The International Bluegrass Music Awards were handed out Thursday night at the IBMA’s first in-person awards ceremony since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Grammy Award-winning ensemble The Infamous Stringdusters hosted the 32nd annual edition of bluegrass’s biggest night from the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.
On the heels of the release of his brand new album, Renewal, guitarist Billy Strings won the night’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year, while also winning his second Guitar Player of the Year trophy. 2020’s Entertainers of the Year, Sister Sadie, received the Vocal Group of the Year award, while Smithsonian Folkways’ compilation album, Industrial Strength Bluegrass, which celebrates the regional bluegrass stylings of southwestern Ohio, was the Album of the Year winner.
Previously announced Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees Lynn Morris, Alison Krauss, and the Stoneman Family were honored during the show as well. See the full list of winners below:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR:
Billy Strings
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR:
Sister Sadie
INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR:
Appalachian Road Show
SONG OF THE YEAR:
“Richest Man” – Balsam Range (artist), Jim Beavers/Jimmy Yeary/Connie Harrington (songwriters), Balsam Range (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
Industrial Strength Bluegrass: Southwestern Ohio’s Musical Legacy – Various Artists, Joe Mullins (producer), Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (label)
GOSPEL RECORDING OF THE YEAR (Tie):
“After While” – Dale Ann Bradley (artist), Public Domain, Dale Ann Bradley (producer), Pinecastle Records (label)
“In the Resurrection Morning” – Sacred Reunion featuring Doyle Lawson, Vince Gill, Barry Abernathy, Tim Stafford, Mark Wheeler, Jim VanCleve, Phil Leadbetter, Jason Moore (artists), Mark Wheeler (songwriter), Barry Abernathy, Jim VanCleve (producers), Dottie Leonard Miller (Executive Producer), Billy Blue Records (label)
INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR: “Ground Speed” – Kristin Scott Benson, Skip Cherryholmes, Jeremy Garrett, Kevin Kehrberg, Darren Nicholson (artists), Earl Scruggs (songwriter), Jon Weisberger (producer), Mountain Home Music (label)
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
Appalachian Road Show
COLLABORATIVE RECORDING OF THE YEAR:
“White Line Fever” – Bobby Osborne with Tim O’Brien, Trey Hensley, Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan, Todd Phillips, Alison Brown (artists), Merle Haggard/Jeff Tweedy (songwriters) Alison Brown, Garry West (producers), Compass Records (label)
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR:
Dale Ann Bradley
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR (Tie):
Danny Paisley
Del McCoury
BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Scott Vestal
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Missy Raines
RESOPHONIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Justin Moses
FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Billy Strings
MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Sierra Hull
Photo of Billy Strings by Jesse Faatz
