Applications are now being accepted for bands wishing to perform at the 2009 European World Of Bluegrass.

The festival runs from May 21-23, 2009 in Voorthuizen, Netherlands and is a rough equivalent to the IBMA Fan Fest held at the conclusion of their annual convention in Nashville. EWOB is seen as the big wrap up of the European Bluegrass Music Association’s month-long celebration of May as Bluegrass Music Month throughout Europe.

To be considered for ‘09, applications (including 4 audio CDs, band bios and a band photo) must be received by November 20, 2008.

Application details and forms can be found on the EWOB web site.

The nominees for the 2008 Country Music Awards were announced earlier this week, and there are only two bluegrass-related artists who made the cut.

Jerry Douglas is nominated again for Musician Of The Year, and award he has won three times previously - in ‘02, ‘05 and ‘07.

Alison Krauss received nominations for both Female Vocalist, and with Robert Plant in the Musical Event category for the song Gone, Gone, Gone from their Raising Sand project.

It is quite a testament to her reigning star power that Krauss is nominated by both the CMA and the IBMA as a female vocalist in a year when she has been absent from recording and performing either country or bluegrass music.

The winners will be announced during a live ABC telecast of the awards show at 8:00 p.m. on November 12. The show will be held in Nashville.

A full list of nominees can be found on the CMA web site.

Carlton Haney, creator of the first series of multi-day bluegrass festivals, is to be inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place during the final day of the 4th Annual Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Uncle Pen Days Festival, held September 24-27, 2008 at the Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Music Park & Campground in Brown County, Indiana.

Haney, born September 19, 1928, produced the historic first weekend-long bluegrass music festival to be held at Fincastle, Virginia. The first such festival took place during Labor Day weekend, September 3rd to 5th, 1965 at Cantrell’s Horse Farm. It triggered a movement towards the wider production of bluegrass festivals bringing incalculable economic benefits to the industry and creating a larger and more diverse audience for the music.

The citation on the International Bluegrass Music Museum’s Hall Of Honor plaque continues:

“Subsequent annual festivals that he produced regularly included his innovative ‘workshops’ and his emotional narration of ‘the bluegrass story,’ dramatizing the genre’s history with appearances by performers who were part of its rich tradition. Haney’s most memorable and enduring festivals were those in Camp Springs, North Carolina and Berryville, Virginia, during an exciting era when most first generation players were in their prime. He was additionally a promoter of major country music concert tours and from 1969 until 1975 published an important early bluegrass magazine, ‘Muleskinner News.’ Haney began his colorful music career in the 1950s as agent and manager for Bill Monroe and later for Reno & Smiley. During the 1980s he entered private business in his hometown, Reidsville, North Carolina.”

Fred Bartenstein, host of Banks of the Ohio: Music From the Homeplace of Bluegrass and former editor of Muleskinner News magazine, can’t speak highly enough about Haney …..

“Carlton Haney was my primary mentor in bluegrass music. I spent seven summers working very closely with him in producing early bluegrass festivals and country music package shows. His love of bluegrass is pure; his knowledge and insight remarkable; and the innovations he put into action are still reverberating in the bluegrass world today. He is as eccentric and unforgettable as any character in bluegrass history, and totally deserving of recognition in the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.” (more…)

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s successful quarterly program series ‘Nashville Cats: A Celebration of Music City Session Players’ returns on Saturday, August 23, with a salute to legendary fiddler Buddy Spicher.

The interactive program, hosted by Stringed Instrument Curator Bill Lloyd, will be held in the Museum’s Ford Theater, starting at 1:30pm. The attendance cost is included with the Museum admission fee and it is free to Museum members.

The program will include a brief performance and an in-depth, one-on-one interview highlighted by vintage recordings, photos and film clips from the Museum’s Frist Library and Archive. Immediately following the program, Spicher will sign autographs in the Museum Store.

Norman Keith Spicher was born on a farm outside of Dubois, Pennsylvania, on July 28, 1938. he began playing fiddle at 13 years of age. Soon Spicher was playing in bands and, by the early 1950s he had earned a spot on the WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia.

He moved to Nashville in 1957 after Hank Williams’ widow, Audrey Williams, heard him on WWVA.

