International Bluegrass, October 2015

bluegrassVol. 30 No. 10 October 2015

iNterNatiONal

IB

PLUS! PhotoS from the eventS

IBMA AwArd wInners

Hats off to raleigh

An Unforgettable wOB

STAFF

boArd

inFo

International BluegrassVol. 30 | No. 10 | October 2015

Statement of fact and opinion are made on the responsibility of the writers alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers, directors, staff or members of IBMA. Portions of International Bluegrass may be

reprinted provided that explicit citation of the source is made: “Reprinted with permission from International Bluegrass, the publication of the International Bluegrass Music Association, www.ibma.org.”

Editor: Taylor [email protected]

Designer: Erin Faith [email protected]

IntErnatIonal BluEgrass(ISSN #1095-0605)

IBMa: IBMA is the trade association that connects and educates bluegrass professionals, empowers the bluegrass

community, and encourages worldwide appreciation of bluegrass music of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

ContaCt usThe monthly emailed publication of the

International Bluegrass Music Association

608 W. Iris Drive, Nashville, TN 37204 USA615-256-3222 | 888-GET-IBMA

Fax: 615-256-0450 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ibma.org

Jon Weisberger/Board Chairperson

taylor CoughlinCommunications and Professional

Development Director

Paul schimingerExecutive Director

Eddie HuffmanConvention Services

and IT Systems Director

Alan Bartram/Director, Artists/Composers/PublishersBecky Buller/Director, At Large

D.A. Callaway/Director, At LargeDanny Clark/Director, At Large

Jamie Deering/Director, Merchandisers/LuthiersRegina Derzon/Director, Associations, Secretary

Mike Drudge / Director, Agents, Managers & Publicists

John Goad /Director, Print Media/EducationWilliam Lewis/Director, At LargeSteve Martin / Director, At Large

Stephen Mougin/Director, At Large Joe Mullins / Treasurer

Joe Mullins, Director, Artists/Composers/PublishersLeah Ross/Director, Event Producers

Ben Surratt/Director, Recording/Dist./Marketing Tim Surrett / Vice Chair

Angelika Torrie/Director, InternationalBob Webster / Director, Broadcasters

Junior Williams / Director, Artists & Composers

Ta b l e o f C o N T e N T sInternatIonal bluegrass

16 The 26th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards

20 world of Bluegrass Photo Gallery

26 Industry news

4 Thank you to everyone involved!We appreciate everyone’s patience as we transitioned overnight to transform the raleigh Convention Center

the earls of leicester sweep with four wins: entertainer of the Year, album of the Year, Instrumental group of the Year, gospel recorded Performance of the Year

Photos graciously provided by James McKelvey, Willa stein, todd gunsher and David brainard.

editorial and goodbye from departing IbMa staff member taylor Coughlin

6 editorial: roll on, Buddy, roll on

7 For a little perspective

8 Chiesi UsA - sponsored content

10 Unbroken Circle: nitty Gritty dirt Band Celebrates 50 Years | by nancy Cardwell

a reminder of everything that everyone has accomplished in the last week.

U.S. affiliate of this 80-year old company is focusing its research and development on therapies to treat “orphan” diseases, as well as conditions that affect the most vulnerable of patients.

a look at an iconic band that has inspired generations of musicians for 50 years.

I n t e r n a t i o n a l B l u e g r a s s | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 54

Wait... what just happened?

I n t e r n a t i o n a l B u e g r a s s | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5 5

The 2015 World of Bluegrass was unlike any other. Previous years, we lucked out with the weather but this year was a different story. Instead, we lucked out with a great alternative in moving the entire Wide Open Bluegrass Festival indoors -

no small feat. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we transitioned overnight to transform the Raleigh Convention Center into the mecca of bluegrass music

(if only for a couple days.)

It takes a village to pull an event like this off, especially when the game plan changes late in the 4th quarter. The event simply would not have happened if it

were for a great number of very important people.

A special thank you goes out to (in no special order): William Lewis of PineCone, Laurie Okun, Loren Gold and the entire Local Organizing Committee, Julie

Brakenbury, Gray Henderson, Taylor Travesari, Ted Loomis, Julie Aijala and Planet Bluegrass, Doug Grissom, Lindsay Clapp, Jamie Katz Court, Tammy Jeffries,

Courtney Wheeler, Ronna Rubin, Claire Ratliff, Susan Woelkers, Erin Erdos, Cindy Politte, Eric Kean, Ed Kean, Jeff Woronka and ETIX, Jeremy Darrow, Kimber

Ludiker, Caroline Issachsen, Judy McDonough, Joe Spann, Joe Bittel, Nick Forster, The Gibson Brothers, Martha Dantzic, Amy Reitnouer and Megan Bedford, Raleigh Volunteers, Artists, Sponsors, Vendors, Business Conference Attendees, and FANS.

