IBMA celebrates the best of bluegrass at awards ceremony. Here are the winners.
The International Bluegrass Music Association celebrated the best of bluegrass Thursday night at the 32nd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards.
In addition to naming the Entertainer of the Year and winners in a slew of other categories, the IBMA inducted Alison Krauss, Lynn Morris and the Stoneman Family into the Hall of Fame.
Billy Strings, 28, was named Entertainer of the Year, beating out veteran acts Balsam Range, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, the Del McCoury Band and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. The Del McCoury Band and Doyle Lawson are both members of the Hall of Fame, and Balsam Range and Del McCoury have both won the award in previous years.
This year was the second nomination for Strings, who turns 29 on Sunday. He also won Guitar Player of the Year. He previously won New Artist of the Year in 2019.
Sister Sadie won vocal group of the year for the third consecutive year.
The awards, voted on by the professional members of IBMA, were handed out at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Raleigh. The ceremony was hosted by the Infamous Stringdusters.
The awards are part of IBMA’s annual World of Bluegrass, which includes a conference, Blue Grass Ramble showcase concerts and Bluegrass Live street festival Friday and Saturday.
2021 IBMA Award Winners
Here is a list of the nominees and winners. The winners are bolded.
Entertainer of the Year
Balsam Range
Billy Strings
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
The Del McCoury Band
The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Vocal Group of the Year
Darin & Brooke Aldridge
Balsam Range
Blue Highway
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Sister Sadie
Instrumental Group of the Year
Appalachian Road Show
Billy Strings
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
The Infamous Stringdusters
The Travelin’ McCourys
Song of the Year
“Banjo Player’s Blues,” High Fidelity
“Hitchhiking to California,” Alan Bibey & Grasstowne
“Just Load the Wagon,” Junior Sisk
“Leaving on Her Mind,” Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
“Richest Man,” Balsam Range
Album of the Year
“Bluegrass 2020,” Scott Vestal, Patrick McAvinue, Cody Kilby, Dominick Leslie, Curtis Vestal
“Distance and Time,” Becky Buller
“Fall Like Rain,” Justin Moses
“Industrial Strength Bluegrass: Southwester Ohio’s Musical Legacy,” Various Artists
“Load the Wagon,” Junior Sisk
“Still Here,” Steve Gulley & Tom Stafford
Gospel Recording of the Year (tie)
“After Awhile,” Dale Ann Bradley
“Grit and Grace,” Balsam Range
“Hear Jerusalem Calling,” Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers
“In the Resurrection Morning,” Sacred Reunion featuring Doyle Lawson, Vince Gill, Barry Abernathy, Tim Stafford, Mark Wheeler, Jim VanCleve, Phil Leadbetter, Jason Moore
“When He Calls My Name,” Alan Bibey & Grasstowne
Instrumental Recording of the Year
“The Appalachian Road,” Appalachian Road Show
“Foggy Mountain Chimes,” Scott Vestel, Patric McAvinue, Cody Kilby, Dominick Leslie, Curtis Vestal
“Ground Speed,” Kristin Scott Benson, Skip Cherryholmes, Jeremy Garrett, Kevin Kehrberg, Darren Nicholson
“Mountain Strings,” Sierra Hull
“Taxland,” Justin Moses with Sierra Hull
New Artist of the Year
Appalachian Road Show
Carolina Blue
Gina Furtado Project
High Fidelity
Merle Monroe
Collaborative Recording of the Year
“Birmingham Jail,” Barry Abernathy with Vince Gill
“In the Resurrection Morning,” Sacred Reunion featuring Doyle Lawson, Vince Gill, Barry Abernathy, Tim Stafford, Mark Wheeler, Jim VanCleve, Phil Leadbetter, Jason Moore
“My Baby’s Gone,” Justin Moses with Del McCoury
“Tears of Regret,” High Fidelity with Jesse McReynolds
“White Line Fever,” Bobby Osborne with Tim O’Brien, Trey Hensley, Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan, Todd Phillips, Alison Brown
Female Vocalist of the Year
Brooke Aldridge
Dale Ann Bradley
Sierra Hull
Molly Tuttle
Rhonda Vincent
Male Vocalist of the Year (tie)
Ronnie Bowman
Del McCoury
Danny Paisley
Junior Sisk
Larry Sparks
Banjo Player of the Year
Gena Britt
Gina Furtado
Rob McCoury
Kristin Scott Benson
Scott Vestal
Bass Player of the Year
Mike Bub
Todd Phillips
Missy Raines
Mark Schatz
Marshall Wilborn
Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year
Jerry Douglas
Andy Hall
Rob Ickes
Phil Leadbetter
Justin Moses
Fiddle Player of the Year
Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Deanie Richardson
Guitar Player of the Year
Trey Hensley
Billy Strings
Bryan Sutton
Molly Tuttle
Jake Workman
Mandolin Player of the Year
Jesse Brock
Sam Bush
Sierra Hull
Ronnie McCoury
Tristan Scroggins
Hall of Fame inductees
Krauss has been performing bluegrass music since her days as a child prodigy in Champaign, Illinois. Her first album was published in 1987. Since then, she has won 27 Grammys, earning the most Grammy Awards of any female artist until March when Beyoncé won her 28th Grammy. Krauss also has won two IBMA Entertainer of the Year awards.
Morris, who has won IBMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year award three times, started playing the banjo after college. She won the National Banjo Championship and built a career performing and recording. Her hits include “Mama’s Hand,” which won IBMA’s Song of the Year award in 1996.
The Stoneman Family’s roots begin with Ernest V. “Pop” Stoneman. While he stopped recording in the 1930s, his family band continued with his children: pioneering female artists Donna, Roni and Patty, and their brothers Van, Jim and Scotty.
The Stoneman Family became the Stonemans, going on to have television deals and record labels. Patsy, Van and Jim Stoneman performed together in the 1980s, according to a news release. Ernest Stoneman died in 1968 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
Aubrey Gulick contributed to this story.
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 9:52 PM.