This afternoon in Los Angeles The Recording Academy is holding the Grammy Premiere Ceremony, announcing and distributing the awards deemed insufficiently important for their big, televised Grammy Awards show this evening on CBS.
But, of course, these are exactly the ones we most care about, as they include the annual award for Best Bluegrass Album, just announced.
He was not in attendance at the ceremony, so segment host Rhiannon Giddens accepted on his behalf.
Well done, Billy.
Also of interest to many of our readers is the fact that Sierra Ferrell, who accepted awards for Best Americana Performance for American Dreaming, Best American Roots Song (with Melody Walker) for the same, and Best Americana Album for Trail of Flowers.
Australian bluegrass songbird Kristy Cox has won yet another Golden Guitar award at the Australian Country Music Awards, held this month in Tamworth.
She’s won in 2025 in the Bluegrass Recording of the Year category for her current Billy Blue Records project, Let It Burn. This is her seventh Golden Guitar award.
Cox has been singing since she was pre-teen in her native Adelaide, located in the southeastern corner of South Australia. She received a scholarship to study at the CMAA Australian College of Country Music, graduating in 2005, with her debut album following a year later. At this time Kristy was recording contemporary country music, but made a move to a bluegrass sound after that first release.
She came to live in Nashville in 2013, and has since been recording for American labels like Pisgah Ridge, Mountain Fever, and now Billy Blue. Throughout she has been closely associated with Jerry Salley, who has produced and contributed songs to most of the records she has made.
Here’s a listen to the title track from Let It Burn.
Congratulation to Kristy Cox for her seventh Golden Guitar!
As we reported earlier, the parking lot of the Sheraton Music City hotel, which hosted the event, and several others in the vicinity, were victimized by smash and grab robbers. What many refer to as the “lower parking lot,” down the hill from the Sheraton and not controlled by them or their security, was hit both Friday and Saturday evening, as were the lots for the adjacent Hampton Inn and Embassy Suites properties.
In her statement, Jones describes break ins that occurred on Saturday evening as happening on Sunday, as that’s how the police reports have it. They didn’t arrive at the hotel until after midnight, though the breaking of windows occurred earlier.
Here is the statement from SPBGMA events.
As SPBGMA closes out the 50th Anniversary Celebration this past week in Nashville Tennessee, we want to send out our heartfelt sympathies and express our shock and dismay at the senseless acts of vandalism that occurred at the Sheraton Music City Hotel.
The vehicle break ins occurred on the Sheraton Music City Hotel property on Sunday January 26, 2025 with four (4) cars damaged that were SPBGMA guests. Mark Deinhart, Area Managing Director at HEI Hotels & Resorts, which includes the Sheraton Music City, indicates they are working with Nashville Police to be sure that this never happens again. He also states the Hotel will possibly position police vehicles in the lot for special events and are determined to keep the parking lot safe for all guests.
Sheraton Music City Hotel Director of Front Office Joshua Urias told us the hotel has reached out to the four (4) affected SPBGMA guests and are assisting them in any way they can. If anyone has concerns with the unfortunate events on Sunday January 26th or needs assistance, please reach out to Joshua at the Sheraton, phone: 615-231-1125 email: Jurias@sheratonmusiccity.com or to SPBGMA email: stephanie@spbgma.com.
We deeply regret that this occurred during our Anniversary Celebration and please know that preventing this will be a main focus for events in the future. Thank you for your support and know that we support you as well.
You can be sure that both SPBGMA and the Sheraton Music City staff will be on top of this issue in the future.
The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the 2025 class invited to attend their annual Leadership Bluegrass course, held March 10-12 in Nashville. This year marks the 25th anniversary of this groundbreaking course, designed to identify and facilitate future leaders in the bluegrass community
Participants are chosen in a competitive process to be a part of this educational and networking experience, where they meet and learn from existing industry leaders, and from one another.
IBMA Executive Director Ken White speaks highly of this group.
“This year’s Leadership Bluegrass class is as strong as any I’ve seen. The large number of diverse and high-quality applicants is quite a statement about the impressive qualifications of those selected, and the reputation of the program.
Our association’s mission is to connect, educate, and empower bluegrass professionals, and IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass continues to be one of the most important professional development programs in the bluegrass music industry.
Participation in this class, and future alumni activities, is an impactful commitment to one’s career, the IBMA, and the bluegrass community. Congratulations to the Class of 2025!”
