Earls of Leicester Lead Bluegrass Award Nominations
The Earls of Leicester, the bluegrass supergroup featuring Dobro master Jerry Douglas and singer Shawn Camp, received recognition both as a band and for its individual players when the nominations for the International Bluegrass Music Awards were announced today in Nashville.
The group, who initially formed as a tribute to bluegrass greats Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, received nominations in the Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year and Instrumental Group of the Year categories. Douglas, bass player Barry Bales and banjo player Charlie Cushman scored nominations in the player categories, while Camp was included in the Male Vocalist of the Year field.
The venerable Del McCoury Band also received multiple nominations, along with Flatt Lonesome, Becky Buller, Sierra Hull, Frank Solivan and Sam Bush. Bush, a fixture in the bluegrass community who recently released the new album Storyman, will compete against Hull and Solivan in the Mandolinist of the Year race.
The SteelDrivers received a pair of nominations: Album of the Year, for The Muscle Shoals Recordings, and Song of the Year, for “Long Way Down.” The long-running group, who recently headlined Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, once counted Chris Stapleton among its members.
Here’s a full list of IBMA nominees. The awards will be held September 29th in Raleigh, North Carolina.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
The Del McCoury Band
The Earls of Leicester
Flatt Lonesome
The Gibson Brothers
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Balsam Range
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
The Earls of Leicester
Flatt Lonesome
The Gibson Brothers
INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
The Earls of Leicester
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Punch Brothers
Sam Bush Band
The Travelin’ McCourys
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Black River” – Sierra Hull (Artist) – Sierra Hull (Writer)
“Long Way Down” – The SteelDrivers (Artist) – Elizabeth Mala Hengber, Tammy Rogers King, and Jerry Salley (Writers)
“Radio” – Steep Canyon Rangers (Artist) – Graham Paul Sharp (Writer)
“Thunder & Lightning” – Lonesome River Band (Artist) – Adam Wright (Writer)
“You’re the One” – Flatt Lonesome (Artist) – Dwight Yoakam (Writer)
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Bridging the Tradition – Lonesome River Band
It’s About Tyme – Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out
Runaway Train – Flatt Lonesome
The Muscle Shoals Recordings – The SteelDrivers
Weighted Mind – Sierra Hull
GOSPEL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
“All Dressed Up” – Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers
“In the Heat of the Fire” – Flatt Lonesome
“Rocking of the Cradle” – Lonesome River Band
“The Savior Is Born” – Becky Buller
“Won’t You Come and Sing for Me”– Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands
INSTRUMENTAL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
“Cazenovia Casanova” – Frank Solivan with Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas
“Fireball” – Special Consensus featuring Rob Ickes, Trey Hensley, and Alison Brown
“Hogan’s Goat” – The Boxcars
“Hogan’s House of Music” – Ron Block
“Smartville” – Ron Block
EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Band of Ruhks
The Lonely Heartstring Band
Mountain Faith
Sister Sadie
Steve Gulley & New Pinnacle
Town Mountain
RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR
“Fireball” – Special Consensus featuring Rob Ickes, Trey Hensley, and Alison Brown
“Highway 40 Blues” – Special Consensus with Della Mae
“In the Pines” – Carl Jackson and Brad Paisley
“Longneck Blues” – Junior Sisk and Ronnie Bowman
“Pretty Woman” – Frank Solivan with Del McCoury
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Shawn Camp
Del McCoury
Buddy Melton
Tim O’Brien
Danny Paisley
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Becky Buller
Dale Ann Bradley
Claire Lynch
Amanda Smith
Rhonda Vincent
BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Charlie Cushman
Jens Kruger
Mike Munford
Noam Pikelny
Sammy Shelor
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Barry Bales
Alan Bartram
Mike Bub
Missy Raines
Mark Schatz
FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Becky Buller
Jason Carter
Michael Cleveland
Stuart Duncan
Ron Stewart
DOBRO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jerry Douglas
Andy Hall
Rob Ickes
Phil Leadbetter
Josh Swift
GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chris Eldridge
Jim Hurst
Kenny Smith
Bryan Sutton
Josh Williams
MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jesse Brock
Sam Bush
Sierra Hull
Frank Solivan
Adam Steffey