Balsam Range of North Carolina and Nashville's Earls of Leicester find themselves positioned to possibly extend their dynastic dominance of the International Bluegrass Music Awards with nominations for Entertainer of the Year and then some. The suite of nominees was announced Wednesday morning by radio host Kyle Cantrell. Balsam Range and the Earls have traded top honors at the awards since 2014. Also nominated in the category are nine-time winners The Del McCoury Band, the Sam Bush Band and Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers.
Mullins and band enjoyed their biggest year of nominations yet with a first-time Entertainer nomination, as well as nods for Album, Song, Gospel Recording and Collaborative Recording. The Ohio-based quintet also provided live music at the announcement ceremony at the SiriusXM studios in downtown Nashville.
Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and New Grass Revival architect Sam Bush emerged with a higher awards profile than he has in some time, securing prospects for Instrumental Group, Instrumental Recording and Mandolin Player of the Year. McCoury's group, a perennial favorite of the bluegrass community, secured six nominations in total.
"This is the 30th annual IBMA Awards show, so it's special," said IBMA Executive Director Paul Schiminger. He noted that Del McCoury and Jim Lauderdale will co-host the September 26 ceremony. "And we'll have some special collaborations to celebrate our 30th anniversary." He also said that for the first time, general admission tickets to the main public-facing event of the larger World of Bluegrass convention, the Red Hat Amphitheater's Wide Open Bluegrass festival on Sept. 27 and 28, will be free to the public.
Also announced on Wednesday were three new inductees to the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame. The Kentucky Colonels were a powerful presence in bluegrass of the 1960s based on the West Coast and built largely around the guitar of the late Clarence White and brother Roland White. Roland was on hand for the announcement. Bill Emerson played banjo for a variety of groups from the 1950s through today, notably with Jimmy Martin and the era-shaping Country Gentlemen. And Mike Auldridge redefined the role of the dobro in bluegrass with the Seldom Scene. "Mike changed everything. He phrased differently," said Grammy winning dobro player Jerry Douglas "He was the first guy to use the Dobro in a more modern way, to phrase it more like a saxophone or some other instrument.”
A complete list of the nominations announced by the IBMA follows.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Sam Bush Band
The Earls of Leicester
Del McCoury Band
Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
I’m With Her
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out
Sister Sadie
INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Sam Bush Band
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
The Earls of Leicester
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
The Travelin’ McCourys
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Appalachian Road Show
Carolina Blue
High Fidelity
Mile Twelve
Billy Strings
SONG OF THE YEAR (7 nominees, due to a tie)
“Dance, Dance, Dance”
Artist: Appalachian Road Show
Writers: Brenda Cooper/Joseph Cooper/Steve Miller
Producers: Barry Abernathy, Darrell Webb, Ben Isaacs
Executive Producer: Dottie Leonard Miller
Label: Billy Blue Records
“The Girl Who Invented the Wheel”
Artist: Balsam Range
Writers: Adam Wright/Shannon Wright
Producer: Balsam Range
Executive Producer: Mickey Gamble
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
“The Guitar Song”
Artist: Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers with Del McCoury
Writers: Bill Anderson/Jamey Johnson/Vicky McGehee
Producer: Joe Mullins
Associate Producer: Jerry Salley
Label: Billy Blue Records
“The Light in Carter Stanley’s Eyes”
Artist: Peter Rowan
Writer: Peter Rowan
Producer: Peter Rowan
Associate Producer: Tim O’Brien
Label: Rebel Records
“Next Train South”
Artist: The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Writer: Mac Patterson
