Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle Win Big at 2023 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards: Complete List of Winners

Paul Grein
·6 min read
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Billy Strings won entertainer of the year for the third year in a row at the 34rd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. The show was held on Thursday (Sept. 28) at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, N.C.

Strings, 30, is the first artist to take entertainer three years in a row since Earls of Leicester achieved the feat from 2015 to 2017. Before that, the Del McCoury Band and Dailey & Vincent both did it. Strings won a Grammy for best bluegrass album three years ago for Home.

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But in many ways, it was Molly Tuttle’s night. Tuttle, who is also 30, and Ketch Secor co-hosted the show. Tuttle also won three key awards. “Crooked Tree,” which she co-wrote with Melody Walker, won song of the year. The song was the title track of Tuttle & Golden Highway’s album, which won album of the year. Tuttle’s third award was female vocalist of the year.

Crooked Tree won a Grammy for best bluegrass album in February. Tuttle was also nominated for best new artist at that show but lost to Samara Joy.

Authentic Unlimited won two awards at the IBMA Awards – vocal group of the year and new artist of the year.

Jason Carter also won two awards – instrumental recording of the year (“Kissimmee Kid”) and fiddle player of the year. Carter, 50, has won three Grammys for best bluegrass album as a member of the Del McCoury Band and the Travelin’ McCourys.

In a sign of changing times, three of the six winners in the instrumentalist of the year categories were women – Kristin Scott Benson (banjo player of the year), Vickie Vaughn (bass player of the year) and Sierra Hull (mandolin player of the year).

This year’s inductees into the Bluegrass Music 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 – were also honored during the show.

Awards were voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

The show aired on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction channel and was livestreamed on IBMA’s Facebook Live.

Here’s a complete list of nominees and winners for the 2023 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards:

Entertainer of the year

Appalachian Road Show

WINNER: Billy Strings 

Del McCoury Band

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys

Album of the year 

WINNER: 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

WINNER: “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

WINNER: Greg Blake 

Del McCoury

Danny Paisley

Larry Sparks

Dan Tyminski

Female vocalist of the year 

Brooke Aldridge

Dale Ann Bradley

Jaelee Roberts

WINNER: Molly Tuttle 

Rhonda Vincent

Vocal group of the year 

WINNER: 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

WINNER: The Travelin’ McCourys 

New artist of the year 

WINNER: Authentic Unlimited 

East Nash Grass

Henhouse Prowlers

The Tennessee Bluegrass Band

Tray Wellington

Collaborative recording of the year 

WINNER: “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

WINNER: “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

WINNER: “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 

WINNER: Kristin Scott Benson 

Alison Brown

Béla Fleck

Ned Luberecki

Scott Vestal

Bass player of the year 

Mike Bub

Todd Phillips

Missy Raines

Mark Schatz

WINNER: Vickie Vaughn

Fiddle player of the year 

WINNER: 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

WINNER: Justin Moses 

Guitar player of the year 

Chris Eldridge

WINNER: Trey Hensley 

Billy Strings

Bryan Sutton

Molly Tuttle

Mandolin player of the year 

Alan Bibey

Jesse Brock

Sam Bush

WINNER: Sierra Hull

Ronnie McCoury

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