Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway Nominated in 3 Top Categories at 2023 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards (Complete List)

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway is nominated in three marquee categories – entertainer, album and song of the year – for the 2023 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. Appalachian Road Show and Billy Strings are each nominated in two of those three categories.

Strings, who won entertainer of the year the last two years in a row, is nominated again this year. Other nominees in that category are the Del McCoury Band, which has won a record nine times (from 1994-2004), The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys (their third nod in the category), Tuttle & Golden Highway (their second) and Appalachian Road Show (their first).

The multitalented Steve Martin, a 2023 Primetime Emmy nominee for his work on Only Murders in the Building, is nominated in two categories – collaborative recording of the year and instrumental recording of the year for “Foggy Morning Breaking,” which he recorded with Alison Brown.

Also announced were three inductees into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame: Sam Bush, known as “The King of Newgrass”; Wilma Lee Cooper, one of bluegrass’ most important early women musicians; and David Grisman, an influential mandolin player.

Additionally, The Bluegrass Situation, Tom Ewing, Red Wine, Terry Baucom, and Carl Goldstein were named as recipients of the Distinguished Achievement Award.

Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), the professional nonprofit association for the bluegrass music industry. 

Results of the balloting will be revealed at the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, N.C. Tickets are now on sale for the 34th annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, and for all IBMA World of Bluegrass events; visit worldofbluegrass.org for details.

Here’s the complete list of nominations for the 2023 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards: 

Entertainer of the year

Appalachian Road Show 

Billy Strings 

Del McCoury Band 

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway 

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys

Album of the year 

Crooked Tree – Artist: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway; Label: Nonesuch Records; Producer: Jerry Douglas and Molly Tuttle

Lovin’ of the Game – Artist: Michael Cleveland; Label: Compass Records; Producers: Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan

Lowdown Hoedown – Artist: Jason Carter; Label: Fiddle Man Records; Producers: Jason Carter and Brent Truitt

Me/And/Dad – Artist: Billy Strings and Terry Barber; Label: Rounder Records; Producers: Billy Strings and Gary Paczosa

Radio John: The Songs of John Hartford – Artist: Sam Bush; Label: Smithsonian Folkways; Producer: Sam Bush

Song of the year 

“Blue Ridge Mountain Baby” – Artist: Appalachian Road Show; Songwriters: Barry Abernathy/Jim VanCleve; Label: Billy Blue Records; Producer: Appalachian Road Show

“Crooked Tree” – Artist: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway; Songwriters: Molly Tuttle/Melody Walker; Label: Nonesuch Records; Producers: Jerry Douglas and Molly Tuttle

“Diane” – Artist: Sister Sadie; Songwriters: Jeffrey Nath Bhasker/Samuel Tyler Johnson/Cameron Marvel Ochs; Label: Mountain Home; Producer: Sister Sadie

“Heyday” – Artist: Lonesome River Band; Songwriters: Barry Huchens/Will Huchens; Label: Mountain Home Music Company; Producer: Lonesome River Band

“Power of Love” – Artist: Rick Faris; Songwriters: Johnny Colla/Huey Lewis/Christopher Hayes; Label: Dark Shadow Recording; Producer: Stephen Mougin

Male vocalist of the year

Greg Blake 

Del McCoury 

Danny Paisley 

Larry Sparks 

Dan Tyminski 

Female vocalist of the year 

Brooke Aldridge

Dale Ann Bradley 

Jaelee Roberts 

Molly Tuttle 

Rhonda Vincent

Vocal group of the year 

Authentic Unlimited 

Balsam Range 

Blue Highway  

Del McCoury Band 

Sister Sadie

Instrumental group of the year 

Billy Strings 

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper 

The Infamous Stringdusters 

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway 

The Travelin’ McCourys 

 New artist of the year 

Authentic Unlimited 

East Nash Grass 

Henhouse Prowlers 

The Tennessee Bluegrass Band 

Tray Wellington 

Collaborative recording of the year 

“Alberta Bound” – Artist: Special Consensus with Ray Legere, John Reischman, Tisha Gagnon, Claire Lynch, Pharis & Jason Romero; Songwriter: Gordon Lightfoot; Label: Compass Records; Producer: Alison Brown 

