The 36th annual International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) took place this week in Chattanooga. Its Industry Awards, presented this year by the Benwood Foundation and voted on by bluegrass musicians and industry peers, honored a number of stars, up-and-comers, and professionals. Check out a few highlights below — including Billy Strings' big win — and visit the IBMA website for the complete list of winners.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Appalachian Road Show
Billy Strings
East Nash Grass
The Del McCoury Band
SONG OF THE YEAR
“5 Days Out, 2 Days Back” – Alison Brown, Steve Martin, Featuring Tim O’Brien
“Big Wheels” – Authentic Unlimited
“Coal Dust Kisses” – The Grascals
“My Favorite Picture of You” – Darin & Brooke Aldridge|
“Outrun the Rain” – Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Arcadia – Alison Krauss & Union Station
Carter & Cleveland – Jason Carter & Michael Cleveland
Earl Jam – Tony Trischka
Highway Prayers – Billy Strings
I Built a World – Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
AJ Lee & Blue Summit
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Jason Carter
Red Camel Collective
Wyatt Ellis
Grammy award-winning country artist and songwriter Steve Earle was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on Wednesday night. Fellow legendary singer-songwriter and Opry member Emmylou Harris was there to help bestow the honor.
English punk-artist-and-sometimes-folksinger Frank Turner announced a new triple-LP career compilation called The Next Ten Years, which will include a cover of Janis Ian’s "Better Times Will Come." The collection of B-sides, rarities, live versions, and covers also includes songs by and with Tom Jones, Merle Haggard, The Mountain Goats, and KT Tunstall, highlighting Turner's own folk and country fandom. He wrote the following about Ian and her song in a press release:
A few years back, the legendary Janis Ian hit me up out of the blue. Seeing her name in my inbox was mind-blowing — I’m a big fan — and the message kept up the crazy — she asked me to cover one of her songs, alongside a host of other artists, to explore song interpretation, as well as to spread the timely message of “Better Times.” I gave it my best shot and was pretty pleased with the result — as was Janis. It’s lovely to have this song on vinyl and to be giving it (and its words) a wider audience.
The Next Ten Years is due out November 7 via Universal Music Recordings and the single is available now.
Brandy Zdan, who was featured in a recent Crowdfunding Radar, announced her fourth studio album, SO WHAT!, due out November 7 via Warner Records' Revolution Distribution in partnership with War Buddha Records. Second single "hell no!" is out now.
The unstoppable Charley Crockett announced a Bad Company tribute album titled Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute to Bad Company due out October 24 via Primary Wave Music. Lead single "Bad Company" is out now.
WHAT WE'RE LISTENING TO
KIRBY - "REPARATIONS"
Briscoe - "Heat of July"
NEW RELEASES – 9/19/25
John Calvin Abbey - Transparent Towns
Briscoe - Heat of July
Doe Paoro - Living Through Collapse
Dylan Earl - Level-Headed Even Smile
Evan Horner - Everything I Wanted
Los Straitjackets - Somos Los Straitjackets
Lera Lynn - Comic Book Cowboy
Matt Patershuk - Dog, Tiger, Horses
Trapper Schoepp - Osborne
Joan Shelley - Real Warmth
Peter Stampfel - Song Shards
Pink Stones - THANK THE LORD… IT’S THE PINK STONES
Wednesday - Bleeds
COMING SOON - 9/26/25
Dallas Burrows - The Way The West Was Won
Neko Case - Neon Gray Midnight Green
Clover County - Finer Things
Remi Goode - Things I've Said Before
Jared Dustin Griffin - Perseverance of Sisyphus
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - Hard Road
Carolina Mama - AMINA
Marcus King Band - Darling Blue
Robert Plant - Saving Grace
Ramona and The Holy Smokes - Ramona and The Holy Smokes
Amanda Shires - Nobody's Girl
Jeff Tweedy - Twilight Override
Patrick Watson - Uh Oh
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