As well as working with a host of country music legends such as Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Hank Snow, Kitty Wells, Faron Young and childhood hero Hank Snow, Spicher spent much of the early part of the 1960s working with Bill Monroe.

While with Monroe and as the premier Nashville studio fiddler, he recorded more than 30 sessions, featuring on Decca/MCA recordings such as Little Maggie, I’m Going Back To Old Kentucky, Toy Heart, Journey’s End, Louisville Breakdown, Just Over In Gloryland, The Long Black Veil, Log Cabin In The Lane, Jenny Lynn, Milenburg Joy, Christmas Time’s A-Coming, She’s Young (And I’m Growing Old) and That’s Christmas Time To Me. (more…)

The DC Bluegrass Union has “reprinted” an article about Cliff Waldron which had originally appeared in the SPBGMA Bluegrass Music News when Cliff was inducted into their Hall Of Greats in 2004.

For anyone who did not catch the article in ‘04 - especially those who do not recognize the name of this important voice in the development of contemporary bluegrass - this fine piece by Steve Romanoski is worth a few minutes of your time.

Steve has written for Bluegrass Music News since 1977 and also has had articles published in Bluegrass Music Profiles, Sing Out, Acoustic Guitar, The Chicago Sun-Times, Bluegrass Now, and Fiddler. He is a songwriter as well, and teaches private music lessons in the Chicago area.

His Waldron article is based on an interview he did with Cliff, and it includes some insights into what has become one of the most popular bluegrass songs ever recorded - one with which many performers have a love/hate relationship.

Over the years, the punchy rhythmic introduction to “Fox On The Run” has become a virtual call to arms in the bluegrass community, And, while the tune will be forever linked to the classic Country Gentlemen ensemble of the early 1970s, another Washington DC based band was responsible for the song’s introduction to bluegrass. That band was simply called Emerson & Waldron.

Both Cliff Waldron and Bill Emerson were immersed in the progressive leanings of the northern Virginia bluegrass scene and actively brought material from different genres for the band to play. Waldron remembers how “Fox On The Run” was introduced to the world of bluegrass, “Bill was the first one to hear it,” he says, “and he played it for me and wondered if we could work it out. I was up for doing new material at this time and thought that we could give it a try. I had done Stanley’s and Flatt & Scruggs songs. I wasn’t sick of them, but I was tired of doing it myself. I wanted to do on my own; something that I could put a name to it myself instead of doing somebody else’s stuff all the time.” And Cliff found true inspiration from the realization that “he’d (Emerson) heard this song and thought that we could do something with it.” Little did either player know that this song, originally performed by the English rock band Manfred Mann, would become an anthem of the ages in bluegrass music.

You can read the full article at DCBU.org or on the SPBGMA web site.

An audio sample from Emerson & Waldron’s original recording of Fox On The Run can be heard on Cliff’s web site.

The annual IBMA elections concluded recently with the addition of four new board members.

Only professional members vote in board elections. Elected representatives serve for a period of three years beginning with their installment on September 29, 2008.

Here are the four new board members, the constituency they represent, and a little background info about them.

Carl Jackson, an award-winning artist, songwriter and producer from Gallatin, Tennessee, was elected to represent artists and composers.

Ronnie McCoury, an award-winning artist, producer and member of the Del McCoury Band from Hendersonville, Tennessee was elected as an “at-large” representative for all members.

Cindy Baucom, from Elkin, North Carolina, is an award-winning broadcast personality who hosts the nationally syndicated program “Knee Deep in Bluegrass,” was elected to represent the broadcast media.

Craig Havighurst, an award-winning independent journalist, author and producer whose company (String Theory Media) is located in Nashville, Tennessee, was elected by IBMA’s print media and education members.

These new board members join the existing board members (replacing four who previously held these posts) to compose the 17 member policy-making, governing body of the organization.

The nominees for the 2008 Americana Music Association Honors and Awards have been announced, and as is usually the case, a number of bluegrass or bluegrass-related acts are in the running.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant are nominated for Album Of The Year for their duet project, Raising Sand; Jim Lauderdale for Artist Of The Year; Chris Thile and Sam Bush for Instrumentalist Of The Year; Steeldrivers for New Emerging Artist Of The Year; Gone, Gone, Gone by Plant and Krauss for Song Of The Year; and Plant and Krauss for Duo/Group Of The Year.

