Tag: Alan Bibey

You Gotta Hear This: New Music From Adrian + Meredith, Mark Stoffel, and More

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

You’ve reached the end of another week so let’s celebrate like we always do, with a round up of exciting video and track premieres from our BGS family. Below, find a new video skewering NFTs and the commodification of art from folk string duo Adrian + Meredith, plus mandolinist Mark Stoffel covers a bluegrass gospel classic with an all star cast of pickers – and double mandolin!

Plus, earlier this week on BGS, Certified Guitar Player Tommy Emmanuel debuted a brand new performance video of “Bella Soave,” from his iconic album Endless Road in celebration of its 20th Anniversary edition releasing. And, progressive Colorado bluegrass outfit Meadow Mountain continue their SkyTheory Sessions with “Trail to Telluride.”

Here’s hoping your new music Friday is flush with excellent, exciting, engaging new songs. Like these few below, and to be honest – You Gotta Hear This!

Adrian + Meredith, “NFT”

Artist: Adrian + Meredith
Hometown: East Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “NFT”
Release Date: May 17, 2024 (single)
Label: Vertigo Productions

In Their Words: “Exploring the themes of NFTs in the song, we reflect on the history of patron-driven commissioned artwork and on the complexities of how, as a society, artwork is ‘valued.’ Who decides what art is worth? Who decides as a culture what art is worthy of preserving? How have barriers of artistic gatekeeping prevailed and adapted as society has progressed?

“All these questions made this music video engaging to create. It was shot at a location called The Forge Nashville, which is a co-working space for artists and makers that offers affordable access to the tools, space, and support artists and makers need to succeed. As AI and mass consumption of art threatens artists of every medium, we wanted to highlight the importance of art and artists as part of robust community ecosystems. As we navigate a changing world, our passion for original, independent artistry, the power of live music, and the strength of community that comes from both has deepened and that really comes out in the lyrics of this song.

“This track was particularly fun to write and record. The complementing verses highlight two different perspectives, one from Adrian and one from me, and were written separately using the same prompts. The vocals, drums, bass, violin, and guitar came together so well in the studio that they are one full live studio take. After initial mixing, we spent an afternoon with Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers, Mighty Poplar) working out a harmony line for the fiddle pizzicato, which he recorded on guitar, had Henry Westmoreland (Squirrel Nut Zippers) add in trumpet flair, and had Paul Niehaus (Justin Townes Earle, Calexico) add in his magic on pedal steel.” – Meredith Krygowski

Track Credits:
Adrian Krygowski – Vocals, acoustic guitar
Meredith Krygowski – Vocals, fiddle, clogging
John Kveen – Bass
Bronson Tew – Drums, engineering
Henry Westmoreland – Horns
Chris “Critter” Eldridge – Electric & acoustic guitar
Paul Niehaus – Pedal steel

Video Credits: Kaedi Maney Dishen and Ryan Dishen – Videographers and editing
Shot at The Forge Nashville.

Mark Stoffel, “I’m Using My Bible for a Road Map”

Artist: Mark Stoffel
Hometown: My birthplace and original hometown is Munich, Germany. My adopted hometown is Murphysboro, Illinois
Song: “I’m Using My Bible for a Road Map”
Release Date: May 10, 2024 (single)
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “Years ago, Chris Jones & the Night Drivers were booked to play a Sunday morning show at the Blueberry Music Festival in Stony Plain, Alberta. I suggested we add ‘I’m Using My Bible for a Road Map’ to the setlist because I just love the simple beauty of this Reno & Smiley classic. I was lucky enough to record my version with Chris Luquette on guitar, Ross Sermons on Bass, Tony Creasman on drums, Rob Ickes on Dobro, Niall Murphy on Fiddle, and Alan Bibey on mandolin. Alan contributed a super tasteful mandolin twin part on the last go-around of the tune. Check it out — I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed recording it!” – Mark Stoffel

Track Credits:

Mark Stoffel – Mandolin, guitar
Rob Ickes – Dobro
Alan Bibey – Twin mandolin
Chris Luquette – Guitar
Niall Murphy – Fiddle
Ross Sermons – Bass
Tony Creasman – Drums

Tommy Emmanuel, “Bella Soave” (from Endless Road)

Artist: Tommy Emmanuel
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Bella Soave”
Album: Endless Road: 20th Anniversary Edition
Release Date: May 17, 2024
Label: CGP Sounds

In Their Words: “The song was written after my first visit in Soave, Italy in 1999. It was the first festival I ever played. I was so happy and overjoyed from the experience of the festival that I started writing when I got into the backseat of the car. We were driving from Soave down to Rome for a show and workshop, and I wrote this song on the way there. I got it finished and played it that night at the show. I tried to give it a sort of Spanish feel in the bridge, because I had met a lot of Spaniards that weekend at the festival. Bella Soave means ‘beautiful Soave.’ It’s a beautiful place and has been a big part of my musical life.” – Tommy Emmanuel

More here.