YOU make the bluegrass community. YOU make it special. We are honored to be part of it.

Thank you again, and we will see you next year in Raleigh! With gratitude and banjos still ringin’ in our ears,

IBMA Staff (Paul, Taylor, and Eddie)

Wait... what just happened?

I’m pretty darn lucky. When most people leave their jobs to go on to the next one, they may get a few colleagues to give them a pat on the back and maybe treated to lunch at Olive Garden (unlimited soup and salad = definite appreci-ation). Me? I just got to celebrate with World of Bluegrass – more notably, the Bluegrass Hurricane Party of 2015.

When I started my job at IBMA as a Special Projects and Publi-cations Editor in March 2013, I immediately became immersed in a community that I never really knew existed. It felt enriching and exciting and it has been one of the biggest reasons I have enjoyed my time at IBMA. I’ve definitely come to learn that World of Bluegrass is a big fam-ily reunion; I see so many great people I don’t get to see very often who encourage me, sup-

port me and my colleagues, and wish nothing but the best for me on a personal level. That has re-ally humbled me, and I am truly grateful. I know that is hard to find.

As I leave my post, I’d like to take some time to say thank-you to some of the folks who made a special impact during my time at IBMA:

Nancy Cardwell, Paul Schiminger, Eddie Huffman, Judy McDonough, Dan Keen, Jon Weisberger, Stephen Mougin, Tim Surrett, Re-gina Derzon, Angelika Tor-rie, Susan Woelkers, Sheila Selby, Amy Reitnouer, Emilee Warner, Becky Buller, Ben Surratt, the entire Leader-ship Bluegrass Planning and Alumni committees, Mary Burdette, Trisha Tubbs, Erin Erdos Humann, the Education Committees, Jeremy Darrow, Molly Driessen, Claire Ratliff, Casey Campbell, Susannah Armstrong, Molly Slemp, Ed Baker, William Lewis and the PineCone office, Laurie Okun, Loren Gold, Julie Brakenbury, Fred Bartenstein, Tom Kopp, Alan Tompkins, Danny Clark, Daniel Mullins, Joe Mullins, Shannon Turner, Ronna Rubin, Jill Crabtree, and Katherine Forbes.

This community of people is a small but mighty representation of the many who look out for each other, support each other’s projects and go to their shows; they fight for one another, they promote one another, and they are truly bonded in the ways of bluegrass and roots music. They’re special, and if you’re reading this, it means you’re part of it. You have a role to play in this community – no matter what it is that you do in your day-to-day, jam-to-jam life. It is impor-tant for you to keep making con-nections within our community, and welcome new ones like I was once. The good can keep growing – but you must nurture it.

So, if you’re back at home and singin’ the post-WOB blues, chin up! Your community is still there. Get active in it and before you know it, another World of Blue-grass will be on your doorstep.

Thank you for reading Interna-tional Bluegrass and supporting IBMA in any way that you ever have. Keep doing it. And thank you to everyone who was part of my experience at IBMA.

See you at a show,

Taylor Coughlin IBMA Professional Development and Communications Director

Roll on, buddy, roll on by Taylor C oughlin


For a little perspective:Plans started percolating about moving the Wide Open Bluegrass Fes-tival indoors to the Raleigh Convention Center on Wednesday morning, September 30. To move what has been touted as an 180,000 cumula-tive attendee event inside one building seemed daunting – but cancel-ling the event a couple days out because of a nasty weather forecast would not be considered. After a meeting with IBMA and Raleigh part-ners Wednesday afternoon, it was non-stop planning and no sleep for a lot of folks until the final chairs were placed in Exhibit Halls A & B about eight minutes before the first set on the Wide Open Bluegrass Main Stage Friday morning at 11am. So, what took nearly 6 months of

planning flipped on its head and changed completely in less than 48 hours.

It took determination, sleepless nights, on-the-go decision making, and a great meeting of minds and teams to pull off what many have

exclaimed was the best World of Bluegrass ever!