Read the complete slate of nominees on the AMA web site.

The award winners will be announced on September 18, 2008 at the 7th Annual Americana Honors & Awards Show at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

The show will be broadcast live on XM Satellite Radio, and taped for a later rebroadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio and BBC2 Radio.

The IBMA has announced that Cindy Baucom and Ned Luberecki will be the producers for the 2008 International Bluegrass Music Awards show. They will be tasked with coordinating the artists who will perform and the many presenters who will announce the awards at the gala awards show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on October 2, 2008.

Both are experienced radio professionals - Ned with Sirius Bluegrass and Cindy with her syndicated show, Knee Deep In Bluegrass. Ned is also a touring musician, performing on banjo and serving as an instructor at banjo camps worldwide, and Cindy has worked in live event planning and production.

This annual awards show is the culminating event at the IBMA’s Business Conference, where performers and industry professionals are feted for their work by their peers in the business.

More details and ticket information can be found on the IBMA web site.

The International Bluegrass Music Museum has announced a special day of honors for the people they describe as the First Generation of bluegrass.

The day long event, dubbed The Pioneers Of Bluegrass Gathering, will include an honors ceremony, Legends Concert and a Legends Supper, all in conjunction with the ROMP 2008 festival in Owensboro, KY.

60 artists and businesspeople will be honored on June 26, including Eddie & Martha Adcock, Jim Smoak, Tom Ewing, Kenny Baker, Gloria Belle, Doug Dillard, Ramona Jones, Curtis McPeake, Roland White, Paul Williams and Bill Emerson - just to name a few.

The Museum exists to preserve the history, stories and important artifacts that relate to bluegrass music, like these two stellar photos taken by Ron Petronko.

        

You can find more details about the Museum, The Pioneers Of Bluegrass Gathering and ROMP 2008 on the IBMM’s web site.

In November last year Jim Peva gave notice of the impending sale of the Bill Monroe Memorial Park and Campground, home of the famous Bean Blossom bluegrass festivals.

More recently, he informed us of current plans. Following on from that comes news of the formation, by a group of devoted enthusiasts and industry folks, of the Bean Blossom Brown County Jamboree Preservation Foundation Inc. in a continued effort to ensure that the Bill Monroe Memorial Park and Campground continues to be the “Mecca of Bluegrass” for generations to come.

In an expression of his support for the Bean Blossom Jamboree Foundation (BBJF), park owner Dwight Dillman, a former banjo player with the Blue Grass Boys, recently removed the For Sale sign posted at the entrance to the park. Although not part of the Board of Directors or the Advisory Committee, Dillman endorses the Foundation’s plan to purchase and operate the park in accordance with its rich history and traditions.

The mission of the foundation is to establish a permanent music park and education center on the hallowed grounds where, Bean Blossom, the longest continuously-running bluegrass festival began in June 1967. Before Bill Monroe purchased the site, in 1951, it was home to the Brown County Jamboree that was held in the Brown County Jamboree Barn, which was officially opened in 1943.

The Bean Blossom Brown County Jamboree Preservation Foundation will have an information booth set up at all the events that take place at Bean Blossom including Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival (June 14-21), Bean Blossom Gospel Jubilee (July 30 - August 2), Uncle Pen Days (September 24-27) and Hillbilly Wagon Train Jam (October 2-4). The Foundation will also be at ROMP (June 26-28) in Owensboro, Kentucky.

BBJF Director Tom Adler said …….

“Our mission is to preserve the music park at Bean Blossom in perpetuity and continue the Brown County Jamboree’s heritage of musical shows and the bluegrass music festivals established at Bean Blossom by the Father of Bluegrass Music, Bill Monroe. The vision of the Foundation is a permanent music park and educational center, grounded in the history of the musical events at Bean Blossom.

If you are one of the many bluegrass fans with ‘Bean Blossom Memories’ of your own, and would like to see the history and traditions associated with the site of the world’s longest continuously-running bluegrass festival preserved for generations to come, you can play a key role!”

