2019 Bluegrass Awards Honor Members of Music’s ‘Big Family’

“A big family, that’s what this is,” The Grascals’ Kristin Scott Benson said last night in Raleigh, North Carolina, while accepting her award for Banjo Player of the Year from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

She was referencing the title of a recent documentary about bluegrass music (you can read our story about it here), but also the family feeling that surrounds the music, especially during its annual conference and festival going on this week in Raleigh. It can be hard to navigate the halls of the convention center for all the hugging, and rooms where panels have just ended are slow to clear out as people linger to continue the conversation. There are movements to preserve tradition within bluegrass, but also movements to expand its borders and to not only welcome, but invite in, more sounds, more people, more perspectives.

The 30th annual IBMA awards, hosted by Jim Lauderdale and Del McCoury, reflected these movements, with aggressively progressive guitar genius Billy Strings taking two awards (guitar player and new artist) and women well represented in both nominees and winners in many categories, and traditional projects and long-established artists being rewarded as well.

Here’s the list of winners (in bold) and nominees in select categories. The full list can be found here.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Del McCoury Band
Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers
The Earls of Leicester
Sam Bush Band

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
City on a Hill, Mile Twelve
Del McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass, Del McCoury Band
For the Record, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers
I Hear Bluegrass Calling Me, Carolina Blue
Sister Sadie II, Sister Sadie

SONG OF THE YEAR
Dance, Dance, Dance, Appalachian Road Show
writers Brenda Cooper, Joseph Cooper, Steve Miller

Next Train South, Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
writer Mac Patterson

Take the Journey, Molly Tuttle
writers Molly Tuttle and Sarah Siskind

The Girl Who Invented the Wheel, Balsam Range
writers Adam Wright and Shannon Wright

The Guitar Song, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers with Del McCoury
writers Bill Anderson, Jamey Johnson, Vicky  McGehee

The Light in Carter Stanley’s Eyes, Peter Rowan
writer Peter Rowan

Thunder Dan, Sideline
writer Josh Manning

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
I’m With Her
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out
Sister Sadie

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
The Earls of Leicester
The Travelin’ McCourys
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
Sam Bush Band

BANJO
Gina Furtado
Mike Munford
Noam Pikelny
Kristin Scott Benson
Scott Vestal

BASS
Barry Bales
Mike Bub
Beth Lawrence
Missy Raines
Mark Schatz

FIDDLE
Hunter Berry
Becky Buller
Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan

RESOPHONIC GUITAR
Jerry Douglas
Andy Hall
Rob Ickes
Phil Leadbetter
Justin Moses

GUITAR
Billy Strings
Kenny Smith
Bryan Sutton
Molly Tuttle
Josh Williams

MANDOLIN
Alan Bibey
Ronnie McCoury
Sierra Hull
Sam Bush
Frank Solivan

FEMALE VOCALIST
Brooke Aldridge
Dale Ann Bradley
Sierra Hull
Molly Tuttle
Rhonda Vincent

MALE VOCALIST
Russell Moore
Danny Paisley
Shawn Camp
Tim O’Brien
Del McCoury

NEW ARTIST
Mile Twelve
Carolina Blue
High Fidelity
Billy Strings
Appalachian Road Show

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT

Katy Daley
Radio personality

Mickey Gamble
Mountain Home label

Dan Hays
Former IBMA executive director

Allen Mills
Founding member of The Lost and Found

Moonshiner
Long-running Japanese-language bluegrass music magazine

IBMA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

Mike Auldridge (inducted by Jerry Douglas)
Dobro player and co-founder of the Seldom Scene

Bill Emerson (inducted by Sonny Osborne)
Banjo player, original member of The Country Gentlemen, leader of U.S. Navy band Country Current

The Kentucky Colonels (inducted by Laurie Lewis)
West Coast bluegrass band led by Clarence and Roland White