2006 IBMA Awards

By Mandolin Cafe
August 15, 2006 - 2:06 pm

International Bluegrass Music Association - 2006 Awards

IBMA is proud to announce the nominees for the 17th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards to be hosted by Marty Stuart on September 28, 2006 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn.

All nominees for Entertainer of the Year received multiple nods in 2006 and include last year's recipient Cherryholmes, plus The Grascals, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Del McCoury Band and Rhonda Vincent & The Rage.

Leading with a total of 11 nominations is Alison Krauss and Union Station, including Vocal Group and Instrumental Group of the Year. Alison is also nominated for Female Vocalist, while band mate Dan Tyminski is a finalist for Male Vocalist and included, along with Barry Bales, among the many artists listed for Album of The Year for participation in the Celebration of Life: Musicians Against Childhood Cancer project. Jerry Douglas is recognized for work on two separate Instrumental Album of the Year nominated projects including his solo album, The Best Kept Secret along with nods for Recorded Event of the Year and Dobro Player of the Year (a nomination he's never failed to receive since the inception of the IBMA Awards). Longtime AKUS member Ron Block was also recognized in the Banjo Player of the Year category.

Blue Highway claims 10 nominations including Vocal Group, Song, Gospel and Instrumental Group of the Year. They're also nominated for two different Album of the Year projects, including their 2005 release Marbletown. Rob Ickes tops an incredible year with nominations in the Instrumental Album and Recorded Event of the Year for his 3 Ring Circle album with Dave Pomeroy and Andy Leftwich. He is also singled out in the Dobro Player of the Year category.

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver receive seven nominations on the strength of their He Lives In Me release. In addition to their ninth nod for Entertainer of the Year, the group is also included in the Gospel Recorded Performance, Song and Album categories, as well as Vocal Group of the Year, an award they received each of the last five years. Band member Terry Baucom is a finalist for Banjo Player of the Year, while Lawson is up for Mandolin Player of the Year.

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder found their names on seven nominations including Instrumental Group of the Year, an award they've taken home the last seven years. Individual nominations include: Ricky Skaggs in the Instrumental Album and Recorded Event of the Year for his role on Not Too Far From the Tree - A Collection of Guitar Duets with Heroes & Friends; Jim Mills was nominated for his solo project, Hide Head Blues, in the Instrumental Album and Best Liner Notes categories along with Banjo Player of the Year; and Andy Leftwich for the 3 Ring Circle project in the Recorded Event and Instrumental Album categories.

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage are honored with six nominations. Beginning with Entertainer of the Year, which they took home in 2001, the group is also included in the Vocal Group and Album categories. Vincent was singled out in the Female Vocalist category, an award she has received six years in a row. Band member Hunter Berry is a finalist for Fiddle Player and Josh Williams is a nominee for Guitar Player of the Year.

Drawing five nominations is the family band and 2005 Entertainer of the Year, Cherryholmes. Once again among the candidates in the Entertainer Category, they are also included in the Song, Gospel and on two separate Album of the Year projects, the self-titled Cherryhomes and for their participation in the Celebration of Life: Musicians Against Childhood Cancer project.

The Del McCoury Band is recognized in the Instrumental Group category, along with their nomination for Entertainer of the Year (an award they have received nine times). Individual work was represented in the Fiddle Player of the Year category where Jason Carter is nominated and Ronnie McCoury is in the Mandolin Player of the Year group.

The Grascals, 2005 Emerging Artists of the Year, are nominated in the Entertainer category for the first time. They were also recognized in the Vocal Group and Album of the Year categories, for participation on the album Celebration of Life: Musicians Against Childhood Cancer.

The recipients of the 2006 International Bluegrass Music Awards will be broadcast live on XM Satellite Radio and around the world to more than 300 U.S. markets and 14 foreign networks, thanks to the sponsorship of Martha White, MerleFest, Great American Country, GHS Strings and Deering Banjos. The awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), which serves as the trade association for the bluegrass music industry. The Award Show is the centerpiece of IBMA's week-long Business Conference and Bluegrass Fan Fest, slated for September 25 - October 1, in Nashville, Tenn. Program Directors and Station Managers may contact Tina Potter, IBMA's Marketing & PR Coordinator for broadcast details at 1-888-GET-IBMA, (615) 256-3222 or tina@ibma.org. Tickets are available at the Grand Ole Opry House and all Ticketmaster outlets.

