Tag: Michael Cleveland

LISTEN: Michael Cleveland, ‘Tall Fiddler’

Posted on by Editor

Artist name: Michael Cleveland
Hometown: Charlestown, Indiana
Album: Tall Fiddler
Release Date: August 23, 2019
Label: Compass Records

In Their Words: “This album has been something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. I’ve been thinking for a while that it would be awesome to have my band, Flamekeeper, collaborate with some of my musical heroes, and just wondered what it would sound like. I knew it was going to be awesome about an hour into the first day in the studio. Tommy Emmanuel came in to record ‘Tall Fiddler’ and about an hour after he got there, we had the track. Also, I had the honor of co-writing a song with Béla Fleck, recording a Memphis rock song that talks about stealing one of Elvis’s Cadillacs… had so much fun along the way. Thanks to everyone who was involved in the making of this album and especially to my co-producers, Jeff White and Sean Sullivan, for making this dream a reality.” — Michael Cleveland

Photo credit: Stacie Huckeba

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

The String – Michael Cleveland and Nefesh Mountain

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Michael Cleveland is the record-setting, 11-time winner of the IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year award. He’s a traditionally grounded player who’s reaching into new terrain as a 38-year-old phenomenon.

LISTEN: APPLE MUSIC

He’s also been blind since birth and he’s overcome a lot, a story told in the new documentary Flamekeeper. Rounding out the hour, the married duo bandleaders Eric and Doni of Nefesh Mountain, a New York-based band that boldly and brilliantly fuses bluegrass and Jewish music. They sing in Hebrew and English. The melodies are beguiling and ancient-feeling. The musicianship is excellent. They talk about their four-year adventure together as the first band of their kind.

Just One: Michael Cleveland Picks His Desert Isle Fiddler

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

If you could only listen to one fiddler for the rest of your days, who would it be? We had to ask 10-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year Michael Cleveland whose fiddle playing would be his desert island soundtrack. Sometimes, you only need Just One.

If you had to spend the rest of your life on a deserted island with just one fiddler’s music, who would it be and why?

If I had to spend the rest my life on a desert island with one fiddler’s music, it would be Benny Martin’s fiddle playing from 1947 to 1965. He was so far ahead of what anybody else was playing at this time, in my opinion, and he was able to pull off things that I’ve yet to hear anyone else equal. Really difficult and complicated stuff that he was just able to play like it was nothing.

Why this specific era of Benny Martin?

I feel that this time in his career was his most creative. I hear in his music from ’47 to around ’56 or so that he was constantly trying new things that hadn’t been done before. For example, he was the first fiddle player that I know of to ever play fifths in double stops, which created a very unique sound. You can hear this on the Flatt and Scruggs version of “Someone Took My Place With You.” Sometime in the ’50s, he also invented the eight string fiddle, which was set up sort of like a mandolin with pairs of strings really close together. But unlike the mandolin where each pair of strings are tuned in unison or to the same pitch, the pairs on Benny’s eight string were tuned in harmony to each other, which allowed him to play four notes simultaneously. What a big sound! I heard Benny say in an interview that he came up with the idea after he heard Bill Monroe tune his mandolin in an alternate tuning for the song “Get Up John.”

What’s something about Benny Martin that you wish more people knew about?

I think a lot of people know of Benny as a great fiddler, which he most definitely was, but a lot of people don’t realize that he also was an incredible singer and songwriter. In the mid ’50s, after playing with Flatt and Scruggs and the country duo Johnnie & Jack, Benny was signed to Mercury records and started recording and touring as a country artist and later on, he was even managed by Colonel Tom Parker, the same guy who managed Elvis Presley for most of his career.

Do you have a favorite way of paying homage to Benny in your own playing?

One of the many things that I really like about Benny’s playing was the sense of fun and excitement he could create in the music. That’s what I tried to duplicate. Also his timing was impeccable! I have listened to many live recordings where the band was all over the place, or not playing together well at all, but when Benny came out and started playing with them, it sounded like a whole different band! His timing and groove were such that he could change and elevate whoever he played with and make the band play with him. Now that’s easier to do if you are a guitar or mandolin player, because those are rhythm instruments, but to do it with a fiddle? Now that’s awesome!

Now, what if you had to choose just one of Benny’s tunes to listen to while you eat coconuts on that desert isle?

