Sister Sadie Takes Top Award at Remote But Rousing Bluegrass Awards Show

In a full-length awards show prerecorded and socially distanced in an audience-less Ryman Auditorium, the International Bluegrass Music Association honored the genre’s stalwarts and up-and-comers Thursday night.

The show, with hosting duties shared between Sierra Hull, Joe Newberry, Tim O’Brien, and Rhonda Vincent, featured performances both onstage and stitched together remotely as well as acceptance speeches recorded in living rooms, backstages, and studios. Highlights included a tribute to the 20th anniversary of O Brother, Where Art Thou in which Vincent, Brooke Aldridge, Dale Ann Bradley and Amanda Smith sang the a cappella “Down to the River to Pray” and a song for Doc Watson played together by guitar greats Molly Tuttle, Bryan Sutton, Billy Strings, Trey Hensley, and Jake Workman.

The show also included Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductions for Station Inn owner J.T. Gray, The Johnson Mountain Boys, and New Grass Revival, who was introduced by longtime proponent Garth Brooks.

The night was capped by a flawless group performance across miles, time, and internet connections of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” As always, the song served as a remembrance to those who have left but was also infused with hope, in this case for a time when we can all be together again, including at bluegrass festivals.

Here are the rest of the winners (in bold):

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Billy Strings
Del McCoury Band
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Sister Sadie
Special Consensus

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Blue Highway
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Sister Sadie
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Mile Twelve
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
Sam Bush Band
The Travelin’ McCourys

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Special Consensus – Chicago Barn Dance (Compass Records/prod. Alison Brown)
Billy Strings – Home (Rounder Records/prod. Glenn Brown)
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver – Live in Prague, Czech Republic (Billy Blue Records/prod. Doyle Lawson and Rosta Capek)
Larry Sparks – New Moon Over My Shoulder (Rebel Records/prod. Larry Sparks)
Michael Cleveland – Tall Fiddler (Compass Records/prod. Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan)
Po’ Ramblin’ Boys – Toil, Tears & Trouble (Rounder Records/prod. Dave Maggard)
Appalachian Road Show – Tribulation (Billy Blue Records/prod. Jim VanCleve, Barry Abernathy, and Appalachian Road Show)

SONG OF THE YEAR
Blue Highway – “Both Ends of the Train” (writers Tim Stafford and Steve Gulley)
Special Consensus with Michael Cleveland & Becky Buller – “Chicago Barn Dance” (writers Becky Buller, Missy Raines, and Alison Brown)
The Grascals – “Haggard” (writer Harley Allen)
Po’ Ramblin’ Boys – “Hickory, Walnut & Pine” (writers Slaid Cleaves and Nathan Hamilton)
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver – “Living Like There’s No Tomorrow” (writers Jim McBride and Roger Alan Murrah)

GOSPEL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range ­– “Angel Too Soon”
Dale Ann Bradley – “Because He Loved Me”
Alan Bibey & Grasstowne – “Gonna Rise and Shine”
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver – “I’m Going to Heaven”
Appalachian Road Show – “Little Black Train”

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Michael Cleveland with Tommy Emmanuel – “Tall Fiddler”
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver – “Shenandoah Breakdown”
Jesse McReynolds with Michael Cleveland  – “Soldier’s Joy”
Appalachian Road Show – “The Appalachian Road”
Billy Strings – “Guitar Peace”

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR 
Appalachian Road Show
Carolina Blue
High Fidelity
Merle Monroe
Mile Twelve

COLLABORATIVE RECORDING OF THE YEAR 
“Chicago Barn Dance” – Special Consensus with Michael Cleveland & Becky Buller
“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” – Jason Barie featuring Del McCoury & Paul Williams
“Tall Fiddler” – Michael Cleveland with Tommy Emmanuel
“The Barber’s Fiddle” – Becky Buller with Shawn Camp, Jason Carter, Laurie Lewis, Kati Penn, Sam Bush, Michael Cleveland, Johnny Warren, Stuart Duncan, Deanie Richardson, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Jason Barie, Fred Carpenter, Tyler Andal, Nate Lee, Dan Boner, Brian Christianson, and Laura Orshaw
“On and On” – Gena Britt with Brooke Aldridge

MALE VOCALIST 
Ronnie Bowman
Del McCoury
Russell Moore
Danny Paisley
Larry Sparks

FEMALE VOCALIST
Brooke Aldridge
Dale Ann Bradley
Amanda Smith
Molly Tuttle
Rhonda Vincent

BANJO PLAYER 
Kristin Scott Benson
Gena Britt
Gina Furtado
Ned Luberecki
Scott Vestal

BASS PLAYER 
Barry Bales
Mike Bub
Todd Phillips
Missy Raines
Marshall Wilborn

FIDDLE PLAYER 
Becky Buller
Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
Deanie Richardson

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

GUITAR PLAYER 
Trey Hensley
Billy Strings
Bryan Sutton
Molly Tuttle
Jake Workman

MANDOLIN PLAYER 
Alan Bibey
Jesse Brock
Sam Bush
Sierra Hull
Ronnie McCoury

The capstone in IBMA’s World of Bluegrass week is IBMA Bluegrass Live!, a street festival that’s shifted online. Performances can be viewed for free; visit worldofbluegrass.org/festival for the schedule and instructions on how to watch.