Full list of nominees:

Entertainer of the Year
Cherryholmes
The Grascals
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
The Del McCoury Band
Rhonda Vincent & The Rage

Vocal Group of the Year
Blue Highway
The Grascals
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Rhonda Vincent & The Rage

Instrumental Group of the Year
Blue Highway
Alison Krauss & Union Station
The Del McCoury Band
Mountain Heart
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

Male Vocalist of the Year
Ronnie Bowman
Russell Moore
Tim O'Brien
Marty Raybon
Larry Sparks
Dan Tyminski

Female Vocalist of the Year
Dale Ann Bradley
Sonya Isaacs
Alison Krauss
Claire Lynch
Rhonda Vincent

Song of the Year

Song Title, Artist (s), Songwriter(s)

* "Brand New Heartache," Cherryholmes (artists), Cia Leigh Cherryholmes (writer)
* "He Lives In Me," Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artist), Frances P. Simpson (writer)
* "Look Down That Lonesome Road," Tim O'Brien (artist), Tim O'Brien (writer)
* "Marbletown," Blue Highway (artists), Mark Knopfler (writer)
* "Train Long Gone," Claire Lynch (artist), Dennis Linde (writer)

Album of the Year

Recording Title, Artist(s), Label, Producer

* Celebration of Life: Musicians Against Childhood Cancer, featuring 3 Fox Drive, Lonesome River Band, Seldom Scene, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Cherryholmes, J.D. Crowe & The New South, BlueRidge, IIIrd Tyme Out, James King Band, Larry Cordle, Wayne Benson, Clay Hess, Greg Luck, Aubrey Haynie, Marty Raybon & Full Circle, Tony Rice, Ronnie Bowman & The Committee, Larry Stephenson Band, Blue Highway, Gena Britt, Randy Kohrs & The Lites, Steve Thomas, Scott Vestal, David Parmley & Continental Divide, Karl Shiflett & the Big Country Show, Kenny & Amanda Smith, Wildfire, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Lost & Found, The Grascals, Alecia Nugent, Carl Jackson, Jerry Salley, Don Rigsby & Midnight Call, Bradley Walker, Dan Tyminski, Bela Fleck & Barry Bales (artists), Skaggs Family Records (label), Bob Kelley (producer)
* Cherryholmes, Cherryholmes (artists), Skaggs Family Records (label), Ben Isaacs (producer)
* Cornbread Nation, Tim OÂ'Brien (artist/producer), Sugar Hill Records (label)
* Let 'Er Go, Boys, Michael Cleveland (artist), Rounder Records (label), Jeff White & Michael Cleveland (producers)
* Marbletown, Blue Highway (artists), Rounder Records (label), Scott Rouse (producer)

Instrumental Album of the Year

Recording Title, Artist(s), Label, Producer

* The Best Kept Secret, Jerry Douglas (artist/producer), Koch Records (label)
* Hide Head Blues, Jim Mills (artist/producer), Sugar Hill Records (label)
* Let 'Er Go, Boys, Michael Cleveland (artist), Rounder Records (label), Jeff White & Michael Cleveland (producer)
* Not Too Far From the Tree: A Collection Of Guitar Duets with Heroes & Friends, Bryan Sutton with Russ Barenberg, Norman Blake, Dan Crary, Jerry Douglas, David Grier, Jack Lawrence, Tony Rice, Earl Scruggs, George Shuffler, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Sutton & Doc Watson (artists), Sugar Hill Records (label), Bryan Sutton (producer)
* Three Ring Circle, Rob Ickes, Andy Leftwich & Dave Pomeroy (artists/producers), Earwave Records (label)

