Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album

Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album
Awarded for	quality works in the bluegrass music genre
Country	United States
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded	1989
Official website	grammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards,^[1] to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the bluegrass music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".^[2]

Originally called the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Recording (Vocal or Instrumental),^[3] the award was first presented to Bill Monroe in 1989. In 1990 and 1991 the category was renamed Best Bluegrass Recording, and in 1990 the award was reserved for singles rather than albums. Since 1992, the award has been presented under the category Best Bluegrass Album. Beginning in 1993, award recipients often included the producers, engineers, and/or mixers associated with the nominated work in addition to the recording artists.^[4] In 1995 and 1997, producers of compilation albums were the only award recipients.

As of 2012, Alison Krauss holds the record for the most wins in this category, having won six times (five times with the band Union Station). The group consisting of Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder has been presented five awards. Two-time recipients include Jim Lauderdale as well as the Nashville Bluegrass Band. The award has been presented to artists or groups originating from the United States each year to date. The Seldom Scene and Rhonda Vincent share the record for the most nominations without a win, with five each.

Recipients

Six-time award winner Alison Krauss, performing in 2007

Five-time award winner Ricky Skaggs (along with Kentucky Thunder), performing in 2007

2001 award winner Dolly Parton

Two-time award winner Jim Lauderdale

2003 award winner Ralph Stanley

The 2006 award-winning group, Del McCoury Band, performing in 2005

2010 award winner Steve Martin

Year^[I]	Winning artist(s)	Work	Other nominees	Ref.
1989	Monroe, BillBill Monroe	Southern Flavor	Béla Fleck – Drive David Grisman – Home Is Where the Heart Is Peter Rowan and the Nashville Bluegrass Band – New Moon Rising The Seldom Scene – 15th Anniversary Celebration	[3]
1990	Hornsby, BruceBruce Hornsby and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band	The Valley Road	Doug Dillard Band – Heartbreak Hotel Johnson Mountain Boys – At the Old Schoolhouse Alison Krauss and Union Station – Two Highways Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys – Live at the Opry	[5]
1991	Krauss, AlisonAlison Krauss	I've Got That Old Feeling	Hot Rize – Take It Home Mac Wiseman – Grassroots to Bluegrass Nashville Bluegrass Band – The Boys Are Back in Town The Dillards – Darlin' Boys	[6]
1992	Jackson, CarlCarl Jackson and John Starling	Spring Training	Alison Brown – Simple Pleasures Jim & Jesse – Music Among Friends Nashville Bluegrass Band – Home of the Blues Osborne Brothers – Hillbilly Fever	[7]
1993	Krauss, AlisonAlison Krauss and Union Station	Every Time You Say Goodbye	Larry Cordle, Glen Duncan and Lonesome Standard Time – Larry Cordle, Glen Duncan & Lonesome Standard Time Jerry Douglas – Slide Rule David Grisman, Herb Pedersen, Red Allen, Jim Buchanan, James Kerwin and Jerry Garcia – Bluegrass Reunion The Seldom Scene – Scene 20: 20th Anniversary Concert	[8]
1994	Nashville Bluegrass Band	Waitin' for the Hard Times to Go	Stuart Duncan – Stuart Duncan Johnson Mountain Boys – Blue Diamond Tony Rice – Tony Rice Plays and Sings Bluegrass Ralph Stanley – Saturday Night & Sunday Morning	[9]
1995	Various artists^[II]	The Great Dobro Sessions	J.D. Crowe and the New South – Flashback Del McCoury – A Deeper Shade of Blue Osborne Brothers – When the Roses Bloom in Dixieland The Seldom Scene – Like We Used to Be	[10]
1996	Nashville Bluegrass Band	Unleashed	Byron Berline – Fiddle and a Song The Cox Family – Beyond the City Claire Lynch – Moonlighter Rose Maddox – $35 and a Dream	[11]
1997	Various artists^[III]	True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe	Del McCoury Band – The Cold Hard Facts Tim O'Brien – Red on Blonde Peter Rowan – Bluegrass Boy Various artists – The Stanley Tradition: Tribute to a Bluegrass Legacy	[12]
1998	Krauss, AlisonAlison Krauss and Union Station	So Long So Wrong	Richard Greene and The Grass Is Greener – Sales Tax Toddle Claire Lynch – Silver and Gold Kate MacKenzie – Age of Innocence Ralph Stanley – Short Life of Trouble	[13]
1999	Skaggs, RickyRicky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder	Bluegrass Rules!	Jim & Jesse – Songs from the Homeplace Nashville Bluegrass Band – American Beauty Ralph Stanley and Friends – Clinch Mountain Country Doc and Merle Watson – Home Sweet Home	[14]