Tom clarified that role: (more…)

OK… so we’re a little late, but we didn’t want to let the month pass without a mention of this notable anniversary.

The concept of May being Bluegrass Music Month is probably buried deep in the mind at the moment, since it has been a part of the bluegrass landscape for several years now. Well, there isn’t any reason why the idea shouldn’t be reviewed and, if need be, the concept re-enforced.

World Wide Bluegrass Music Month [WWBGMM], to give its full name, was a concept presented by bluegrass music enthusiast Bob Wolff during a meeting at the International Bluegrass Music Association [IBMA] World Of Bluegrass [WOB] convention in Owensboro, Kentucky, in September 1987.

The first time in which Bluegrass Music Month was celebrated was May 1988, 20 years ago this month.

Wolff had, at that time (1987), done several years of study and teaching of theatre management and audience development within the industry. One of his tools was the book In Search of an Audience by Bradley G Morrison and Kay Fliehr (1968), New York: Pitman. LCCN 68018783. It focussed on doing research and finding ways to get information to your potential audience. Audience development meant more than doing the same old things - such as placing posters strategically, newspaper advertising and radio. Another source for ideas was Danny Newman’s book Subscribe Now!, the 1977 book which was published by the Theatre Communications Group. The book outlines Newman’s unwavering advocacy for subscription-based ticket sales.

With the selling ideas that these books prompted and the pioneering work of theatre people at places like the Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, audiences could be and were increased. Many of these ideas are now commonplace, of course. (more…)

Earlier this year Old Wilkes, Inc. and The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame (BRMHoF) committee announced the initial induction of several prominent musicians from the Blue Ridge region.

The charter inductees to be honored at the first annual Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony, to be held at the Walker Center on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro on Friday, June 13, 2008, are: Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, The Carter Family, Tommy Jarrell, Dolly Parton, David Johnson, Ralph Rinzler, Ralph Epperson, Wayne Henderson and Sam Love Queen, Sr.

Each of these individuals is well noted for their considerable contributions to the special cultural and musical heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with many having world-wide influence.

The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame, created in 2006, will be housed on the second floor of the Wilkes Heritage Museum (in the restored, famous old Wilkes Courthouse) located at 100 East Main Street, Wilkesboro, NC. Wilkesboro is located less than twenty miles from milepost 235, or the halfway point on the Blue Ridge Parkway, easily allowing a visit the Hall of Fame or Museum.

Tickets for the June 13 concert and induction ceremony, to be emceed by Mike Cross, are on sale now and may be purchased from the Walker Center box office (336-838-6260). A limited number of dinner tickets are available with a cost of $75 that includes seats for the ceremony. Tickets for the Concert and Induction Ceremony are $25.

The folks with the Central Florida Bluegrass Association have put together a special session for this weekend where amateur pickers and jammers will have the chance to participate in a studio recording.

Anyone who attends the event will have an opportunity to record with others on hand. They are calling it the Circle Unbroken Recording Session, named for the landmark triple album from Nitty Gritty Dirt Band that featured a hodge-podge of top flight bluegrass and country artists in a jam-like session.

A professional audio engineer will be on hand to track the sessions, who will also mix and master the results. A modest fee of $20 is requested for each participant, which will entitle you to a final, mixed CD will all of the songs recorded over the weekend.

The sessions will be held in Plant City, FL on May 17-18, starting on Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. Further details can be found by contacting Jeff Jones by email.

Singer/songwriter Liz Meyer wrote in to let us know how the EWOB festival went this past weekend.

She tells us the weather was great in Voorthuizen and the music was even better. For three days this small Dutch town was teaming with bluegrass musicians from all over the world. 41 bands from 15 different countries, including three US bands, participated in the festivities.

These three days, May 1-3, were the culmination of a month of bluegrass celebrations that took place as part of the European World of Bluegrass. It also served as the kickoff for bluegrass month in Europe. During the month of May there are 195 European festivals and events where fans will be able to take in some good bluegrass on the old continent.

One of the most exciting parts of the EWOB festival is the European Bluegrass Band competition.

Winners are chosen each year by the musicians performing at the festival. The first place winner each year is invited to perform at the IBMA World of Bluegrass the following year. Here are this year’s winners.