If I had to choose one of Benny’s songs to listen to, it would have to be “Me and My Fiddle.” It has it all! The awesome and oh-so-complicated double stops, the incredible timing and syncopation, and everything else that is Benny Martin!

Photo courtesy of the artist.

The 2017 IBMA Award Winners

Posted on by Editor

The winners of the 2017 International Bluegrass Music Awards were announced last night with Molly Tuttle becoming the first woman ever to be nominated for — and WIN — an IBMA Guitar Player of the Year Award. 

The IBMA also inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame a number of legendary artists, including Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard, Bobby Hicks, and Roland White. Congratulations to all!

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
The Earls of Leicester
Flatt Lonesome
The Gibson Brothers

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Blue Highway
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Flatt Lonesome
The Gibson Brothers

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
The Earls of Leicester
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Punch Brothers

SONG OF THE YEAR
“Blue Collar Dreams” — Balsam Range (artist), Aaron Bibelhauser (writer)
“Going Back to Bristol” — Shawn Camp (artist), Mac Wiseman/Thomm Jutz/Peter Cooper (writers)
“I Am a Drifter” — Volume Five (artist), Donna Ulisse/Marc Rossi (writers)
“Someday Soon” — Darin & Brooke Aldridge (artist), Ian Tyson (writer)
“The Train That Carried My Girl from Town” — The Earls of Leicester (artist), Frank Hutchison (writer)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Fiddler’s Dream — Michael Cleveland (artist), Jeff White and Michael Cleveland (producers), Compass Records (label)
In the Ground — The Gibson Brothers (artist), Eric Gibson, Leigh Gibson, and Mike Barber (producers), Rounder Records (label)
Mountain Voodoo — Balsam Range (artist), Balsam Range (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
Original — Bobby Osborne (artist), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records (label)
Rattle & Roar — The Earls of Leicester (artist), Jerry Douglas (producer), Rounder Records (label)

GOSPEL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
“Give Me Jesus” — Larry Cordle (artist), Traditional/Larry Cordle (writer), Give Me Jesus (album), Larry Cordle (producer), Mighty Cord Records (label)
“Hallelujah” — Blue Highway (artist), Public Domain arranged by Blue Highway (writer),Original Traditional (album), Blue Highway (producer), Rounder Records (label)
“I Found a Church Today” — The Gibson Brothers (artist), Eric Gibson/Leigh Gibson (writers), In the Ground (album), Eric Gibson, Leigh Gibson, and Mike Barber (producers), Rounder Records (label)
“Sacred Memories” — Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers with Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White Skaggs (artist), Dolly Parton (writer), Sacred Memories (album), Joe Mullins (producer), Rebel Records (label)
“Wish You Were Here” — Balsam Range (artist), James Stover/Michael Williams (writers), Mountain Voodoo (album), Balsam Range (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
“Fiddler’s Dream” — Michael Cleveland (artist), Arthur Smith (writer), Fiddler’s Dream (album), Jeff White and Michael Cleveland (producers), Compass Records (label)
“Great Waterton” — Kristin Scott Benson (artist), Kristin Scott Benson (writer), Stringworks(album), Kristin Scott Benson (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
“Greenbrier” — Sam Bush (artist), Sam Bush/Scott Vestal (writers), Storyman (album), Sugar Hill Records (label)
“Little Liza Jane” — Adam Steffey (artist), Tommy Duncan/James Robert Wills (writers), Here to Stay (album), Adam Steffey (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
“Flint Hill Special” — The Earls of Leicester (artist), Earl Scruggs (writer), Rattle & Roar (album), Jerry Douglas (producer), Rounder Records (label)

EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Front Country
The Lonely Heartstring Band
Molly Tuttle
Sister Sadie
Volume Five

RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR
“East Virginia Blues” — Ricky Wasson and Dan Tyminski (artists), Croweology: The Study of J.D. Crowe’s Musical Legacy (album), Rickey Wasson (producer), Truegrass Entertainment (label)
“Going Back to Bristol” — Shawn Camp with Mac Wiseman, Peter Cooper, Thomm Jutz (artists), I Sang the Song (Life of the Voice with a Heart) (album), Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz (producers), Mountain Fever Records (label)
“I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You” — Bobby Osborne with Sierra Hull, Alison Brown, Rob Ickes, Stuart Duncan, Trey Hensley, Todd Phillips, Kenny Malone, Claire Lynch, and Bryan McDowell (artists), Original (album), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records (label)
“Steamboat Whistle Blues”– Michael Cleveland featuring Sam Bush (artists), Fiddler’s Dream (album), Jeff White and Michael Cleveland (producers), Compass Records (label)
“’Tis Sweet to Be Remembered” — Mac Wiseman and Alison Krauss (artists), I Sang the Song (Life of the Voice with a Heart) (album), Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz (producers), Mountain Fever Records (label)

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Shawn Camp
Eric Gibson
Leigh Gibson
Buddy Melton
Russell Moore

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Brooke Aldridge
Dale Ann Bradley
Sierra Hull
Amanda Smith
Molly Tuttle

BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ned Luberecki
Joe Mullins
Noam Pikelny
Kristin Scott Benson
Sammy Shelor

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Barry Bales
Alan Bartram
Mike Bub
Missy Raines
Tim Surrett

FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (6 candidates due to a tie vote)
Becky Buller
Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
Patrick McAvinue
Ron Stewart

DOBRO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jerry Douglas
Andy Hall
Rob Ickes
Phil Leadbetter
Josh Swift

GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jim Hurst
Kenny Smith
Bryan Sutton
Molly Tuttle
Josh Williams

MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jesse Brock
Sam Bush
Sierra Hull
Frank Solivan
Adam Steffey

ANNOUNCING: 2017 IBMA Award Nominations

Posted on by Editor

Nominees for the 2017 International Bluegrass Music Awards were announced today with Balsam Range and the Earls of Leicester leading the pack with eight nominations each. Balsam Range received six nominations for the band and two for their individual members, while the Earls pulled in five nominations, plus three for individual members. Close behind are the Gibson Brothers, with seven nominations (band and individuals), and Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, with five nominations (band and individuals). On an historic note: Molly Tuttle is the first woman ever to be nominated for an IBMA Guitar Player of the Year Award. 

The IBMA is also proud to announce the inductees into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame: trail-blazing bluegrass artists Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard, master fiddler Bobby Hicks, and Roland White, whose impressive career includes contributions to several seminal bands. They will be inducted at the International Bluegrass Music Awards Show, Thursday, September 28, 2017, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Congratulations to all the nominees and inductees!

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
The Earls of Leicester
Flatt Lonesome
The Gibson Brothers

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Blue Highway
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Flatt Lonesome
The Gibson Brothers

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
The Earls of Leicester
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Punch Brothers

SONG OF THE YEAR
“Blue Collar Dreams” — Balsam Range (artist), Aaron Bibelhauser (writer)
“Going Back to Bristol” — Shawn Camp (artist), Mac Wiseman/Thomm Jutz/Peter Cooper (writers)
“I Am a Drifter” — Volume Five (artist), Donna Ulisse/Marc Rossi (writers)
“Someday Soon” — Darin & Brooke Aldridge (artist), Ian Tyson (writer)
“The Train That Carried My Girl from Town” — The Earls of Leicester (artist), Frank Hutchison (writer)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Fiddler’s Dream — Michael Cleveland (artist), Jeff White and Michael Cleveland (producers), Compass Records (label)
In the Ground — The Gibson Brothers (artist), Eric Gibson, Leigh Gibson, and Mike Barber (producers), Rounder Records (label)
Mountain Voodoo — Balsam Range (artist), Balsam Range (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
Original — Bobby Osborne (artist), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records (label)
Rattle & Roar — The Earls of Leicester (artist), Jerry Douglas (producer), Rounder Records (label)