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our partners at the Ra-leigh Convention Center, Red Hat Amphitheater, the Greater Raleigh

Visitors and Conventions Bureau, and PineCone. Without their commit-ment to delivering a great event, we simply would not have had one. And, we would like to thank the fans and the locals who came to the event without skipping a beat and showed us your appreciation and

enthusiasm. Your patience and understanding were not unnoticed and we hope you had a marvelous experience.

We hope you join us for another outstanding World of Bluegrass week, September 27 through October 1 (Wide Open Bluegrass Festival being September 30-October 1) in the unmatchable Raleigh, North Carolina.


Cary, NC – Chiesi isn’t afraid of a tough challenge. That’s why the U.S. affiliate of this 80-year old company is focusing its research and develop-ment on therapies to treat “orphan” diseases, as well as conditions that affect the most vulnerable of patients.

Orphan diseases are rare diseases and disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States at a given time. The National Institutes of Health estimates that 30 million Americans suffer from one of the more than 7,000 rare diseases that have been identified.

“We’re in business to develop and acquire therapies that address unmet needs,” says Josh Franklin, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, when asked to explain the company’s focus. “Patients de-pend on this type of research to help improve their treatments, and we’re determined to be the kind of company that makes these patients our prior-ity.”

Tackling Cystic FibrosisOne of the key focus areas for Chiesi (pronounced “kee-AY-zee”) is Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a life-threatening ge-netic disorder that damages the lungs and limits the body’s ability to break down food and absorb nutrients. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) es-timates that about 30,000 Americans are living with CF, and approximately 1,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

In the 1950’s, children with Cystic Fibrosis died before reaching school age, but treatment advances have resulted in significant improvement. The average life expectancy for a CF patient has increased from less than 20 years in 1980 to 41 years in 2015, according to the CFF.

“Scientists at Chiesi see this progress as a challenge to do even better,” says Alan Roberts, Vice President, Scientific Affairs. “We’re passionate about enhancing the care of patients with CF,” he says. “That’s why we’re

committed to building and growing our portfolio of therapeutic products, educational resources and support tools for CF patients and their health-care providers.”

Helping Premature BabiesAnother area of focus for the com-pany is a disorder among healthcare’s youngest and most vulnerable pa-tients. Respiratory Distress Syndrome is a breathing disorder that is com-mon in premature infants, whose bodies don’t produce enough of the liquid that helps keep their lungs from collapsing. Without enough of this liquid, called surfactant, the infants struggle to breathe, which can lead to organ damage and death. According to the March of Dimes, about 16,000 babies develop this breathing problem each year.

Chiesi’s longstanding focus on neo-natal care is a source of pride for the company.

“The future of our world pivots on what we do for our children,” says Ken McBean, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Part of our global mission as a company is to enhance care for the youngest of patients, especially those whose lives may depend on it.”

Family ValuesChiesi USA is part of a long history that began in 1935 in Parma, Italy. Giacomo Chiesi, a chemist, bought

Chiesi Usa | Taking on Rare and Chronic DiseasesPresenting sponsor focuses on innovation in healthcare by Bruce Morrow


SponSored conTenT

the Laboratorio Farmaceu-tico Parmense, determined to do research and de-velop drugs that were badly needed throughout Europe.

Just as the company began to expand and sell its prod-uct outside of Italy, World War II intervened, and the factory was destroyed by a bombing raid. After the war ended, Chiesi rebuilt and launched its first penicillin-based ointment, and by the mid-fifties a new fac-tory had been constructed, where 50 employees manufactured a wide range of successful drugs.

In 1966, Mr. Chiesi handed over management of the company to his two sons, and they began what became a long period of expansion into international markets, including the United States, and

into new therapeutic areas including rare diseases and neonatology. The Chiesi USA portfolio of products also includes products for the hospital and adjacent specialties.

McBean thinks Chiesi’s commitment to rare diseas-es and vulnerable patients is a direct reflection of Chiesi’s roots.

“We’re a family company, with a deeply rooted set of family values,” McBean says. “We take our role as people helping people very seriously, and that informs what we do to serve our patients and providers, how we treat one another inside the company, and how we support our community.”

For more information about Cystic Fibrosis, visit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at www.cff.org.

For more information about Respiratory Distress Syndrome, visit the March of Dimes at www.mar-chofdimes.org.

For more information about Chiesi USA, visit www.chiesiusa.com.

by Bruce Morrow

SponSored conTenT


http://www.cff.org

http://www.marchofdimes.org

http://www.marchofdimes.org

http://www.chiesiusa.com

http://www.chiesiusa.com

An absolutely packed, sold-out crowd filled the Ryman Auditorium September 14 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the group that ushered in an entire generation of new bluegrass fans with the 1972 release of their critically acclaimed Will the Circle Be Unbroken album.