Meadow Mountain, “Trail to Telluride”

Artist: Meadow Mountain
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Song: “Trail to Telluride”
Release Date: May 6, 2024 (single)

In Their Words: “I have attended the Telluride Bluegrass festival every year for over 12 years now. It is where I fell in love with bluegrass music and it is where I felt my first calling to write the music of the Rocky Mountains. This song tells a fictional story of a miner in the late 1800s who traveled from Denver to Telluride in an attempt to strike it rich mining for silver. While I am no miner, I do feel that the story tracks with the life of a working musician. You go out there to try something new, and if it doesn’t stick, you reset and get back to work.” – Summers Baker, guitar and songwriter

More here.

Photo Credit: Adrian + Meredith by Kaedi Maney Dishen; Mark Stoffel courtesy of the artist.

LISTEN: Balsam Range, “What the Years Do”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Balsam Range
Hometown: Haywood County, North Carolina
Song: “What the Years Do”
Release Date: March 24, 2023
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “I have been a fan of this Adam and Shannon Wright song for many years. I have been waiting for the right time to record and release it, and that time feels like now! It is exciting to be back in the studio recording and releasing new Balsam Range music. Starting our 16th year with such an extremely talented and incredible group of guys, I am so excited to continue growing our musical legacy and setting new goals for our musical journey. ‘What the Years Do’ is such a meaningful, lyrical song and it fits into where we are as a band, as friends and individuals. It reminds us that life has a way of changing our focus, our needs, our desires and with each year, we grow as individuals. We will all experience different chapters of life and each of those will mold us and shape us to become our best. It’s pretty amazing how the heart grows!” — Buddy Melton, Balsam Range

Crossroads Label Group · What The Years Do – Balsam Range

Photo credit: Courtesy of Balsam Range

Despite Challenges, Phil Leadbetter Finds Motivation in the All Stars of Bluegrass

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

There aren’t many people in bluegrass as adored as “Uncle” Phil Leadbetter. From performing for Gerald Ford with the Knoxville Newgrass Boys in 1975 to his work with J.D. Crowe, the formation of bands like Grasstowne, or beating cancer — not once, but five times — Leadbetter has earned his position as one of the most respected and beloved musicians in this familial genre.

His new project, Swing For the Fences, by Phil Leadbetter and the All Stars of Bluegrass, comes out September 25 on Pinecastle Records. While the band lost bassist, vocalist, and songwriter Steve Gulley to cancer between recording and release — as well as their touring schedule, slashed by COVID — Leadbetter is humble proof that we can keep pushing forward and doing what we love.

BGS sat down with Leadbetter to talk about the new release, working with old bandmates, and the dearly-departed Steve Gulley.

BGS: What’s something that ties these all stars of bluegrass together? What qualities were you looking for?

Leadbetter: I put this band together for a show one time, and we had Claire Lynch and Dale Ann Bradley. I was a founder or cofounder of several bands. I founded a band called Wildfire, I was a co-founder of Grasstowne with Steve [Gulley] and Alan [Bibey], which is Alan’s band now, and I was a cofounder of Flashback. With each band, a lot of times people just change directions. Each time I’ve lost the name, so that’s why I put my name out front with the All Stars of Bluegrass. I still kinda scratch my heels a little on it, but as the CD was coming out I had to make a decision. I told the guys, “my name’s out front, but every one of you still has 20% voice.”

On one of these all star shows, I just thought, “man I’m just gonna call ‘em all back together.” I had the chance to put together a show for a radio station, and I called on Alan and called on Steve. I decided that I wanted to do a record. Jason Burleson with Blue Highway, he was automatic. We had Claire Lynch, but she moved to Canada and couldn’t do it anymore. So I go back to Wildfire and I get Robert Hale.

One of our guests, Steve Wariner, he’s a good friend of mine I met during my cancer trip. When I came out of my third remission, he called me and said “listen to your voicemail.” He had written a song about me, my illness, about me and my wife. The song is too personal to record, but maybe one day. I said when Steve Gulley died I probably wouldn’t play again, but I found out I’ve gotta move on and Steve would want me to. With my illness I thought I would be gone first, and I told Steve that if I did, they should keep this band going. I just never expected him to go as quick as he did, like he did.