Chosen for 2025 are:
Katherine Bestwick – Appalachian Fiddle & Bluegrass Association (Zion Grove, PA)
Jennifer Brooke – Floyd Music School, LLC (Floyd, VA)
Pamela Brown – Oregon Bluegrass Association / Shaniko Music Sanctuary (Shaniko, OR)
Trudy Chandler – Nick Chandler and Delivered (Weaverville, NC)
Sofia Chiarandini – Jacob’s Ladder / Tufts University (Cambridge, MA)
Joseph Cornett – Billy Blue Music Publishing (White House, TN)
Elizabeth Dewey – International Bluegrass Music Association (Nashville, TN)
Darren Eedens – Taff Rapids / Self (Cardiff, Wales)
Donna Harrison – Chattanooga Tourism Co. (Chattanooga, TN)
Jenny Hirt – Durango Bluegrass Meltdown / KSUT Public Radio (Durango, CO)
Sara Johnson – Vivid Events / Pickin’ In The Peaches Music Festival (Augusta, GA)
Ella Jordan – Ella Jordan Music (Nashville, TN)
Kirk Kenney – China Bluegrass Network (Shanghai, China)
Crystal Lariza – Never Come Down (Hood River, OR)
Jon Lundbom – Central Texas Bluegrass Association (Austin, TX)
Erin Moorman – Syntax Creative (Franklin, TN)
Robbie Morris – Grasstime (Nashville, TN)
Caroline Owens – Billy Blue Records / Billy Blue Publishing (Denton, NC)
Aynsley Porchak – East Tennessee State University (Gate City, VA)
Nancy Posey – Music In Community Network (Brentwood, TN)
Joshua Rilko – Touring Musician (Nashville, TN)
Erin Rouse – Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum (Owensboro, KY)
Mona Salyer – IBMA Foundation Board (Bristol, VA)
Danny Stewart Jr. – U.S. Navy Band / Turtle Hill Banjo Co. / Annapolis Bluegrass (Edgewater, MD)
Zachary Taylor – Planning Stages Inc. (Hixson, TN)
Ross Willits – Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (Roseville, MN)
There is no fee to take part in Leadership Bluegrass, but class members pay their own room and board if they live outside Nashville.
More information about the program, and its more than 500 graduates, can be found online.
The American Banjo Museum, located in Oklahoma City and dedicated to promoting and preserving banjo players and music of all kinds, has announced five new members to their Hall of Fame. They will be officially inducted during the weekend of October 9-11 as part of their annual Banjo Fest weekend in Oklahoma City.
Two of the new members will be well familiar to our readers, Noam Pikelny of Punch Brothers fame, who is going in for Five-String Performance, and Dom Flemons, noted multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and folklorist, who goes in for Promotion.
Also to be inducted in 2025 are 20th century four string virtuoso Fred Van Eps in the Historical category, Sean Moyses for Four-String Performance, and banjo builder Vinnie Mondello for Education & Innovation.
The Museum has provided the following thumbnail biographies of their newest Hall of Famers:
Noam Pikelny – Five-String Performance – Born in Skokie, Illinois in 1981, Pikelny began playing the banjo at the age of eight, studying at the Old Town School of Music. Best known for his current band, the Grammy award-winning Punch Brothers, Noam’s extraordinary talent and eclectic musical tastes found him performing in groups such as Leftover Salmon and the John Cowan Band, in addition to his own solo endeavors. Respected by a diverse musical community, Pikelny was named IBMA Banjo Player of the Year in 2014 and 2017 and, in 2010, was the first recipient of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee, Pikelny and the Punch Brothers continue to excel in and expand the perceived boundaries of bluegrass, folk, and acoustic music.
Sean Moyses – Four-String Performance – From his first banjo ukulele strums as part of a family band to a present day one man show, Sean Moyses has devoted his life to music and the banjo. Inspired by Eddie Peabody, Moyses has taken a journeyman approach to a musical career, adapting his skill set as needed, and devoted enough to go where the work was. Whether performing as part of British and European jazz bands, lending his formidable stage presence to comedy shows, or taking listeners on a unique musical journey from ragtime to classics to pop, Sean pours his kind heart and impressive talent into every show he does. Admittedly born with an “old soul,” Moyses bridges the gap between the banjo’s glorious past and its modern-day identity.
Fred Van Eps – Historical – After learning to play the banjo by studying the recordings of Vess Ossman, Fred Van Eps went on to even greater popularity than his mentor. A fixture in the Edison studios in the early 1900s, he – as both a soloist and leader of different bands – made hundreds of audio recordings which documented the technical skill and musicianship which was required of banjoists during the instrument’s Classic Era of the late 1800s. Having been chosen to appear in early experimental sound films, as well as marketing the Van Eps Recording brand of banjos, is indicative of the artist’s popularity during the first three decades of the twentieth century.
Dom Flemons – Promotion – Dominique “Dom” Flemons is an American old-time, and blues multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. He is a proficient player of the banjo, fife, guitar, harmonica, percussion, quills, and rhythm bones. Known as The American Songster, Flemons’ repertoire of music spans nearly a century of American folklore, ballads, and tunes. A founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops from their inception in 2005 until 2013, Flemons played a key role in black culture’s recapturing of the banjo’s African heritage. In addition to performing and recording with numerous artists and bands including Mike Seeger, Taj Mahal, and the Old Crow Medicine Show, Flemons has released numerous albums under his own name, including Black Cowboys (which was nominated for a Grammy award in 2018).