Joining The Dirt Band onstage was Sam Bush on mandolin, Jerry Doug-las on resonator guitar and lap steel, and Byron House on bass, plus guest appearances by Vince Gill, John Prine, Rodney Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker, original Dirt Band member Jackson Browne, Alison Krauss, and former band member Jimmy Ibbotson. The

show was taped for PBS, to air during the national pledge drive, March 5-20, 2016.

The wooden pews at the Ryman Audi-torium are notoriously difficult to sit on for any length of time. But with so many standing ovations the enthusiastic audience hardly noticed, as they leapt to their feet over and over to applaud and sing along.

It’s difficult to wrap one’s mind around the fact that this band is 50 years old. The members, Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fad-den, John McEuen and Bob Carpenter, are still at the top of their collective game. There’s still a tangible, recogniz-able NGDB energy onstage and a con-

nection with the audience that simply hasn’t waned over the years. The only difference is that three to five genera-tions of fans now show up to “ride and rope and hoot.” (See lyrics to “Cosmic Cowboy.”)

There’s a family aspect to the audience that feels comfortable to the band of musical brothers. “When we started in 1966 there were some folks that were a couple of decades older than us,” Jeff Hanna said. “Now their kids come to see us, and their kids’ kids. Our band roots are in folk music and roots-based traditional music, and you see the multi-generational thing at bluegrass and roots/Americana music festivals, too.”

Unbroken Circle: Nitty Gritty Dirt band Celebrates 50 Years By Nancy Cardwel l

I n t e r n a t i o n a l B l u e g r a s s | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 51 0

Around 20 years ago, Hanna said the four band members “looked around and realized that we were so lucky to be healthy enough to still be doing this, and to have a fan base that still showed up. There’s a lot that Father Time can erode…. We still have a lot of our chops, and we’re very lucky for that. But then I look at people like BB King and Tony Bennett and Willie Nelson and Ralph Stanley and I think, ‘There’s no reason to retire from this.’ It’s such a great vocation, and we’re lucky to have it.”

“It’s like The Station Inn,” John McEuen smiles. “You go into the Sta-tion Inn and it feels like 1974. It doesn’t seem like it’s been there 40 years. It does not seem like we’ve been around 50 years. I intended to be in this busi-ness a long time when I started, so that aspect is no surprise. But the fact that

I’m here at this end of the Dirt Band is a surprise—one that I’m grateful for and happy about. It still seems to be improving. During the past several years there’s been an upswing of inter-est in what this group of people does. I do believe that the bluegrass music style has had an effect on creating some of the success the Dirt Band enjoys,” he credits. “I think it also helps that we don’t play just one style of music. If you went to a Dirt Band show and listened to the music in three different places, you might think it was three different groups. I think the variety has helped us survive.”

Humbly, McEuen said he and the guys are grateful for “various things that nobody understands. We are told every show at the signing table, ‘Oh, my kids heard me playing your music and now they make us take it in the car.’ Or,

‘My little girl knows all the words to “Dance Little Jean.”’ That record is 28 years old, but we’ve got two and eight and fifteen-year-olds singing it now! I can see them from the stage some-times,” he adds, incredulously. “Then when we do ‘The Wait’ for an encore, young people in their 20s sing along with all the words.”

There are only a handful of mainstream bands popular in the 1960s and ‘70s that are still touring. “We seem to represent an era, and there are a lot of people now saying, ‘Wow, I haven’t seen you guys in 30 years.’ I haven’t been out much either,” McEuen jokes. “And also, the re-mastering of the first Circle album on vinyl three years ago is a better recording, with a poster and extra photos.” With a renewed inter-est in vinyl, a new generation of fans and musicians are discovering The Dirt

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Band, Roy Acuff, Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Jimmy Martin and Merle Travis on Will the Circle Be Unbroken I.

On the topic of keeping a band together, Jeff Hanna said, “A lot of things that bust bands up happened earlier in our career. A couple of guys left the band, and then came bank and then left again. We realized that’s a natural rhythm, and it doesn’t have to break a band up. We just circle the wagons and move forward. Also, I think we’ve all got a pretty good collective sense of humor and a huge amount of gratitude and humility about how fortunate we are to have this gift of playing music with each other. We make a noise together that we don’t make individually.”