Steve Gulley, who so sadly passed away last month after a short battle with pancreatic cancer, has worked with you for years. So much in fact that he and his wife Debbie sing a duet (“Yesterday’s Gone”) on the new record. 

We were down to needing one more song. Steve had sung a song on some of his — he and Debbie had a country music show that they would do up in their town of Cumberland Gap — and Steve sung this song a few times. It was a Vern Gosdin tune, and I used to play with Vern a little bit, did a couple of trips with him. Anyway, we were down to one song and I told Steve, “you need to sing this one.” So he sang it, and he did it in one take. 

So anyway, we’re driving home and we’re throwing around names of people we need to call. Claire Lynch, she was with us before Robert Hale came in. So our first thought was to call Claire, but I told Steve I had an idea, “why don’t we get Debbie to sing?” They sent me the tracks and I just got blown away, how good it was. When Steve passed everything just made sense, I called the record company and told them we needed to get this out. 

You’ve been incredibly open with your cancer battles and victories over the last few years, even noting that “5-time cancer survivor” is your greatest achievement, beyond music or awards.

If I was to get twenty IBMA awards, that would still be my greatest achievement. Cause, you can’t get any awards if you’re dead. The very first one was so special because I had my wife and son there. I was pretty sick in 2014, then I got sick again and got well again. Then I got another one in 2019. You know, I just remember all of these so well, because I remember exactly where I was in my health when I got each one of them.

There’s so many good players right now, truthfully I hope the whole ballot will eventually be full with new players. There’s some of these guys out there right now that have moved really far ahead of what I’ve ever done, and so many other players, that it’s time to get some new blood on there, and keep people energized. I’ve had three, and one would have been enough if it meant seeing someone else get the next one.

So many things I would imagine have changed since the recording of this record. What are your thoughts when you listen back to it today?

It means a lot that I got to record with Steve again, and our last thing has been my favorite thing. I’ve done a lot of records, but this went easier than anything I’ve ever played on. I think a lot of it was that me and Alan, we already felt like brothers. And Steve, you add that in and it’s like three brothers. Jason comes in, and Robert Hale I’d worked with in Wildfire and with J.D. Crowe. It was just easy, like working with family. Our plan right now is to announce a new player at some point.

I’m looking forward to the next [record], but not having Steve there will be hard. With our concerts, I’ve made a promise to myself that every show we play will include a Steve Gulley song. So that way we never replace him, we just find somebody for the space.

 

WATCH: Alan Bibey & Grasstowne, “Hitchhiking to California”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Alan Bibey & Grasstowne
Hometown: Walnut Cove, North Carolina
Song: “Hitchhiking to California”
Album: Hitchhiking To California (set for release January 2021)
Label: Billy Blue Records

In Their Words: “When I was 16 years old, I got the opportunity to play in a regional band that included a musician named Wes Golding, and the seeds of a lifelong friendship were sown. A few years later, I began playing professionally with the New Quicksilver, and we recorded the original version of a song Wes wrote called ‘Hitchhiking to California.’ That was back in 1985. So when we started to record this new project for Billy Blue Records, I had the idea to redo the song, and Jerry Salley and I both agreed we’d love a third verse, which was not included in the original version. With Wes Golding’s blessing, Jerry and I wrote a new verse and reworked a few other things in the song for its new release.” — Alan Bibey

Photo credit: Tina Farmer
Video by Solid Rock Studios, Point Pleasant, WV

IBMA Awards 2019: See the Winners

Posted on by Editor

With their first nomination in the top category, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers secured the IBMA award for Entertainer of the Year on Thursday (September 26) from the International Bluegrass Music Association at a ceremony in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Well, I don’t know how in the world this happened. I want every one of you guys right here,” he said to his band. “I’ve told them for years that one ol’ boy with a few corny jokes and a banjo in tune sometimes can’t do this by himself. It’s a team effort every time we leave the house and every time we climb on the stage.”

The group also picked up a trophy for Collaborative Recording of the Year with “The Guitar Song,” a duet between Mullins and Del McCoury. Meanwhile, McCoury won Album of the Year for Del McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass.

McCoury and longtime friend Jim Lauderdale traded introductions and hair jokes as co-hosts of the event, which has annually honored the top achievements in the thriving bluegrass community since 1990. Lauderdale opened the show with a performance of “When Carolina Comes Home” joined by all of the previous Instrumentalist of the Year winners. Moments later, a clip was shown from the inaugural 1990 event with Alison Brown (banjo), Alison Krauss (mandolin), Lynn Morris (guitar) Missy Raines (bass), and Andrea Zonn (fiddle).