GOSPEL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
“Give Me Jesus” — Larry Cordle (artist), Traditional/Larry Cordle (writer), Give Me Jesus (album), Larry Cordle (producer), Mighty Cord Records (label)
“Hallelujah” — Blue Highway (artist), Public Domain arranged by Blue Highway (writer),Original Traditional (album), Blue Highway (producer), Rounder Records (label)
“I Found a Church Today” — The Gibson Brothers (artist), Eric Gibson/Leigh Gibson (writers), In the Ground (album), Eric Gibson, Leigh Gibson, and Mike Barber (producers), Rounder Records (label)
“Sacred Memories” — Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers with Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White Skaggs (artist), Dolly Parton (writer), Sacred Memories (album), Joe Mullins (producer), Rebel Records (label)
“Wish You Were Here” — Balsam Range (artist), James Stover/Michael Williams (writers), Mountain Voodoo (album), Balsam Range (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
“Fiddler’s Dream” — Michael Cleveland (artist), Arthur Smith (writer), Fiddler’s Dream (album), Jeff White and Michael Cleveland (producers), Compass Records (label)
“Great Waterton” — Kristin Scott Benson (artist), Kristin Scott Benson (writer), Stringworks(album), Kristin Scott Benson (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
“Greenbrier” — Sam Bush (artist), Sam Bush/Scott Vestal (writers), Storyman (album), Sugar Hill Records (label)
“Little Liza Jane” — Adam Steffey (artist), Tommy Duncan/James Robert Wills (writers), Here to Stay (album), Adam Steffey (producer), Mountain Home Records (label)
“Flint Hill Special” — The Earls of Leicester (artist), Earl Scruggs (writer), Rattle & Roar (album), Jerry Douglas (producer), Rounder Records (label)

EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Front Country
The Lonely Heartstring Band
Molly Tuttle
Sister Sadie
Volume Five

RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR
“East Virginia Blues” — Ricky Wasson and Dan Tyminski (artists), Croweology: The Study of J.D. Crowe’s Musical Legacy (album), Rickey Wasson (producer), Truegrass Entertainment (label)
“Going Back to Bristol” — Shawn Camp with Mac Wiseman, Peter Cooper, Thomm Jutz (artists), I Sang the Song (Life of the Voice with a Heart) (album), Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz (producers), Mountain Fever Records (label)
“I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You” — Bobby Osborne with Sierra Hull, Alison Brown, Rob Ickes, Stuart Duncan, Trey Hensley, Todd Phillips, Kenny Malone, Claire Lynch, and Bryan McDowell (artists), Original (album), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records (label)
“Steamboat Whistle Blues”– Michael Cleveland featuring Sam Bush (artists), Fiddler’s Dream (album), Jeff White and Michael Cleveland (producers), Compass Records (label)
“’Tis Sweet to Be Remembered” — Mac Wiseman and Alison Krauss (artists), I Sang the Song (Life of the Voice with a Heart) (album), Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz (producers), Mountain Fever Records (label)

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Shawn Camp
Eric Gibson
Leigh Gibson
Buddy Melton
Russell Moore

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Brooke Aldridge
Dale Ann Bradley
Sierra Hull
Amanda Smith
Molly Tuttle

BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ned Luberecki
Joe Mullins
Noam Pikelny
Kristin Scott Benson
Sammy Shelor

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Barry Bales
Alan Bartram
Mike Bub
Missy Raines
Tim Surrett

FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (6 candidates due to a tie vote)
Becky Buller
Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
Patrick McAvinue
Ron Stewart

DOBRO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jerry Douglas
Andy Hall
Rob Ickes
Phil Leadbetter
Josh Swift

GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jim Hurst
Kenny Smith
Bryan Sutton
Molly Tuttle
Josh Williams

MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jesse Brock
Sam Bush
Sierra Hull
Frank Solivan
Adam Steffey

STREAM: Michael Cleveland, ‘Fiddler’s Dream’

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Michael Cleveland
Hometown: Henryville, IN
Album: Fiddler’s Dream
Release Date: October 7
Label: Compass Records

In Their Words: "Fiddler's Dream couldn't be a more appropriate title for this album. I got to record material that I've wanted to do for a long time and I got to collaborate with friends and heroes that I've always wanted to record with. I have been writing a lot more in the past few years, so there are six original instrumentals here — three of which are mandolin tunes. Mandolin is an instrument I've always enjoyed playing, but I don't play it publicly much, so it was a real blast to get to record some mando tunes this time around. It's truly an all-star cast of musicians including Jeff White, Sam Bush, Barry Bales, Jason Carter, Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, Andy Statman, Jeff Guernsey, Lloyd Douglas, and Paul Franklin. You may not have heard as much about Jeff Guernsey or Lloyd Douglas, but I guarantee you will be blown away by their great playing throughout.” — Michael Cleveland