In addition to gratitude for driving droves of new fans to bluegrass with the Circle album, many in the blue-

grass community have always liked the Dirt band because of their solid vocal harmonies and the fact that acoustic instruments were left high in the audio mix onstage and on mainstream pop and country radio. “The Dirt Band put mandolin, fiddle, harmonica and Dobro in people’s faces, and the faces smiled,” McEuen said. “I give a lot of credit to Jeff Hanna,” he adds. “He picked songs that allowed that kind of instrumenta-tion to complement the lyrics. It made sense for acoustic instruments to be a part of the songs he was singing.”

“When the band started, one of the things we all shared was a love of traditional acoustic American music,” Hanna explained. “Our heroes were Doc Watson, Reverend Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt. Les Thompson, one of our original members, and John McEuen had a bluegrass band back-

ground with the Wilmore City Moon-shiners, and I had the Illegitimate Jug Band in high school. When we started out we were more like the New Lost City Ramblers than Flatt & Scruggs, but when Les and John joined up, there was a bluegrass element that came into the band. We could play an old ‘30s number and then go right into ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown.’ Our musical heroes were the Beach Boys because of where we lived [in California], but we also got to hear The Dillards and the Kentucky Colonels with Roland, Clar-ence and Eric White. I remember seeing the Whites on a local television show called Cal’s Corral when I was just 14 years old. We admired the bluegrass musicians. We all got ‘the (bluegrass) bug’ and would go to the Ash Grove and The Mecca in Orange County to hear the Dillards play.”


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Jeff read all the liner notes on his Doc Watson albums and discovered other groups on the Vanguard label like The Greenbriar Boys. John’s brother, Bill McEuen was a huge Jimmy Martin fan. McEuen developed a relationship with Doug Dillard, who encouraged him and turned him on to players like J.D. Crowe.

“When we did the first Circle album, Jimmy Martin took us to his house before we recorded and rehearsed us to death,” Hanna recalled, smiling. “He told us, ‘You are all going to become Sunny Mountain Boys!’ Our initial exposure to harmony singing was the Everly Brothers, and then later we got into the Louvins, the Stanleys and the Osbornes. There’s such a plethora of great harmony singers in bluegrass, and

it just keeps growing. That’s one of the things I love about bluegrass music. It continues to grow like a chia pet.”

In the early 1970s Hanna said the members of the Dirt Band were for-tunate to meet “two bands that were really pivotal in the growth of bluegrass music: The New Grass Revival and the Earl Scruggs Revue. We played a lot with both of those bands. Earl Scruggs was one of the most open-minded guys out there musically, and so was Vassar Clements. Every time I looked at Sam onstage at the 50th anniversary show at the Ryman, I felt like I had a shot of Red Bull. Seriously, it made me so happy seeing him over there with Jerry Douglas, doing what they do, just being in the same orbit with them.”

The recording of the first Circle album was the culmination of “a collective dream to make a record with our musi-cal heroes,” Hanna said. “It became a reality when John (McEuen) asked Earl on behalf of the band if he’d like to record with us. Earl said, ‘I’d be proud to.’ That opened the door to ask Doc Watson.’”

Bluegrassers had already taken notice of the Dirt Band before the Circle album because of the Uncle Charlie and His Dog, Teddy record. “The way we used the five-string and mandolin along with electric guitar, drums and bass really appealed to Earl (Scruggs) and Doc (Watson’s) kids. So they were in,” Hanna said. “Merle (Watson), in his understated way, said, ‘Daddy, I think you should do this.’ From there on, we

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kind of formulated a wish list. And once we got to Nashville, Earl and Louise Scruggs were really instrumental. Earl brought Vassar Clements, Norman Blake and Roy Huskey in. Then we had Jimmy Martin. The word, ‘organic’ gets overused, but the stars really lined up. We cut the album in six days. I was 24 years old—which seems really young to me, now. That was about the average age in our band then.”

Looking back at high points during the past five decades, Hanna mentions “the Circle projects—all three of them. The second one came as a result of June Carter expressing to us, on tour in Eu-rope, ‘If you ever do a second one, John and I would love to be a part of it.’ So there was Johnny Cash, and we had the New Grass Revival and singer-song-writers like Bruce Hornsby and John Hiatt. Then 10 or 12 years ago we did the Circle 3 album, and we got to play with the Del McCoury Band, which is always a pleasure. We call them ‘the little Buddas’ because they are always smiling.”

