It is always a good year to be a McCoury in bluegrass, but 2024 may be especially memorable for the Nashville family, as the Del McCoury Band became Entertainers of the Year for the first time since 2004, while the Travelin' McCourys were named Instrumental Group of the Year at the 35th annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. As a bonus, Del's son Rob was named Banjo Player of the Year for the second time at a ceremony at Raleigh, NC’s Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, hosted by Missy Raines and John Cowan.
Del himself was under the weather and could not be on hand, but son Rob accepted the award for the band. "He's quite an entertaining guy," he said to applause. "Although he says he's not. He says you folks entertain him way more than he entertains you." The McCourys' fiddle player Jason Carter sent a nod of appreciation to Del's wife Jean, who's been a key matriarch of bluegrass music through Del's incredible reign as the modern king of the music. His band's first Entertainer of the Year prize came in 1996, and they've won nine of those titles since. The award broke a streak of three consecutive Entertainer of the Year awards by Billy Strings.
Authentic Unlimited, the band configured largely after Doyle Lawson retired from leading his longtime band Quicksilver, also had a big night, winning Vocal Group of the Year, plus Song and Video of the Year for "Fall In Tennessee," which was written by band Bob Minner and band member John Meador. Jesse Brock of the band won his third Mandolin Player of the Year award.
The coveted Album of the Year was snared by Nashville's Molly Tuttle for City Of Gold, released in July of 2023. It was her second release as leader of her band Golden Highway, and her second consecutive Album of the Year prize, after Crooked Tree won for 2023. "I've been coming to the IBMA awards since I was 11 or 12 years old, and I remember seeing people like Tony Rice and Jerry Douglas get up on stage. I was like, wow this is the coolest thing ever. I think the thing that got me hooked was playing with other people and making friends." She acknowledged her band (with whom she performed), her father, a renowned California music teacher, who was on hand, and new Hall of Famer Jerry Douglas who produced the album.
East Nash Grass, the five-piece band that developed at Dee's Lounge in Madison, was named New Artist of the Year. Banjo player Cory Walker, one of the band's fountains of dry and sometimes surreal humor, asked for and got a moment of silence for a recently closed Hardee's in Madison. On a more serious note, singer James Key said," We love to play bluegrass music This is our livelihood. Thank you for letting us be part of it." Band member Gavin Largent was named Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year for his first IBMA trophy.
In something of an upset, MTSU graduate Jaelee Roberts won her first IBMA Award as Female Vocalist of the Year. The Nashville native, whose parents are both veterans in different parts of the bluegrass industry, won the Momentum Award for Vocalist of the Year in 2021. In the years since, she's become a key voice in 2020 Entertainers of the Year Sister Sadie besides releasing some powerful music under her own name. "I can't believe this is happening," said a tearful Roberts.
Pennsylvania based singer and bandleader Danny Paisley snared his fourth Male Vocalist of the Year prize and his third in four years. His high lonesome voice has been a harbinger of good times for old-school bluegrass in the business, and he spoke of his long road running the band Southern Grass, which was started by his father Bob Paisley. "I am deeply touched that other people have appreciated what I do," he said. "I've loved every minute, from the highs to the lows. I get discouraged but I pick myself up and keep going. And this makes it all worthwhile."
Also on Thursday night, IBMA ushered three new members into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Alan Munde was celebrated for his inventive and tasteful banjo playing and a career that included time with Poor Richard's Almanac with a young Sam Bush, the Flying Burrito Brothers in the country -rock movement, and 20 years with Country Gazette.
Beloved broadcaster Katy Daley was inducted for her 50 years of service to bluegrass over the airwaves, especially in and around Washington, DC, her hometown, which she said, "did so much to influence the sound, the style and the direction of bluegrass."
And in an entry the entire community has seen coming for years, Sam Bush inducted his old friend and picking colleague, Jerry Douglas. "There isn't a more deserving musician to be inducted," he said as he told the story of knowing and playing music with Douglas over five decades. Other testimonials came in by video from Béla Fleck, James Taylor and Alison Krauss. Douglas, a native of Warren, OH, loved Flatt & Scruggs and their resophonic guitar player Josh Graves. As he developed his personal sound on the instrument, Douglas was courted into a string of important bands: J.D. Crowe and the New South, Boone Creek, The Whites, and Strength In Numbers. He's the most prolific recording Dobro player of all time and an innovator who's released many creative instrumental albums. In the 2010s he founded the Earls of Leicester, a Flatt & Scruggs inspired band, which won numerous awards.
"I've covered a lot of ground in the past 51 years and I look forward to what comes next," Douglas told the crowd.
The recipients of the 2024 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Del McCoury Band
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Authentic Unlimited
INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
The Travelin’ McCourys
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Fall in Tennessee”
Recorded by Authentic Unlimited
Written by John Meador & Bob Minner
Produced by Authentic Unlimited
Billy Blue Records
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
City of Gold
Recorded by Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
Produced by Jerry Douglas & Molly Tuttle
Nonesuch Records
GOSPEL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
“God Already Has”
Recorded by Dale Ann Bradley
Written by Mark “Brink” Brinkman & David Stewart
Produced by Dale Ann Bradley
Pinecastle Records
INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
“Knee Deep in Bluegrass”
Recorded by Ashby Frank
Written by Terry Baucom
Produced by Ashby Frank
Mountain Home Music Company
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
East Nash Grass
COLLABORATIVE RECORDING OF THE YEAR
“Brown’s Ferry Blues”
Recorded by Tony Trischka with Billy Strings
Written by Alton & Rabon Delmore
Produced by Béla Fleck
Down the Road Records
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Danny Paisley
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Jaelee Roberts
BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Rob McCoury
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Vickie Vaughn
FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Deanie Richardson
RESOPHONIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Gaven Largent
GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Cody Kilby
MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jesse Brock
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (TIE)
“Fall in Tennessee”
Authentic Unlimited
“Alberta Bound”
Special Consensus with Ray Legere, John Reischman, Patrick Sauber, Trisha Gagnon, Pharis & Jason Romero, and Claire Lynch
