More than 500 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs, and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music are expected to converge on The Desmond Hotel in Albany, New York, Nov. 6-9, 2025 for the annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. {Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]
The 2025 International Folk Music Awards were presented on the opening night of the 37th annual Folk Alliance International Conference at Le Sheraton Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada last month. These included member-voted Best Album, Song and Artist of the Year (2024), as well as Lifetime Achievement Awards, Spirit of Folk Awards, the Clearwater Award, the People’s Voice Award, and the Rising Tide Award, in addition to inductions into the Folk Radio Hall of Fame. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article, which also includes information about the conference, and to view a couple of videos.]
Winners in the 65th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field were recognized during a ceremony that took place prior to The Recording Academy’s televised awards show from Los Angeles, California on Sunday, February 5, 2023. Folk Alliance International presented its annual International Folk Music Awards in Kansas City, Missouri on February 1. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a couple of videos.]
More than 200 people will converge on Black Mountain, North Carolina, May 12-15, 2022 for the annual Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference. An extended weekend of contemporary and traditional folk music, networking and learning opportunities, the conference will be keynoted by Thomm Jutz and features 16 juried official showcases, along with a number of late-night guerrilla showcases hosted by AcousticMusicScene.com and others. [Click on the headline to continue reading this conference preview.]
The 20th annual Americana Honors & Awards were presented at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee on September 22, 2021. Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, the late John Prine, Black Pumas, Charley Crockett, and Kristin Weber were named as recipients during an awards show that is the highlight of the annual AmericanaFest, a multi-day celebration of American roots-inspired music put on by the Americana Music Association, that extends through Sept. 25. [Click on the headline or link below to continue reading this article.]
Winners in the 63rd Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field were recognized during a Premiere Ceremony that took place prior to The Recording Academy’s televised awards show on Sunday, March 14, 2021 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, while singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile paid tribute to the late John Prine, one of the winners, during the awards show that aired on CBS television stations. [Click on the headline to continue reading the article.]
The Highwomen was the big winner in the 2020 Americana Honors & Awards that were revealed on Dec. 15. The all-female group’s self-titled debut release won Album of the Year, while one of its tracks (“Crowded Table”) took Song of the Year Honors. The Highwomen was also named Duo/Group of the Year. (To continue reading this article and learn of all the winners, click on the headline.]
Nominees in 83 categories have been named for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards to be presented by the Recording Academy on Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT during a live broadcast on CBS television stations. Bonny Light Horseman (a new folk group featuring Anais Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson and Josh Kaufman), Sarah Jarosz and the late John Prine lead the nominees in the American Roots Music Field with two nods each. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and see a listing of nominees in the American Roots Music Field and select others.]
Nominees in six categories have been named for the 2020 Americana Honors and Awards. The winners will be recognized on Sept. 16 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. [To continue reading this article and to view the list of nominees and a few videos, click on the headline.]
Family and friends of John Prine will share memories of and songs by the internationally acclaimed and revered singer-songwriter during Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine on Thursday, June 11. The online celebration of his life and music will stream on Prine’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, as well as Oh Boy Records' Twitch channel, at 7:30 p.m. EDT/6:30 p.m. CDT/4:30 p.m. PDT and can be replayed through Sunday. A songwriter’s songwriter, who toured and plied his craft for nearly 50 years, Prine died April 7 at the age of 73 from complications of the coronavirus (COVID-19). [To continue reading this, click on the headline.]
John Prine, an internationally acclaimed and revered singer-songwriter who died April 7 at the age of 73 from complications of the coronavirus (COVID-19), was the top artist and had both the top two albums (The Tree of Forgiveness and John Prine), as well as seven of the month’s top 10 songs, on folk radio during April 2020. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. [The monthly top albums, songs and artists charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them, click on headline.]
The 2019 Americana Honors & Awards will be presented on Wednesday, September 11 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Hosted by The Milk Carton Kids and featuring an all-star band led by Buddy Miller, the awards ceremony is the highlight of the 20th annual AmericanaFest –- a six-day festival and conference celebrating American roots-inspired music that is put on by the Americana Music Association. A live video stream of the show will be webcast via NPRMusic.org starting at 6:30 p.m. CDT. [To continue reading this article -- which includes a listing of all of the nominated artists and Lifetime Achievement Awards honorees -- click on the headline.]