A number of musicians made their first appearance at the podium in select categories, including Alan Bibey for Mandolin Player of the Year, Sideline for Song of the Year (“Thunder Dan”), and Sister Sadie for Vocal Group of the Year. Tina Adair spoke on behalf of the group, while her colleagues Dale Ann Bradley and Gena Britt barely held back their tears. (Deanie Richardson is also a member of the group.)

“You know what, I love making music,” Adair said. “I’ve been singing since I was 3 years old on stage. It’s something I’ve always loved to do but I love it even better with these gals right here.”

In addition, Billy Strings was named Guitar Player of the Year. The fast-rising talent also claimed the New Artist of the Year trophy. He was unable to attend.

Brooke Aldridge earned her third consecutive award as Female Vocalist, while IIIrd Tyme Out’s Russell Moore rebounded with a Male Vocalist Year win, his first since 2012 and sixth overall. Additional familiar faces include Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper for Instrumental Group, their fifth win. Cleveland collected his 12th trophy in the fiddle category as well.

Other returning winners in instrumentalist categories are Kristin Scott Benson (banjo), Phil Leadbetter (resophonic guitar), and Missy Raines (bass). Raines also took home the Instrumental Recording of the Year honors for “Darlin’ Pal(s) of Mine,” which featured Alison Brown, Mike Bub, and Todd Phillips. Claire Lynch’s “Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout” earned the Gospel Recording of the Year award. But it was Leadbetter whose name brought the crowd to its feet, as the five-time cancer survivor shared the joy of his latest remarkable recovery.

The recipients of the 2019 International Bluegrass Music Awards are listed below:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR:
Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR:
Sister Sadie (this is the band’s first win in this category)

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR:
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper

SONG OF THE YEAR:
“Thunder Dan” — Sideline (artist), Josh Manning (writer) Tim Surrett (producer), Mountain Home Music Company (label)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
Del McCoury Still Sings Bluegrass – Del McCoury Band (artist), Del and Ronnie McCoury (producer), McCoury Music (label)

GOSPEL RECORDING OF THE YEAR:
“Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout” – Claire Lynch (artist), Jerry Salley (producer), Billy Blue Records (label)

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR:
“Darlin’ Pal(s) of Mine” – Missy Raines with Alison Brown, Mike Bub, and Todd Phillips (artist), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records (label)

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
Billy Strings

COLLABORATIVE RECORDING OF THE YEAR:
“The Guitar Song” — Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers with Del McCoury (artists), Joe Mullins (producer), Jerry Salley (associate producer) Billy Blue (label)

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR:
Brooke Aldridge

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR:
Russell Moore

BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Kristin Scott Benson

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Missy Raines

FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Michael Cleveland

GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Billy Strings

MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Alan Bibey

RESOPHONIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Phil Leadbetter

Previously announced inductees into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame — Mike Auldridge, Bill Emerson, and The Kentucky Colonels — were honored at this evening’s show.

At the Industry Awards Luncheon held earlier in the day, these recipients were announced:

BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR:
Michelle Lee

EVENT OF THE YEAR:
Blueberry Bluegrass Festival – Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

LINER NOTES OF THE YEAR:
Epilogue: A Tribute to John Duffey
Akira Otsuka, Dudley Connell, Jeff Place, Katy Daley

GRAPHIC DESIGNER OF THE YEAR:
Michael Armistead

WRITER OF THE YEAR:
David Morris

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR:
Jerry Salley

SOUND ENGINEER OF THE YEAR:
Ben Surratt

The previously announced 2019 Distinguished Achievement Award recipients — Katy Daley, Mickey Gamble, Dan Hays, Allen Mills, and Moonshiner — were also honored at today’s luncheon.

IBMA Reveals Award Nominees, Hall of Fame Inductees, Distinguished Achievement Winners

Posted on by Editor

Five of the top bands in bluegrass earned IBMA Entertainer of the Year nominations from the International Bluegrass Music Association. The ballot was revealed on Wednesday morning in Nashville.

The Entertainer of the Year nominees are Balsam Range, Sam Bush Band, The Earls of Leicester, Del McCoury Band, and Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers.

Due to a tie, seven titles will compete for the Song of the Year category. The IBMA Awards will take place Thursday, September 26, at the Duke Energy Performing Arts Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, with hosts Jim Lauderdale and Del McCoury.

Mike Auldridge, Bill Emerson, and the Kentucky Colonels have also been named as inductees into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

Distinguished Achievement Award recipients include radio personality Katy Daley, Mountain Home label founder Mickey Gamble, former IBMA executive director Dan Hays, The Lost and Found founder Allen Mills, and Japanese language magazine Moonshiner, now in its 37th year covering bluegrass and acoustic music.

The full ballot is below.

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