1. European Bluegrass Band 2008: ACOUSTICURE (Hungary)
2. European Bluegrass Band 2008: PETR BRANDEJS BAND (Czech Republic)
3. European Bluegrass Band 2008: 4-WHEEL DRIVE (The Netherlands)

The #1 European Bluegrass Band 2008, Acousticure, is the first bluegrass band from Hungary to appear at this colorful international gathering, performing at the past 2 European World of Bluegrass Festivals. An energetic 4-piece group of impressive multi-instrumentalists, Acousticure keeps the sound crew hopping with frequent instrument changes. Their young spokesman, mandolin-fiddler-guitarist Zsolt Pinter, has spent enough time in the USA to speak English like a native, and has a remarkable command of bluegrass-country vocals. Acousticure’s musical vision playfully fuses bluegrass influences from old-time to newgrass, often incorporating their native Hungarian folk music. (An example of the latter, Kis Kece Lanyom, can be heard on the European World of Bluegrass 2007 CD from Strictly Country Records.) The US bluegrass scene will get a chance to experience Acousticure onstage in Nashville at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) World of Bluegrass convention in October 2009, where they will perform as the #1 European Bluegrass Band.

ACOUSTICURE:
Zsolt Pinter: fiddle, guitar, mandolin, vocal
Geza Kremnitzky - mandolin, banjo, vocal
Peter Gyergyadesz - bass, vocal
Andras Toth - guitar, banjo, dobro, mandolin, vocal

The professional band awards aren’t the only awards given during EWOB though. Each year the festival audience selects their favorite groups from among the showcase performances. Call it a Fan’s Choice Awards if you will. This year’s winners are:

1. Audience Popularity Award, EWOB 2008: BLUEGRASS CWRKOT (Czech Republic)
2. Audience Popularity Award, EWOB 2008: BLACKJACK (Czech Republic)
3. Audience Popularity Award, EWOB 2008: SUNNY SIDE (Czech Republic)

I find it very exciting to see and hear all this great bluegrass music being created outside the boundaries of the US.

The European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA) has a very comprehensive European festival schedule online on their new website. The listing provides information regarding each concert, including the date, location, name of the event, appropriate website or email link, and additional comments about the event. Listings are provided through the end of calendar year 2008.

In addition to the listing of events, the site also has a thorough guide for US bands interested in touring Europe. The guide includes information regarding venues, travel logistics, lodging, traveling with instruments, merchandise sales, and tips on the various cultural differences you might encounter.

If you’re in Europe, or considering a summer vacation there, and would like to take in a bluegrass festival or concert, be sure to consult their listing of events.

If you think you’d like to take your band to Europe on a performance tour, this guide should provide valuable information.

As the International Bluegrass Music Association is at pains to remind us, bluegrass music is a truly worldwide phenomenon. Though the IBMA is based in the US, and the largest part of the membership resides here, no small part of their focus is on the furtherance of the music outside of this country.

The continued growth of the Eurpean Bluegrass Music Association is but one example of those efforts bearing fruit. As is, in a smaller way, this story we received from Sharon Lombardi in France about a recent workshop in Belgium.

This year, between 24th and 29th March 2008, the Acoustic Music International Workshop stood in Virton (Belgium) for the 23rd year.

As usual, this workshop was entirely devoted to acoustic instruments, such as guitar, fiddle, double-bass and harmonica. As far as the bluegrass part was concerned, we came close to a full bluegrass band. Not only could you attend Roberto Dalla Vecchia’s guitar workshop, Jean-Marie Redon’s banjo workshop or Jesper Rübner-Petersen’s mandolin workshop, but also the brand-new resophonic guitar workshop, taught by Henrich Novak.

Almost one hundred and thirty students came from all over Europe and even the United States and spent a week attending workshops, concerts and even jamming.

It was the seventh year that Jean-Marie Redon led the banjo workshop. It was so popular that it was full only a few days after registration had started.

The next workshop is scheduled for the first week of April 2009 and you can register from January 2009.

The IBMA is offering reduced membership fees during the month of April for new professional members. The annual dues are normally $70, but this month anyone who is not a member of the organization and who fits the criteria for professional membership can join for $45.

