At a press conference in Nashville this morning, the International Bluegrass Music Association announced the nominees for the 2017 IBMA Awards. The press conference was streamed live on Facebook and featured performances from Balsam Range and Sierra Hull with Justin Moses.
Notable nominees include Balsam Range and Earls of Leicester, who had the biggest hauls with eight nominations apiece; Molly Tuttle, who is the first woman to notch a nomination for Guitar Player of the Year; and Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerard, Bobby Hicks, and Roland White, all of whom are this year’s inductees into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame.
This year’s Distinguished Achievement Award recipients are Norman Blake, Bluegrass Today, Fletcher Bright, Silver Dollar City, and Louisa Branscomb. These awards will be presented in a separate ceremony.
The awards take place on September 28 in Raleigh, NC, as part of IBMA’s World of Bluegrass. Check out the full list of nominees below.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
The Earls of Leicester
Flatt Lonesome
The Gibson Brothers
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Blue Highway
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Flatt Lonesome
The Gibson Brothers
INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
The Earls of Leicester
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Punch Brothers
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Blue Collar Dreams”
Balsam Range (artist), Aaron Bibelhauser (writer)
“Going Back to Bristol”
Shawn Camp (artist), Mac Wiseman/Thomm Jutz/Peter Cooper (writers)
“I Am a Drifter”
Volume Five (artist), Donna Ulisse/Marc Rossi (writers)
“Someday Soon”
Darin & Brooke Aldridge (artist), Ian Tyson (writer)
“The Train That Carried My Girl from Town”
The Earls of Leicester (artist), Frank Hutchison (writer)
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Fiddler’s Dream
Michael Cleveland (artist), Jeff White and Michael Cleveland (producers), Compass Records (label)
In the Ground
The Gibson Brothers (artist), Eric Gibson, Leigh Gibson, and Mike Barber (producers), Rounder Records (label)
Mountain Voodoo
Balsam Range (artist), Balsam Range (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
Original
Bobby Osborne (artist), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records (label)
Rattle & Roar
The Earls of Leicester (artist), Jerry Douglas (producer), Rounder Records (label)
GOSPEL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
“Give Me Jesus”
Larry Cordle (artist), Traditional/Larry Cordle (writer), Give Me Jesus (album), Larry Cordle (producer), Mighty Cord Records (label)
“Hallelujah”
Blue Highway (artist), Public Domain arranged by Blue Highway (writer), Original Traditional (album), Blue Highway (producer), Rounder Records (label)
“I Found a Church Today”
The Gibson Brothers (artist), Eric Gibson/Leigh Gibson (writers), In the Ground (album), Eric Gibson, Leigh Gibson, and Mike Barber (producers), Rounder Records (label)
“Sacred Memories”
Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers with Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White Skaggs (artist), Dolly Parton (writer), Sacred Memories (album), Joe Mullins (producer), Rebel Records (label)
“Wish You Were Here”
Balsam Range (artist), James Stover/Michael Williams (writers), Mountain Voodoo (album), Balsam Range (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
INSTRUMENTAL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
“Fiddler’s Dream”
Michael Cleveland (artist), Arthur Smith (writer), Fiddler’s Dream (album), Jeff White and Michael Cleveland (producers), Compass Records (label)
“Great Waterton”
Kristin Scott Benson (artist), Kristin Scott Benson (writer), Stringworks (album), Kristin Scott Benson (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
“Greenbrier”
Sam Bush (artist), Sam Bush/Scott Vestal (writers), Storyman (album), Sugar Hill Records (label)
“Little Liza Jane”
Adam Steffey (artist), Tommy Duncan/James Robert Wills (writers), Here to Stay (album), Adam Steffey (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
“Flint Hill Special”
The Earls of Leicester (artist), Earl Scruggs (writer), Rattle & Roar (album), Jerry Douglas (producer), Rounder Records (label)
EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Front Country
The Lonely Heartstring Band
Molly Tuttle
Sister Sadie
Volume Five
RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR
“East Virginia Blues”
Ricky Wasson and Dan Tyminski (artists), Croweology: The Study of J.D. Crowe’s Musical Legacy (album), Rickey Wasson (producer), Truegrass Entertainment (label)
“Going Back to Bristol”
Shawn Camp with Mac Wiseman, Peter Cooper, Thomm Jutz (artists), I Sang the Song (Life of the Voice with a Heart)(album), Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz (producers), Mountain Fever Records (label)
“I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You”
Bobby Osborne with Sierra Hull, Alison Brown, Rob Ickes, Stuart Duncan, Trey Hensley, Todd Phillips, Kenny Malone, Claire Lynch, and Bryan McDowell (artists), Original (album), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records (label)
“Steamboat Whistle Blues”
Michael Cleveland featuring Sam Bush (artists), Fiddler’s Dream (album), Jeff White and Michael Cleveland (producers), Compass Records (label)
“’Tis Sweet to Be Remembered”
Mac Wiseman and Alison Krauss (artists), I Sang the Song (Life of the Voice with a Heart) (album), Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz (producers), Mountain Fever Records (label)
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Shawn Camp
Eric Gibson
Leigh Gibson
Buddy Melton
Russell Moore
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Brooke Aldridge
Dale Ann Bradley
Sierra Hull
Amanda Smith
Molly Tuttle
BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ned Luberecki
Joe Mullins
Noam Pikelny
Kristin Scott Benson
Sammy Shelor
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Barry Bales
Alan Bartram
Mike Bub
Missy Raines
Tim Surrett
FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Becky Buller
Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
Patrick McAvinue
Ron Stewart
DOBRO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jerry Douglas
Andy Hall
Rob Ickes
Phil Leadbetter
Josh Swift
GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jim Hurst
Kenny Smith
Bryan Sutton
Molly Tuttle
Josh Williams
MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jesse Brock
Sam Bush
Sierra Hull
Frank Solivan
Adam Steffey
International Bluegrass Hall of Fame Inductees:
Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard
Bobby Hicks
Roland White