2000	Skaggs, RickyRicky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder	Ancient Tones	Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band – The Mountain Béla Fleck – The Bluegrass Sessions David Grisman, Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush, Jesse McReynolds, and Frank Wakefield – Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza Jim Lauderdale, Ralph Stanley, and the Clinch Mountain Boys – I Feel Like Singing Today	[15]
2001	Parton, DollyDolly Parton	The Grass Is Blue	Alison Brown – Fair Weather Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time – Murder On Music Row Nickel Creek – Nickel Creek Ricky Skaggs and Friends – Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe	[16]
2002	Krauss, AlisonAlison Krauss and Union Station	New Favorite	Patty Loveless – Mountain Soul Dolly Parton – Little Sparrow Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder – History of the Future Ralph Stanley and Friends – Clinch Mountain Sweethearts	[17]
2003	Clinch Mountain Boys, Jim Lauderdale, and Ralph Stanley	Lost in the Lonesome Pines	Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver – The Hard Game of Love Ralph Stanley – Ralph Stanley Ralph Stanley II – Stanley Blues Roland White Band – Jelly on My Tofu	[18]
2004	Krauss, AlisonAlison Krauss and Union Station	Live	Del McCoury Band – It's Just the Night Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder – Live at the Charleston Music Hall Various artists – Christmas on the Mountain: A Bluegrass Christmas Rhonda Vincent – One Step Ahead	[19]
2005	Skaggs, RickyRicky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder	Brand New Strings	Lynn Anderson – The Bluegrass Sessions Nashville Bluegrass Band – Twenty Year Blues Ralph Stanley II – Carrying On Various artists – A Tribute to Jimmy Martin: "The King of Bluegrass"	[20]
2006	Del McCoury Band	The Company We Keep	Blue Highway – Marbletown Cherryholmes – Cherryholmes Rhonda Vincent and The Rage – Ragin' Live The Grascals – The Grascals	[21]
2007	Skaggs, RickyRicky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder	Instrumentals	Jim Lauderdale – Bluegrass Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives – Live at the Ryman The Grascals – Long List of Heartaches Rhonda Vincent – All American Bluegrass Girl	[22]
2008	Lauderdale, JimJim Lauderdale	The Bluegrass Diaries	Cherryholmes – Cherryholmes II: Black and White J. D. Crowe and the New South – Lefty's Old Guitar The Seldom Scene – Scenechronized Tony Trischka – Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular	[23]
2009	Skaggs, RickyRicky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder	Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947	Cherryholmes – Cherryholmes III: Don't Believe Del McCoury Band – Live at the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Earl Scruggs with Family and Friends – The Ultimate Collection: Live at the Ryman Dan Tyminski – Wheels	[24]
2010	Martin, SteveSteve Martin	The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo	Jim Lauderdale – Could We Get Any Closer? Michael Martin Murphey – Buckaroo Blue Grass Bryan Sutton and Friends – Almost Live Rhonda Vincent – Destination Life	[25]
2011	Loveless, PattyPatty Loveless	Mountain Soul II	Sam Bush – Circles Around Me Del McCoury Band – Family Circle Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band – Legacy The SteelDrivers – Reckless	[26]
2012	Alison Krauss and Union Station	Paper Airplane	Jim Lauderdale – Reason and Rhyme: Bluegrass Songs by Robert Hunter and Jim Lauderdale Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers – Rare Bird Alert Del McCoury Band – Old Memories: The Songs of Bill Monroe Ralph Stanley – A Mother's Prayer Chris Thile and Michael Daves – Sleep with One Eye Open
2013	Steep Canyon Rangers	Nobody Knows You	Dailey & Vincent – The Gospel Side Of... The Grascals – Life Finds a Way Noam Pikelny – Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail Special Consensus – Scratch Gravel Road	[27]
2014	Del McCoury Band	The Streets of Baltimore	The Boxcars – It's Just a Road Dailey & Vincent – Brothers of the Highway Della Mae – This World Oft Can Be James King – Three Chords and the Truth
2015	The Earls of Leicester	The Earls of Leicester	Noam Pikelny – Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen – Cold Spell Bryan Sutton – Into My Own Rhonda Vincent – Only Me	[28]
2016	The SteelDrivers-	The Muscle Shoals Recordings	Dale Ann Bradley – Pocket Full of Keys Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley – Before the Sun Goes Down Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver – In Session Ralph Stanley and Friends – Man of Constant Sorrow