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was the first American rock band to tour Russia back in 1977. Winning Grammys has been a high point. “It 2003 we won a Grammy and an IBMA Award, which we’re re-ally proud of,” Hanna said. “And for John McEuen and I, getting to have our sons sing on the Circle album, volume 3 on a song that Gary Scruggs wrote called ‘Lowlands’ was really cool.

McEuen and his banjo, specifically, were there for the opening of an Emmy-nominated film score for National Geographic, and John played banjo on Michael Martin Murphey’s hit, “Caro-lina in the Pines,” a top 20 pop hit. He recalls touring Japan in the 1970s, and he’ll never forget the trip to Russia.

“The bluegrass band, Kukuruza told me the reason they had a band was because of our tour in Russia,” McEuen said.

“We played 28 sold-out shows with 4,000 in each audience. We were on a television show that played to 140 million people, and it affected them. We noticed at the concerts that some people would get up and run out, and then run back in every 20 minutes. We finally figured out that they were shar-ing tickets with two or three friends. The concerts were completely sold out, so people would run out and loan their tickets to someone else, and then they’d come back. And it wasn’t so much The Dirt Band that made the impression,”

McEuen said. “It was the fact that we were playing American music.”

The Circle album opened doors and changed lives in the studio, as well as in the fan base, McEuen believes. Work picked up for Jimmy Martin and Doc Watson. Doc’s most requested song became “Tennessee Stud.” It helped es-tablish Vassar Clements as a solo artist, and John was thrilled to hand Maybelle Carter her first gold album. “The Circle album did things for me,” John says. “Marty Stuart took me out one morn-


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ing to play with Lester Flatt at the WSM station. I never in a million years thought I would meet Ralph Stanley, or play with Don Reno twice. Or hear Earl Scruggs saying to me, ‘I want to meet the boy who played “Randy Lynn Rag” the way I intended to,’” he smiles.

If he had one message for the bluegrass family, Hanna said it would be, “Just tell them that we love them and we’re grateful. Although we don’t consider ourselves a bluegrass band, we’re so grateful for the welcome we’ve always gotten from the bluegrass community. It’s music that we’ll always love, and I’m so glad to see it alive and well and growing at an enormous rate. It’s a little daunting to go to a festival and see a 14-year-old kid who can already play circles around us. The evolution of chops is astounding to me. It puts a grin on my face. It makes me shake my head and go, ‘Wow. How did that happen?’”

Hanna said it was “an honor and a privilege” to share the stage at the PBS filming with people like Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas—who he considers “younger musical siblings. Jeff says he is blown away when he gets to hear artists like Sierra Hull, Chris Thile, and Sara and Sean Watkins, and see the musicians that they have become.

“One of the things I love about blue-grass music is that once musicians under that umbrella develop astound-ing chops, there’s something almost intuitive that compels them to develop taste and restraint,” Hanna adds. “They know when to jump in and blaze, and when to play the exact, right lick. That’s definitely an element that I see in the current crop.”

Jerry Jeff Walker wrote “Mr. Bojangles” for the Dirt Band, their first huge hit. The band recorded “American Dream” before they met the composer, Rod-ney Crowell. “Then later on he gave us ‘Long, Hard Road,’ which was our first country hit, and the first time Jerry Douglas played on a recording with us,” Hanna said. “There was a lot of six degrees of separation going on, on the Ryman stage. John Prine, as well, has done a lot of live stuff with us. The last time we recorded with him was on the Circle 2 album, on his song, ‘Grandpa Was a Carpenter.’”

“It’s a little blurry now, but it’s been a great ride,” Hanna says, reflecting on the first 50 years of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The smiling fans at the Ryman auditorium last month and numerous friends and fans in the bluegrass family would have to agree. Will the circle be unbroken, indeed.

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Bluegrass music’s finest were honored October 1 at the 26th Annual International Blue-grass Music Awards, handed out in front of full house at the Duke Energy Center in Raleigh, N.C. The Earls of Leicester swept with four wins: Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, Instru-mental Group of the Year, and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year. Add to that Earls of Leicester member Jerry Douglas’ win for Dobro Player of the Year and Earls member Shawn Camp’s Male Vocalist of the Year win; a good night indeed for the five-piece band. Additionally, North Carolina’s own Balsam Range took home Vocal Group of the Year, Song of the Year for “Moon Over Memphis” and the group’s Tim Surrett earned Bass Player of the Year. Bill Keith and Larry

Sparks were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Hosted by The Gibson Broth-ers, the show featured per-formances by The Earls of Leicester, Flatt Lonesome, Hot Rize, The Del McCoury Band, The Gibson Brothers, and a surprise performance by Ali-son Krauss and Larry Sparks. The evening was streamed live on www.musiccityroots.com.

