Billy Strings won entertainer of the year for the third year in a row at the 34rd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. The show was held on Thursday (Sept. 28) at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, N.C.
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Strings, 30, is the first artist to take entertainer three years in a row since Earls of Leicester achieved the feat from 2015 to 2017. Before that, the Del McCoury Band and Dailey & Vincent both did it. Strings won a Grammy for best bluegrass album three years ago for Home.
But in many ways, it was Molly Tuttle’s night. Tuttle, who is also 30, and Ketch Secor co-hosted the show. Tuttle also won three key awards. “Crooked Tree,” which she co-wrote with Melody Walker, won song of the year. The song was the title track of Tuttle & Golden Highway’s album, which won album of the year. Tuttle’s third award was female vocalist of the year.
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Crooked Tree won a Grammy for best bluegrass album in February. Tuttle was also nominated for best new artist at that show but lost to Samara Joy.
Authentic Unlimited won two awards at the IBMA Awards – vocal group of the year and new artist of the year.
Jason Carter also won two awards – instrumental recording of the year (“Kissimmee Kid”) and fiddle player of the year. Carter, 50, has won three Grammys for best bluegrass album as a member of the Del McCoury Band and the Travelin’ McCourys.
In a sign of changing times, three of the six winners in the instrumentalist of the year categories were women – Kristin Scott Benson (banjo player of the year), Vickie Vaughn (bass player of the year) and Sierra Hull (mandolin player of the year).
This year’s inductees into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame – Sam Bush, known as “The King of Newgrass”; Wilma Lee Cooper, one of bluegrass’ most important early women musicians; and David Grisman, an influential mandolin player – were also honored during the show.
Awards were voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).
The show aired on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction channel and was livestreamed on IBMA’s Facebook Live.
Here’s a complete list of nominees and winners for the 2023 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards:
Entertainer of the year
Appalachian Road Show
WINNER: Billy Strings
Del McCoury Band
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Album of the year
WINNER: Crooked Tree – Artist: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway; Label: Nonesuch Records; Producer: Jerry Douglas and Molly Tuttle
Lovin’ of the Game – Artist: Michael Cleveland; Label: Compass Records; Producers: Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan
Lowdown Hoedown – Artist: Jason Carter; Label: Fiddle Man Records; Producers: Jason Carter and Brent Truitt
Me/And/Dad – Artist: Billy Strings and Terry Barber; Label: Rounder Records; Producers: Billy Strings and Gary Paczosa
Radio John: The Songs of John Hartford – Artist: Sam Bush; Label: Smithsonian Folkways; Producer: Sam Bush
Song of the year
“Blue Ridge Mountain Baby” – Artist: Appalachian Road Show; Songwriters: Barry Abernathy/Jim VanCleve; Label: Billy Blue Records; Producer: Appalachian Road Show
WINNER: “Crooked Tree” – Artist: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway; Songwriters: Molly Tuttle/Melody Walker; Label: Nonesuch Records; Producers: Jerry Douglas and Molly Tuttle
“Diane” – Artist: Sister Sadie; Songwriters: Jeffrey Nath Bhasker/Samuel Tyler Johnson/Cameron Marvel Ochs; Label: Mountain Home; Producer: Sister Sadie
“Heyday” – Artist: Lonesome River Band; Songwriters: Barry Huchens/Will Huchens; Label: Mountain Home Music Company; Producer: Lonesome River Band
“Power of Love” – Artist: Rick Faris; Songwriters: Johnny Colla/Huey Lewis/Christopher Hayes; Label: Dark Shadow Recording; Producer: Stephen Mougin
