Touring guitar phenom Billy Strings finds himself in an exalted place in roots music, having been named Entertainer of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards for a third consecutive year one week after winning his second straight Artist of the Year prize at the Americana Honors and Awards. Fellow flatpicker Molly Tuttle also had a big night in Raleigh, NC, winning a standout three awards, including Album of the Year for Crooked Tree and Song of the Year for its title track.

At some point during the past six years, WMOT’s AmericanaFest Day Stage went from being a tradition to an institution, if we may say so. Our program director Jessie Scott has been in music and radio for decades, so she’s got an address book and good will like few others. We always stand amazed at the stature of artists she’s able to wrangle for Nashville’s biggest week of roots music. Here share the memories with photos by the amazing John Partipilo.

For the second year in a row, bluegrass guitar innovator and live roots phenom Billy Strings was named Artist of the Year at the 22nd annual Americana Honors and Awards. Unlike last year, Strings was on hand to accept his custom trophy and then join the night's huge cast of assembled artists to play a snapping guitar solo on the show finale jam on "Cripple Creek," a salute to The Band's great songwriter and singer Robbie Robertson, who died in August.