“Big Mon” – Artist: Andy Leftwich with Sierra Hull; Songwriter: Bill Monroe; Label: Mountain Home Music Company; Producer: Andy Leftwich

“Foggy Morning Breaking” – Artist: Alison Brown with Steve Martin; Songwriter: Alison Brown/Steve Martin; Label: Compass Records; Producer: Alison Brown and Garry West

“For Your Love” – Artist: Michael Cleveland with Billy Strings and Jeff White; Songwriter: Joe Ely; Label: Compass Records; Producer: Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan 

“From My Mountain (Calling You)” – Artist: Peter Rowan with Molly Tuttle and Lindsay Lou; Songwriter: Peter Rowan; Label: Rebel Records; Producer: Peter Rowan

Gospel recording of the year

“The Glory Road” – Artist: Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers; Songwriters: Paul Martin/Harry Stinson/Marty Stuart; Label: Billy Blue Records; Producers: Joe Mullins and Adam McIntosh

“Jordan” – Artist: Darin & Brooke Aldridge with Ricky Skaggs, Mo Pitney and Mark Fain; Songwriter: Fred Rich; Label: Billy Blue Records; Producer: Darin Aldridge and Mark Fain

“The Scarlet Red Lines” – Artist: Larry Sparks; Songwriter: Daniel Crabtree; Label: Rebel Records; Producer: Larry Sparks

“Take a Little Time for Jesus” – Artist: Junior Sisk; Songwriter: David Marshall; Label: Mountain Fever Records; Producers: Junior Sisk and Aaron Ramsey

“Tell Me the Story of Jesus” – Artist: Becky Buller with Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs; Songwriter: Fanny Crosby, arrangement by Becky Buller; Label: Dark Shadow Recording; Producer: Stephen Mougin

Instrumental recording of the year 

“Contact” – Artist: Michael Cleveland with Cody Kilby, Barry Bales, and Béla Fleck; Songwriter: Michael Cleveland; Label: Compass Records; Producer: Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan

“Foggy Morning Breaking” – Artist: Alison Brown with Steve Martin; Songwriters: Alison Brown/Steve Martin; Label: Compass Records; Producers: Alison Brown and Garry West

“Gold Rush” – Artist: Scott Vestal’s Bluegrass 2022; Songwriter: Bill Monroe; Label: Pinecastle Records; Producer: Scott Vestal

“Kissimmee Kid” – Artist: Jason Carter; Songwriter: Vassar Clements; Label: Fiddle Man Records; Producers: Jason Carter and Brent Truitt

“Scorchin’ the Gravy” – Artist: Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen; Songwriter: Frank Solivan; Label: Compass Records; Producer: Frank Solivan

Banjo player of the year 

Kristin Scott Benson 

Alison Brown 

Béla Fleck 

Ned Luberecki 

Scott Vestal 

Bass player of the year 

Mike Bub 

Todd Phillips 

Missy Raines 

Mark Schatz 

Vickie Vaughn

Fiddle player of the year 

Jason Carter 

Michael Cleveland 

Stuart Duncan 

Bronwyn Keith-Hynes

Deanie Richardson 

Resophonic guitar player of the year 

Jerry Douglas 

Andy Hall 

Rob Ickes 

Matt Leadbetter 

Justin Moses 

Guitar player of the year 

Chris Eldridge

Trey Hensley 

Billy Strings 

Bryan Sutton

Molly Tuttle 

Mandolin player of the year 

Alan Bibey 

Jesse Brock 

Sam Bush 

Sierra Hull

Ronnie McCoury