Male vocalist of the year
WINNER: Greg Blake
Del McCoury
Danny Paisley
Larry Sparks
Dan Tyminski
Female vocalist of the year
Brooke Aldridge
Dale Ann Bradley
Jaelee Roberts
WINNER: Molly Tuttle
Rhonda Vincent
Vocal group of the year
WINNER: Authentic Unlimited
Balsam Range
Blue Highway
Del McCoury Band
Sister Sadie
Instrumental group of the year
Billy Strings
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
The Infamous Stringdusters
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
WINNER: The Travelin’ McCourys
New artist of the year
WINNER: Authentic Unlimited
East Nash Grass
Henhouse Prowlers
The Tennessee Bluegrass Band
Tray Wellington
Collaborative recording of the year
WINNER: “Alberta Bound” – Artist: Special Consensus with Ray Legere, John Reischman, Tisha Gagnon, Claire Lynch, Pharis & Jason Romero; Songwriter: Gordon Lightfoot; Label: Compass Records; Producer: Alison Brown
“Big Mon” – Artist: Andy Leftwich with Sierra Hull; Songwriter: Bill Monroe; Label: Mountain Home Music Company; Producer: Andy Leftwich
“Foggy Morning Breaking” – Artist: Alison Brown with Steve Martin; Songwriter: Alison Brown/Steve Martin; Label: Compass Records; Producer: Alison Brown and Garry West
“For Your Love” – Artist: Michael Cleveland with Billy Strings and Jeff White; Songwriter: Joe Ely; Label: Compass Records; Producer: Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan
“From My Mountain (Calling You)” – Artist: Peter Rowan with Molly Tuttle and Lindsay Lou; Songwriter: Peter Rowan; Label: Rebel Records; Producer: Peter Rowan
Gospel recording of the year
“The Glory Road” – Artist: Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers; Songwriters: Paul Martin/Harry Stinson/Marty Stuart; Label: Billy Blue Records; Producers: Joe Mullins and Adam McIntosh
“Jordan” – Artist: Darin & Brooke Aldridge with Ricky Skaggs, Mo Pitney and Mark Fain; Songwriter: Fred Rich; Label: Billy Blue Records; Producer: Darin Aldridge and Mark Fain
WINNER: “The Scarlet Red Lines” – Artist: Larry Sparks; Songwriter: Daniel Crabtree; Label: Rebel Records; Producer: Larry Sparks
“Take a Little Time for Jesus” – Artist: Junior Sisk; Songwriter: David Marshall; Label: Mountain Fever Records; Producers: Junior Sisk and Aaron Ramsey
“Tell Me the Story of Jesus” – Artist: Becky Buller with Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs; Songwriter: Fanny Crosby, arrangement by Becky Buller; Label: Dark Shadow Recording; Producer: Stephen Mougin
Instrumental recording of the year
“Contact” – Artist: Michael Cleveland with Cody Kilby, Barry Bales, and Béla Fleck; Songwriter: Michael Cleveland; Label: Compass Records; Producer: Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan
“Foggy Morning Breaking” – Artist: Alison Brown with Steve Martin; Songwriters: Alison Brown/Steve Martin; Label: Compass Records; Producers: Alison Brown and Garry West
“Gold Rush” – Artist: Scott Vestal’s Bluegrass 2022; Songwriter: Bill Monroe; Label: Pinecastle Records; Producer: Scott Vestal
WINNER: “Kissimmee Kid” – Artist: Jason Carter; Songwriter: Vassar Clements; Label: Fiddle Man Records; Producers: Jason Carter and Brent Truitt
“Scorchin’ the Gravy” – Artist: Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen; Songwriter: Frank Solivan; Label: Compass Records; Producer: Frank Solivan
Banjo player of the year
WINNER: Kristin Scott Benson
Alison Brown
Béla Fleck
Ned Luberecki
Scott Vestal
Bass player of the year
Mike Bub
Todd Phillips
Missy Raines
Mark Schatz
WINNER: Vickie Vaughn
Fiddle player of the year
WINNER: Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Deanie Richardson
Resophonic guitar player of the year
Jerry Douglas
Andy Hall
Rob Ickes
Matt Leadbetter
WINNER: Justin Moses
Guitar player of the year
Chris Eldridge
WINNER: Trey Hensley
Billy Strings
Bryan Sutton
Molly Tuttle
Mandolin player of the year
Alan Bibey
Jesse Brock
Sam Bush
WINNER: Sierra Hull
Ronnie McCoury