Vinnie Mondello – Education & Innovation – With a family musical performance and instrument manufacturing lineage going back three generations, Vinnie Mondello seemed destined to become the “go to” banjo builder and repairperson of the current generation. Utilizing mechanical skills and philosophy developed while working on high performance cars and boats, Mondello willed himself to learn the necessary skills and passion for maximizing a banjo’s tone, playability, and appearance. While the goal of his repair work is to match the original manufacturer’s fit and finish as closely as possible, the custom instruments crafted in his shop have set new and exacting standards in tone and décor.
More details about Banjo Fest 2025 and the gala Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be announced in the near future.
Saturday morning at SPBGMA brought the first round of the band competition. Over a dozen bands from all over the country took part. Contestants from Alaska to Florida and all points in between vied against one another in the 50th SPBGMA International Band Competition. The second round took place later in the afternoon with the final rounds to name the champions to be crowned on Sunday.
Saturday evening brought great entertainment in the form of The Larry Stephenson Band, The Junior Sisk Band, Nothin’ Fancy, The Grascals, and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage.
The awards show brought a few surprises. Junior Sisk made a very emotional speech as he accepted the trophy for album of the year. Junior was totally unaware that he had even been nominated for the award. He was backstage tuning his guitar when his name was called. The big winner for the night was The Kody Norris Show, taking home five awards including Entertainer of the Year.
This past Saturday and Sunday the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America held their annual Band Championship during their 41st National Convention in Nashville. Competitors performed multiple times for the judges over the two days, before the final results were announced yesterday afternoon.
Tonight the 2025 Bluegrass Music Awards are being announced in Nashville at the Sheraton Music City hotel during the 41st annual SPBGMA National Convention & Band Championship.
Our SPBGMA correspondent, Nick Newlon, will be reporting the winners as they are announced. To see the list as it progresses, simply return to this page throughout the evening as we will add the information during the awards show.
And the winners are:
Bluegrass Promoter of the Year – Aaron McDaris
Bluegrass Radio Station of the Year – SiriusXM 77
Bluegrass DJ of the Year – Chris Jones – SiriusXM
Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year – Daryl Mosley
Bluegrass Album of the Year – If There’s A Will There’s A Way by Junior Sisk for Mountain Fever Records
Bluegrass Song of the Year – Tennessee Hound Dog by The Grascals for Mountain Home Music Company
Bass Fiddle Performer of the Year – Maddie Dalton
Dobro Performer of the Year – Matt Leadbetter
Guitar Performer of the Year – Kody Norris
Mandolin Performer of the Year – Alan Bibey
Banjo Performer of the Year – Kristin Scott Benson
Fiddle Performer of the Year – Mary Rachel Nalley Norris
Female Vocalist of the Year – Rhonda Vincent
Male Vocalist of the Year – Kody Norris
Gospel Group of the Year – Authentic Unlimited
Vocal Group of the Year – The Kody Norris Show
Instrumental Group of the Year – East Nash Grass
Bluegrass Band (Overall) of the Year – Rhonda Vincent & The Rage
Bluegrass Entertainer(s) of the Year – Kody Norris
Roger Black shared this gallery of photos from opening day at the 2025 SPBGMA Fest in Nashville, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the organization founded by Chuck Stearman in 1975. While this Nashville weekend is technically the 41st National Convention & Band Championship and Bluegrass Music Awards, it is 50 for the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America.
Anna Kline, Peter Rowan, and Alison Brown as Pete accepts his Lifetime Achievement Award
Lifelong bluegrass icon Peter Rowan accepted a Lifetime Achievement Achievement Award last night at the kickoff concert for Ireland’s Your Roots Are Showing conference, Folk In Fusion.
The show was held at the INEC Arena in Killarney, where Rowan performed along with Ron Block, Rhiannon Giddens, Sandy Kelly, Brendan McCreanor, Gerry O’Connor, Liam Ó Maonlaí, and Kenny Sharp and Brown Liquor Music.
Rowan’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the first such given by the organization, was presented by Anna Kline, Business Development Director for the IBMA, and Alison Brown, award-winning banjo player and producer, and founder of Compass Records.
Brendan McCreanor, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Your Roots Are Showing, says that Peter was a perfect choic. for the debut of this award.
“Peter Rowan’s music is timeless, blending tradition with innovation in a way that resonates deeply. Playing onstage with him was an unforgettable experience, and this award is a fitting tribute to his profound impact on the global folk community and the stories he’s brought to life.”
After accepting his award Peter played a brief set on stage and then sat in with many of the artists on the bill.
