Where you going after your big awards show haul, Becky?

Since 1987, American television audiences have become accustomed to a Disney advertising ploy following the Super Bowl, where the MVP of the just-concluded game is asked what he’s going to do next. The campaign, designed in cooperation with ABC Sports, has the athlete respond to the question with, “I’m going to Disney World!” and the feed than cuts to a pre-selected Disney commercial.

It became such an iconic moment in the annual broadcast that soon people were using the phrase in all sorts of settings, and going off to a Disney resort became synonymous with achieving a long sought goal.

We don’t really have an analogous moment in the bluegrass world but, as she often does, multiple IBMA Award winner Becky Buller looks to be on the verge of starting such a tradition.

After collecting a pair of trophies at the International Bluegrass Music Awards last month in Raleigh, Becky and her trusty band loaded up and headed back on the road to meet her demanding schedule of live appearances. But before they hit the highway, there was time for a stop at her favorite burger joint, Jiffy Burger in Manchester, TN, where she showed off one of her awards in the parking lot.

Buller was honored for her song, Speakin’ To That Mountain, which won in the Gospel Recorded Performance category for 2018, and for her participation with The First Ladies of Bluegrass and Missy Raines in the Recorded Event of the Year. They performed Missy’s song, Swept Away, with Becky on fiddle, Missy on bass, and Molly Tuttle on guitar, Alison Brown on banjo, and Sierra Hull on mandolin.

Becky’s banjo man, Ned Luberecki, was also named the IBMA’s 2018 Banjo Player of the Year, so they had three shiny trophies in the van that day.

In considering her good fortune at the Awards Show, Becky shared these thoughts.

“My faith in God is the foundation of my life and Jesus is my song. Out of my heart’s abundance, my mouth sings, so receiving this year’s IBMA’s Gospel Recorded Performance award is an extra-special honor for me. Heartfelt thanks, everybody!

“It was an absolute joy and honor to be invited to record Swept Away with Missy Raines and this insanely talented group of ladies. I’m so happy and proud for Missy that this track was chosen as the 2018 IBMA Recorded Event Of The Year. I’ve admired her artistry and that of Alison Brown for a very long time… they are both heroines of mine. I’m completely blown away by Sierra and Molly’s musicianship. It’s been so much fun getting to work, perform, and just hang with them all. There is something very powerful going on right now; it’s an incredible time for women everywhere, especially in music and I’m amazed that I’m caught up in the midst of the wave.”

It may be too early to say whether Jiffy Burger will become the destination spot for future bluegrass award winners. We’re not sure if Balsam Range, Entertainers of the Year for 2018, have been spotted there in the past few weeks. But if the ritual sticks, never forget that it all started with Becky Buller, and you read it here first!

Share this:

About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.