Initial slate of performers announced for
international bluegrass music awards September 29
Performances from nominees Balsam Range, The Boxcars, Dailey & Vincent, The Grascals, The Gibson Brothers, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Sierra Hull & Highway 111 and Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers – as well as the show’s host, Sam Bush, confirmed
Nashville, Tenn. (Sept 7, 2011) — An initial list of performers for IBMA’s 22nd International Bluegrass Music Awards has been confirmed for the Thursday, September 29 event. The Awards Show, held at Nashville, Tennessee’s historic Ryman Auditorium, will feature performances from nominees Balsam Range, The Boxcars, Dailey & Vincent, The Grascals, The Gibson Brothers, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Sierra Hull & Highway 111 and Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers. Also performing is Awards Show host, Sam Bush. More performers, as well as the lineup of presenters, will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Stephen Ruffo and I are thrilled to be working with host Sam Bush and with the team of professionals in place for the biggest night in bluegrass,” said Claire Armbruster, who is co-producing the Awards Show with Ruffo. “Our main focus will be honoring the nominees but we’ll also pay homage to Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass, on the 100th anniversary of his birth.”
“Both Claire and I are excited to produce the Awards Show during the year of this important Monroe anniversary,” Ruffo agreed. “The artists that we have invited to perform on the Ryman stage all recognize the importance of this celebration, and they are as honored as we are to be part of that.”
The International Bluegrass Music Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), which serves as the trade association for the bluegrass music industry. The IBMA Awards Show is the centerpiece of the World of Bluegrass Week September 26 – October 2 in Nashville, Tenn., which also includes the IBMA Business Conference and Bluegrass Fan Fest.
The IBMA Awards will be broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Bluegrass Junction, Channel 61), and also will be syndicated to more than 300 U.S. markets and 14 foreign networks thanks to the sponsorship of Martha White, Deering Banjos, the International Bluegrass Music Museum, Bluegrass, Moonshine & The Birth of NASCAR – The Movie, Compass Records and the Academy of Bluegrass. Program directors and station managers may sign up to be affiliates by calling (615) 256-3222 or emailing jill@ibma.org.
For more information on World of Bluegrass week, including tickets to the International Bluegrass Music Awards, go to www.worldofbluegrass.org, join us on Facebook, or call 615-256-3222 (1-888-GET-IBMA).
A complete list of nominees, this year’s Hall of Fame inductees and the recipients of the Distinguished Achievement Award can be found at http://ibmaawards.org/node/222.