^{^[I]} Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.
^{^[II]} Awards were presented to Jerry Douglas and Tut Taylor as the producers of the album.
^{^[III]} An award was presented to Todd Phillips as the producer of the album.

See also

• International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame
• List of Grammy Award categories

References

General

• "Past Winners Search". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved March 4, 2011. Note: User must select the "American Roots" category as the genre under the search feature.

Specific

1. "Grammy Awards at a Glance". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). Retrieved April 24, 2010.
2. "Overview". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
3. "Complete list of Grammy nominees". Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina: The New York Times Company) 114 (13): 14. January 13, 1989. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
4. "Grammy Award Winners". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved September 30, 2010. Note: User must select the "American Roots" category as the genre under the search feature.
5. "Here's list of nominees from all 77 categories". Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Publishing Company). January 12, 1990. p. W7. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
6. "List of Grammy Awards nominations". Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina: The New York Times Company). January 11, 1991. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
7. Campbell, Mary (January 9, 1992). "R.E.M., Raitt tops in Grammy nominations". The Tuscaloosa News (The New York Times Company). p. 6B. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
8. Hurst, Jack (February 11, 1993). "Back On Track: Financially, Musically, Willie Nelson Figures To Have A Good Year". Chicago Tribune (Tribune Company). Retrieved July 14, 2010.
9. "Hundreds Nominated For Grammys". Deseret News (Deseret News Publishing Company). January 10, 1994. p. 4. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
10. "The 37th Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). January 6, 1995. p. 5. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
11. "List of Grammy nominees". CNN. January 4, 1996. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
12. Errico, Marcus (January 7, 1997). "Babyface, Celine Dion Dominate Grammy Nominations". E!. E! Entertainment Television, Inc. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
13. "1997 Grammy Nominees". Orlando Sentinel (Tribune Company). January 9, 1998. p. 4. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
14. "Academy's Complete List of Nominees". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). January 6, 1999. p. 5. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
15. Richardson, Derk (February 10, 2000). "Hoedown 2000 / Bluegrass catches fire in the 21st Century". San Francisco Chronicle (Hearst Corporation). Retrieved July 14, 2010.
16. "43rd Grammy Awards". CNN. February 21, 2001. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
17. "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS News. January 4, 2002. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
18. Gilbert, Calvin (January 8, 2003). "Chicks, Jackson Get Four Grammy Nominations". Country Music Television. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
19. "2004 Grammy Nominations: The Complete List of Country Artists, Albums and Songs". Country Music Television. December 4, 2003. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
20. Gilbert, Calvin (December 7, 2004). "Wilson, Lynn Are Top Country Nominees at Grammys". Country Music Television. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
21. "The Complete List of Grammy Nominations". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). December 8, 2005. p. 3. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
22. "49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
23. "50th annual Grammy Awards nominations". Variety. Reed Business Information. December 6, 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
24. Conner, Thomas (December 3, 2008). "Complete list of Grammy nominees". Chicago Sun-Times (Sun-Times Media Group). Retrieved July 13, 2010.
25. "The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
26. "53rd Annual Grammy Awards nominees list". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). Retrieved December 5, 2010.
27. List of 2013 nominees
28. List of Nominees 2015

External links

• Official site of the Grammy Awards