Producers: The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Dave Maggard, Ken Irwin
Label: Rounder Records
“Take the Journey”
Artist: Molly Tuttle
Writers: Molly Tuttle/Sarah Siskind
Producer: Ryan Hewitt
Label: Compass Records
“Thunder Dan”
Artist: Sideline
Writer: Josh Manning
Producer: Tim Surrett
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
City on a Hill
Artist: Mile Twelve
Producer: Bryan Sutton
Label: Independent
Del McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass
Artist: Del McCoury Band
Producers: Del and Ronnie McCoury
Label: McCoury Music
For the Record
Artist: Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers
Producer: Joe Mullins
Associate Producer: Jerry Salley
Label: Billy Blue Records
I Hear Bluegrass Calling Me
Artist: Carolina Blue
Producers: Bobby Powell, Tim and Lakin Jones
Executive Producers: Lonnie Lassiter and Ethan Burkhardt
Label: Pinecastle Records
Sister Sadie II
Artist: Sister Sadie
Producer: Sister Sadie
Label: Pinecastle Records
GOSPEL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
“Acres of Diamonds”
Artist: Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers
Producer: Joe Mullins
Associate Producer: Jerry Salley
Label: Billy Blue Records
“Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout”
Artist: Claire Lynch
Producer: Jerry Salley
Label: Billy Blue Records
“I Am a Pilgrim”
Artist: Roland White and Friends
Producers: Ty Gilpin, Jon Weisberger
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
“I See God”
Artist: Marty Raybon
Producer: Jerry Salley
Label: Billy Blue Records
“Let My Life Be a Light”
Artist: Balsam Range
Producer: Balsam Range
Executive Producer: Mickey Gamble
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
“Cotton Eyed Joe”
Artist: Sideline
Producer: Tim Surrett
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
“Darlin’ Pal(s) of Mine”
Artist: Missy Raines with Alison Brown, Mike Bub, and Todd Phillips
Producer: Alison Brown
Label: Compass Records
“Earl’s Breakdown”
Artist: The Earls of Leicester
Producer: Jerry Douglas
Label: Rounder Records
“Fried Taters and Onions”
Artist: Carolina Blue
Producers: Bobby Powell, Tim and Lakin Jones
Executive Producers: Lonnie Lassiter and Ethan Burkhardt
Label: Pinecastle Records
“Sunrise”
Artist: Sam Bush & Bela Fleck
Producers: Akira Otsuka, Ronnie Freeland
Label: Smithsonian Folkways Records
COLLABORATIVE RECORDING OF THE YEAR
“Burning Georgia Down”
Artist: Balsam Range with Atlanta Pops Orchestra Ensemble
Producer: Balsam Range
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
“Darlin’ Pal(s) of Mine”
Artist: Missy Raines with Alison Brown, Mike Bub, and Todd Phillips
Producer: Alison Brown
Label: Compass Records
“The Guitar Song”
Artist: Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers with Del McCoury
Producer: Joe Mullins
Associate Producer: Jerry Salley
Label: Billy Blue Records
“Please”
Artist: Rhonda Vincent and Dolly Parton
Producers: Dave Cobb, John Leventhal, Frank Liddell
Label: MCA Nashville
“Soldier's Joy/Ragtime Annie”
Artist: Roland White with Justin Hiltner, Jon Weisberger, Patrick McAvinue, and Molly Tuttle
Producers: Ty Gilpin, Jon Weisberger
Label: Mountain Home Music Company
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Shawn Camp
Del McCoury
Russell Moore
Tim O’Brien
Danny Paisley
FEMALE VOCALIST
Brooke Aldridge
Dale Ann Bradley
Sierra Hull
Molly Tuttle
Rhonda Vincent
BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Gina Furtado
Mike Munford
Noam Pikelny
Kristin Scott Benson
Scott Vestal
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Barry Bales
Mike Bub
Beth Lawrence
Missy Raines
Mark Schatz
FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Hunter Berry
Becky Buller
Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
RESOPHONIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jerry Douglas
Andy Hall
Rob Ickes
Phil Leadbetter
Justin Moses
GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kenny Smith
Billy Strings
Bryan Sutton
Molly Tuttle
Josh Williams
MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Alan Bibey
Sam Bush
Sierra Hull
Ronnie McCoury
Frank Solivan