Details from IBMA…

Discount Membership Eligibility:

• $45 rate is for “Individual Professional” membership (normally $70) for applications received April 1-30, 2008.
• Applicant must qualify for “professional” membership and currently be (or have been) active in a professional capacity within the bluegrass music industry.
• Discount is only for new memberships in IBMA. The special $45 rate is not available for renewals or those whose membership expired within the past 60 days.
• Recruiter benefit: Current members who recruit new members during this period are eligible for prizes, including: First place: Two VIP tickets to the 2008 IBMA Awards Show; Second place: One year’s free membership renewal; and Third place: IBMA merchandise; prizes will be based on most members recruited during the time period. To count as one of your recruits, a new member must be eligible and pay dues between April 1-30, 2008 and must indicate your name or organization in the “solicited by” section of the membership application. Everyone who recruits someone will be acknowledged in International Bluegrass.

Online registration and more details are available on the IBMA site.

The International Bluegrass Music Association has just announced the graduating class of Leadership Bluegrass 2008.

2008 marks the ninth year IBMA has held the Leadership Bluegrass conference with more than 200 alumni now having participated. The program brings together 25 individuals each year for a three days of intensive sessions designed to build networking opportunities, commitment, and address issues important to the future of the bluegrass music industry.

…advanced level, interactive learning experiences that invites participants to examine the challenges and opportunities facing our music along with related leadership issues.

The 2008 class was held March 25-27 at the BMI offices in Nashville, TN. Fred Bartenstein has been the facilitator for all nine years of the event. Bartenstein is known as a bluegrass historian and broadcaster, he is also a professional meeting facilitator.

Dobro player and band leader, Tim Graves, was one of the participants this year. Tim wrote in to share his experience and encourage others to attend in the future.

I just finished the Leadership Bluegrass class of 2008. Everyone needs to sign up for this class and hope you are selected to attend. It is a wonderful experience for anyone in the business. You will be able to make some wonderful friends and be exposed to all the changes that are happening in the business.

This is an IBMA function and I support it 100%. Contact IBMA today and sign up for LBG today for 2009. Also IBMA is giving everyone who signs up for membership a discounted rate for April of $45.00 for a one year membership. Everyone needs to be a member of IBMA if you are going to be in the Bluegrass Music Business. There are a tremendous amount of resources that the IBMA offers to all Bluegrass musicians, that can be used to better the chance of success in this wonderful business we call Bluegrass Music!

This year’s graduates are: (more…)

The IBMA reminds labels and independent artists that the organization will again prepare a list of eligible recordings for the 2008 International Bluegrass Music Awards which will be included in the first round ballots sent to IBMA members in June. This list, though not intended to be an all-inclusive catalog of eligible releases, can have a predictable impact on this first ballot, where professional voting members write in the names of artists and recordings they deem worthy for the awards.

From the recent IBMA press release:

To be eligible for the 2008 International Bluegrass Music Awards to be presented on October 2, 2008 in Nashville, Tenn., a recording project must have had its first commercial release between April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008.

If you have an eligible recording and would like it listed with the first round ballot, be sure to send information to that effect to IBMA no later than April 30, 2008. The information required for submission, along with the address where it should be sent, can be found on the IBMA web site.

The Third Annual Folk Alliance Awards were presented during the 20th Annual Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN, on Wednesday evening, February 20, 2008.

We have already mentioned the Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients:

• Mavis Staples
• Tommy Jarrell
• Rounder Records

Other winners that may be of interest to bluegrass aficionados include …

• Legacy Recording - Woody Guthrie The Live Wire (Woody Guthrie Archives)
• Emerging Artist - Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Album of the Year - Uncle Earl - Waterloo, Tennessee
• Small Folk Venue - Freight & Salvage, San Francisco, California (Tied with Cafe Lena - Saratoga Springs, NewYork)
• Large Folk Venue - The Ark, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Unsuccessful Nominations include ….

• Legacy Recording - Various Artists - People Take Warning: Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs (Tompkins Square)
• Traditional Artist - Uncle Earl and David Bromberg
• Large Folk Venue - The Birchmere - Arlington, VA, and Kennedy Center Millenium Stage - Washington, DC

The award for Album of the Year was chosen based on Folk-DJ Chart airplay.