The Bluegrass Music Association of Iowa will hold its first ever awards ceremony later this month to recognize bluegrass artists in the state. Like the IBMA awards on which they are patterned, these BMAI honors are meant to salute performers for outstanding work over the past year.
Nominees for these awards were selected by polling the membership through a combination of paper ballots distributed at BMAI events and online votes. They are restricted to artists who live in Iowa, or hail from there.
The first annual BMAI Awards show will be hosted on Sunday, October 30 to close out the organization’s 7th Annual Honey Creek Resort Festival in Moravia, starting on Thursday the 27th. A special feature of this event is the cost. 4 day premium tickets sell for only $60 with discounted prices for young folks. Sunday tickets are $20.
And the 2016 nominees are:
Guitar Player of the Year
- Jeff Autry
- Joe King
- Dale Martin
- Tony Wray
Mandolin Player of the Year
- Kevin Amburgey
- Lee Martin
- John Purk
- Joe Wieneman
Banjo Player of the Year
- Scott Amos
- Mark Hargrove
- Darin Manson
- Janice Martin
Bass Player of the Year
- Elijah Baker
- Sharon Kenaston
- Lori King
- Edgar Loudermilk
Fiddle Player of the Year
- Trustin Baker
- Kirk Brandenburger
- Jeana Martin-Faris
- Chuck Millar
Dobro Player of the Year
- Glen Crain
- Roger Kenaston
- Larita Martin
- Brooke Punches
Band of the Year
- The Baker Family
- Blue Mafia
- Lori King & Junction 63
- Volume Five
Female Vocalist of the Year
- Carina Baker
- Hannah Harper
- Lori King
- Claire Lynch
- Kim Roe
Male Vocalist of the Year
- Lonnie Fults
- Glen Harrell
- Joe King
- Edgar Loudermilk
Instrumental Band of the Year
- The Baker Family
- Bluegrass Martins
- Lori King & Junction 63
- Volume Five
Songwriter of the Year
- Joe King
- Kelli Kingrey
- Taylor Amos Robinson
- Donna Ulisse
Album of the Year
- The Baker Family – My Better Years
- KBA Treblemakers – Highway Fugitive
- Irene Kelley – These Hills
- Edgar Loudermilk – Georgia Maple
- Jacob Underwood – The Banjo Files
- Volume Five – Drifter
Band of the Year (Overall)
- The Baker Family
- Blue Mafia
- Bluegrass Martins
- Lori King & Junction 63
- Volume Five
Entertainer(s) of the Year
- Scott Amos
- The Baker Family
- Joe King
- The Roe Family Singers
Congratulations and best of luck to all the nominees!
You can find full details about the festival and the awards show on the BMAI web site.
