five years.
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Earl Scruggs, Pioneering Banjo Player,Bluegrass Legend, 1924-2012
Earl Scruggs, a celebrated and highly influential banjo player, whose innovative three-fingered picking style helped to popularize the instrument, has joined that great bluegrass jam in the sky. Scruggs, who was a large presence in both the folk and country music worlds and was honored by both, died of natural causes on March 28 at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 88.
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Dec. 2 is Early-Bird Registration, Showcase Application Deadline for 2012 International Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis
The 24th Annual International Folk Alliance Conference is slated for February 22-26, 2012 at the Downtown Marriott in Memphis, Tennessee. Financial savings are in the offing through early-bird registration that is open through Dec. 2, while forms also are available on the Folk Alliance International website (www.folk.org) until then for performing artists to apply for Performance Alley official showcase opportunities.
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Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers Win IBMA’s Top Award
Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers were named Entertainer of the Year during the 22nd Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards show on Thursday, Sept. 29, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, ending a three-year winning streak by Dailey & Vincent.
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