“Congratulations to each of the IBMA Awards winners, it is quite an honor and achieve-ment to have your professional peers recognize you in this way,” said IBMA Executive Director Paul Schiminger. “To all winners and nominees, you have achieved a standard of excellence we all admire and celebrate.”

Winners of the 26th Annual International Bluegrass Music

Awards are:

Entertainer of the Year: The Earls of Leicester

Female Vocalist of the Year: Rhonda Vincent

Male Vocalist of the Year: Shawn Camp

Vocal Group of the Year: Balsam Range

Instrumental Group of the Year: The Earls of Leicester

Song of the Year: “Moon Over Memphis,” Balsam Range

1 6 I n t e r n a t i o n a l B l u e g r a s s | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5

The 26th Annual International Bluegrass Music AwardsThe Earls of Leicester Sweep with four wins: Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, Instrumental Group of the Year, Gospel Recorded Performance Of the Year

Performances by Alison Krauss, The Earls of Leicester, The Del Mc-Coury Band, and Others

http://www.musiccityroots.com

Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year – Chris Jones

Bluegrass Event of the Year – (tie) A Lester Flatt Celebration 2014,

Sparta, TN; 42nd RockyGrass Festi-val, Lyons, CO

Best Graphic Design For A Recorded Project – (tie) Mychael Gerstenberger, Complete Record-

ings 1936-1955, The Chuck Wagon Gang; Deano Minton, Trouble

Follows Me, Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice

Best Liner Notes For A Re-corded Project – Eddie Stubbs,

Bill Malone, Marty Stuart, Jeremy Stephens, Shaye Smith, and Harold

Timmons, Complete Recordings 1936-1955, The Chuck Wagon Gang

Bluegrass Print/Media Person of the Year – Gary Reid, author, “The

Music of the Stanley Broth-ers and The Bluegrass Hall of Fame Inductee Biographies,” 1991-2014

Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year – Becky Buller

Distinguished Achievement Award honorees were: Alison

Brown, Murphy Henry, Interna-tional Bluegrass Music Museum, “Bashful Brother” Oswald Kirby, Steve Martin. Martin flew in just to receive the award, and gave a

heartfelt acceptance speech. After the Special Awards, he met with members of the press for a Q&A.

Album of the Year: The Earls of Leicester, The Earls of Leicester, Jerry Douglas, producer

Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: “Who Will Sing for Me,”

The Earls of Leicester

Instrumental Recorded Perfor-mance of the Year: “The Three Bells,” Jerry Douglas, Mike Aul-

dridge, Rob Ickes

Emerging Artist of the Year: Becky Buller

Recorded Event of the Year: “Southern Flavor,” Becky Buller,

with Peter Rowan, Michael Feagan, Buddy Spicher, Ernie Sykes, Roland

White, and Blake Williams

Banjo Player of the Year: Rob McCoury

Bass Player of the Year: Tim Surrett

Dobro Player of the Year: Jerry Douglas

Fiddle Player of the Year: Michael Cleveland

Guitar Player of the Year: Bryan Sutton

Mandolin Player of the Year: Jesse Brock

Inductees into the Bluegrass HOF: Bill Keith and Larry Sparks

The Special Awards were presented at a luncheon earlier on Thursday, October 1.

Performance Award, InstrumentalistAnnie Stanninec, Nate Lee, Patrick

McAvinue (all fiddlers)

Performance Award, Vocalist Summer McMahan

Performance Award, BandLonely Heartstring Band

Industry InvolvementAlan Tompkins

Festival/Event/VenueISIS Restaurant and Music Hall

MentorAndrea Roberts

Momentum Award winnersWinners for the Momentum Awards were presented during a

Wednesday Luncheon with Gold Heart, The Church Sisters, and Lonesome River Band showcasing.

HeAdline Here


world of Bluegrass photo gallery

Exhibit Hall | venders

Business conference | Worhshop stage

Hotel Jams

Keynote: Nick Forster Momentum Awards

Ramble

IBMA Awards

Red carpet

orthophonic joy | showcases YOUTH COUNCIL

Kids on Bluegrass | Wide Open Festival


induSTry newS

On the charts - as reflected at press time For the record - need to know

Billboard: Radio by Steep Canyon Rangers at number one; Hogan’s House of Music by Ron Block at num-ber two; The Phosphorescent Blues by Punch Brothers at number three.