Recorded Event of the Year
Recording Title, Artist(s), Label, Producer

* Back to the Well, The Daughters of Bluegrass featuring: Lorraine Jordan, Gena Britt, Julie Elkins, Becky Buller, Vickie Simmons, Frances Mooney, Mindy Rakestraw, Jeanette Williams, Beth Lawrence, Angela Oudean, Michelle Nixon, Donica Christensen, Dale Ann Bradley, Heather Berry, Megan McCormick, Valerie Smith, Louisa Branscomb & Dixie Hall (artists), Blue Circle Records (label), Lorraine Jordan & Dale Perry (producers)
* Down In Caroline, Curly Seckler with Kent Blanton, George Buckner, John Carter Cash, Laura Weber Cash, Dudley Connell, Rob Ickes, Josh McMurray, Russell Moore, Larry Perkins, Andrea Roberts, Chris Sharp, Herschel Sizemore, Kevin Sluder, Larry Sparks, Tater Tate, LeRoy Troy & Doc Watson (artists), Copper Creek Records (label), Larry Perkins & Penny Parsons (producers)
* Not Too Far From the Tree: A Collection Of Guitar Duets with Heroes & Friends, Bryan Sutton with Russ Barenberg, Norman Blake, Dan Crary, Jerry Douglas, David Grier, Jack Lawrence, Tony Rice, Earl Scruggs, George Shuffler, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Sutton & Doc Watson (artists), Sugar Hill Records (label), Bryan Sutton (producer)
* Stomp, Mike Compton & David Long (artists), Acoustic Disc (label), David Grisman (producer)
* Three Ring Circle, Rob Ickes, Andy Leftwich & Dave Pomeroy (artists/producers), Earwave Records (label)

Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year
Recording Title, Artist(s), Label, Producer

* Gettin' Ready, BlueRidge (artists), Pinecastle Records (label), BlueRidge & Wes Easter (producers)
* "He Goes To Church," Cherryholmes (artists), Skaggs Family Records (label), Ben Isaacs (producer)
* He Lives In Me, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artists), Crossroads (label), Doyle Lawson (producer)
* "Lazarus," Blue Highway (artists), Rounder Records (label), Scott Rouse (producer)
* When The Morning Comes, Paul Williams & The Victory Trio (artists), Rebel Records (label), Paul Williams (producer)

Emerging Artist of the Year
3 Fox Drive
Audie Blaylock & Redline
Blue Moon Rising
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Steep Canyon Rangers

Instrumental Performers of the Year

BANJO
Terry Baucom
Ron Block
J.D. Crowe
Jim Mills
Sammy Shelor

BASS
Barry Bales
Mike Bub
Jason Moore
Missy Raines
Marshall Wilborn

FIDDLE
Hunter Berry
Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
Ron Stewart

DOBRO
Mike Auldridge
Jerry Douglas
Rob Ickes
Randy Kohrs
Phil Leadbetter

GUITAR
Jim Hurst
Tony Rice
Kenny Smith
Bryan Sutton
Josh Williams

MANDOLIN
Sam Bush
Mike Compton
Doyle Lawson
Ronnie McCoury
Adam Steffey

Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year

* Kyle Cantrell; XM Satellite; Nashville, Tenn.
* Terry Herd; Bluegrass Radio Network; Nashville, Tenn.
* Red Shipley; bluegrasscountry.org, WAMU-FM; Washington, D.C.

Bluegrass Event of the Year

* 26th Annual Bluegrass & Chili Festival; Claremore, Okla.; September, 2005
* 21st Annual Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, produced by the Boston Bluegrass Union; Framingham, Mass.; February, 2006
* Florida State Bluegrass Festival; Perry, Fla.; April, 2005

Best Graphic Design for Recorded Project

* Elevation Creative Studios (designers), Generations, by The New Kentucky String Ticklers, Gennett Records
* Spencer Walts, Eyewerks Studio & Sarah Lainie Smith (designers); She Waits for Night; by Uncle Earl; Rounder Records
* Heather & G. Carr (designers), The Official OÂ'Brien Family CD & Board Game, by The OÂ'Brien Family, O'Brien Family Band

Best Liner Notes for Recorded Project

* Jim Mills (liner notes), Hide Head Blues, by Jim Mills, Sugar Hill Records
* Gary B. Reid (liner notes); The Stanley Brothers, Earliest Recordings--The Complete Rich-R-Tone 78s (1947-1952); by The Stanley Brothers; Rounder Records
* Tom Adams (liner notes); Let 'Er Go, Boys; by Michael Cleveland; Rounder Records

Print Media Person of the Year

* Dan Miller, editor of Flatpicking Guitar magazine
* Chris Stuart, freelance writer for Bluegrass Unlimited & Bluegrass Now
* Bob Black, author of Come Hither to Go Yonder: Playing Bluegrass with Bill Monroe


Additional information:
IBMA web site