Bluegrass Songwriting News

A pair of prominent bluegrass writers have been nominated for induction into the 2019 class of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Among the 8 announced nominees for this year are Shawn Camp and Jerry Salley. Both are highly visible performers

When Common Ground on the Hill announced that a songwriting contest would be included among their 2019 offerings for the first time, there was concern as to whether they would generate enough entries to make it interesting. After all, there

The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced today the list of writers and songs that will be featured at their Songwriters Showcase during World Of Bluegrass 2019. Each year dozens of songwriters vie to have their new material performed at the

Naomi Wise, a true life ballad written by Donna Hughes and recorded by NewTown on their 2018 album, Old World, has been honored by the state of North Carolina with a Legends & Lore monument. Donna performed the song yesterday at

Songs about coal mining have been a part of folk music from the time when major commercial production began in earnest in Appalachia in the 1870s, as exemplified by John Wallace Crawford’s Only a Miner Killed, composed in 1877.  Later, Florence

Up until now, Asheville Music Publishing has concentrated most of their energy towards the Gospel music market, achieving great success for their writers in that realm. But now, in another sign of the vitality of bluegrass in the music business,

Last Friday during MerleFest in North Carolina, the finals of the 2019 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest were held before a panel of judges, live on stage. As is done each year at this prestigious competition, the top three finalists in

Jericho, a song about PTSD affecting a modern veteran soldier, was written by Evan Murphy the lead singer and guitarist of Boston-based quintet Mile Twelve, with assistance from the mandolin player in the band David Benedict. Musical arrangement was by

The prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, held each year as part of MerleFest in North Wilkesboro, NC, has announced the finalists for the 2019 competition. Run as an open event, songwriters compete in two separate rounds. An initial round of judges chooses

The good folks at Common Ground on the Hill in Maryland have announced a new competition that should be of interest to our readers. Submissions for their initial Acoustic Roots Songwriting Contest will be accepted through May 15, with an online