Bluegrass Unlimited Songs: “Bye Bye Love” by Gibson Brothers written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant at num-ber one; “The Old School Road” by Grass Cats written by Russell Johnson at number two; “Tennessee Flat Top Box” by Darin and Brooke Aldridge written by Johnny Cash at number three.

Bluegrass Unlimited Albums: Brother-hood by Gibson Brothers, Rounder Records at number one; The Old School Road by Grass Cats, New Times at number two; Snapshots by Darin and Brooke Aldridge, Mountain Home at number three.

Bluegrass Today Songs: “Laurie” by Chris Jones and the Night Driv-ers written by Chris Jones and Jon Weisberger at number one; “How Blue” by Trinity River Band written by John Mofat at number two; “Drinkin’ Alone” by SteelDrivers written by Chris Stapleton at number three.

Roots Music Report: Songs of Heart and Home, by Greg Blake at number one; Run Away Tonight by Chris Jones and the Night Drivers at number two; Traveling Show by Songs From the Road Band at number three.

Singing News: “Somebody Prayed” by Heaven’s Mountain Band at number one; “Just Three Little Words” by Primitive Quartet at number two; “I’m Ready Now” by Flatt Lonesome at number three.

Grow Your Bluegrass Business

See our many options at IBMA.org

IBMA Advertise with

induSTry newS


For the record - need to know

The Hazel Dickens Song Contest, sponsored by the DC Bluegrass Union, is now accepting entries for their 2nd annual competition. Named to honor the bluegrass songwriter, the contest is a fundraiser for DCBU, who pro-mote bluegrass and traditional music in the greater capitol area (Washing-ton, Northern Virginia, and southern Maryland). Cash prizes are awarded for the top three finishers, which will be announced on March 10, 2016. Contest entries can be submitted by mail or online, with a $30 entry fee per song. All submissions should fit the category of bluegrass or bluegrass Gospel music. Instrumental entries will not be accepted. The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2016. Full contest rules and entry details can be found on the DCBU web site.

Former IBMA Executive Director Nancy Cardwell has joined the Girl Scouts as a staff member. Cardwell will be the new Membership Spe-cialist for the Hispanic Community,

working to increase programming and resources for Spanish-speaking girls in 39 counties surrounding her Nashville office. Cardwell has been a Spanish teacher, and has been heavily involved with the Girl Scouts for many years. It seems to be a perfect fit! We wish Nancy all the best.

Ralph Stanley, 88, has suffered a cracked pelvis after a fall last week. He currently remains in the hospital, but is in good spirits, according to his grandson Nathan Stanley. It is uncertain whether he will be able to resume his touring schedule. We wish the Doctor a speedy recovery!

Irene Kelley has signed with Moun-tain Fever Records. The Nashville-based songwriter and singer will be working on a new album this winter with producer Mark Fain.

Mountain Heart has signed with Com-pass Records. A new album will be coming soon.

Sierra Hull announced her newest album in five years will be coming out in January, called Weighted Mind. It is produced by Bela Fleck.

Special Consensus is losing Dustin Benson on vocals and guitar. He has been a member of the band for over four years.

Hasee Ciaccio, bass player and origi-nal member of The Barefoot Move-ment, is leaving the band. She will continue with the band for the next few tour dates until they find some-one to fill in. She plans on finding work in Nashville.

Christian Davis, bass singer for Dailey and Vincent, will be leaving the band to pursue a solo career. He will be focusing on gospel and already has dates booked.

The IBMA Board of Directors had their annual fall meeting during World of Bluegrass last week. Tim Surrett, bassist of Balsam Range and producer for Mountain Home, was elected Chair. Ben Surratt, Rec Room Studios in Nashville, was elected Vice Chair.

The following new members joined:

Denise Jarvinen – appointed by the board to an At Large seat

Marion Leighton Levy – elected by members to Recording, Distribution and Marketing seat

Bree Tucker-Myers – elected by members to Event Producers seat

Wayne Taylor – elected by members to Artist, Composers, and Music seat

Alan Tompkins – elected by members to an At Large seat

Existing Board member Jamie Deer-ing was appointed to the Executive Committee, and Secretary Regina Derzon and Treasurer Joe Mullins were retained in their positions.

Departing were Board members Jon Weisberger, Danny Clark, Junior Wil-liams, Leah Ross, and D.A. Calloway.

http://dcbu.org/songcontest.htm

http://dcbu.org/songrules.htm



International Bluegrass, October 2015

Documents

Transcript of International Bluegrass, October 2015