Twenty-four songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2024 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among a record-breaking 1341 entries, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 25 and 26, as part of the first weekend of the 52nd annual Kerrville Folk Festival. Slated to perform on Saturday, May 25 are Jeremy Parsons, Gloria Anderson, Rachel Sumner, Admiral Radio, Kenny Foster, Lila Blue, Lily Talmers, Summerlyn Powers, Mike Vitale, Halley Neal, Alex Wong, and Lucy Clearwater. Performing on Sun ..read more

Sarah Jarosz had the top album (Polaroid Lovers), two of the top ten songs, and was the most-played artist on folk radio during March 2024. “The Ballad of Sally Anne” by Rhiannon Giddens and “If God is an Apple” by Erik Balkey and Jessica Smucker tied for the month’s top song. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. The March 2024 top albums, songs and artists charts are based on 13,042 airplays reported on 429 playlists submitted by 111 d ..read more

Winners of this year’s Canadian Folk Music Awards were recognized at a bilingual, celebratory and music-filled event that took place over two nights during the 2024 CFMAs, April 3-7, in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. William Prince, a Winnipeg, Manitoba-based singer-songwriter from Peguis First Nation, was the top recipient — with awards for Contemporary Album of the Year (Stand in the Joy), Solo Artist of the Year, and Single of the Year (“When You Miss Someone”). William Prince was the recipient of awards for Contemporary Artist of the Year, Solo Artist of the Year and Single of the ..read more

Fifteen songwriters have been invited to showcase their original songs and compete for prize money at the St. John’s Outdoor Pavilion in Schulenburg, Texas on Saturday, May 11 after being named as semifinalists in the 2024 Songwriter Serenade competition. Season Ammons (La Grange, TX), Gloria Anderson (Luling, TX), Bud Bierhaus (Katy, TX), Shawna Caspi (Toronto, ON), Jason Erie (Nashville, TN), Nathan Evans Fox (Nashville, TN), Mick Fury (Nashville, TN), Dylan Tanner Hink (Bandera, TX), Spencer LaJoye (Hastings, MI), Mamie Lew (Chapmansboro, TN), Juliet Lloyd (Gaithersburg, MD), Olivia Lloyd ..read more

Entries are now being accepted in the 2024 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, 2024, during the first weekend of the annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio. The first 800 entries received by March 15 will be judged, and 24 finalists will be named in mid-April. Six songwriters will be named as 2024 New Folk Award Winners after performing, along with the 18 other finalists, at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch Campgrounds. A Kerrville New Folk Award Winn ..read more

Alice Di Micele had the top album (Interpretations: Volume 1) and was the most-played artist on folk radio during January 2024. “The Great Forgetting” by Natalia Zukerman edged out “Let’s Get Happy Together” by Jim Kweskin, the month’s second most-played artist, for top song. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. Alice Di Micele is a New Jersey-born and Oregon-based independent folk artist. Interpretations: Volume 1, released last month ..read more

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has revealed the nominees for the 2024 JUNO Awards – including those for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and Traditional Roots Album of the Year. The coveted awards will be presented on Saturday, March 23 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Hosted by Canadian pop star Nelly Furtado, the ceremonies will be broadcast live across Canada at 8 p.m. ET on CBC TV, CBC Radio One and CBC Music, and may be viewed online globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos and CBC Music’s YouTube page. In the running for Contemporary Roots Album of ..read more

Graphic courtesy of The Recording Academy Winners in the 66th GRAMMY Awards’ American Roots Music Field were recognized during a ceremony that took place prior to The Recording Academy’s televised and livestreamed awards show from Los Angeles, California on Sunday, February 4, 2024. Brandy Clark, Jason Isbell and Allison Russell, who led the nominees with three nominations each, were among the winners. A list of winners in the GRAMMY Awards’ American Roots Music Field follows, while the complete list of award recipients may be found at grammy.com. Best American Roots Performance: “Eve Was Bl ..read more

Lynn Biddick (LaCrosse, WI), Jane Fallon (Dunedin, FL) and Sarah McCulloch (Davie, FL) have been named as winners in the 2024 South Florida Folk and Acoustic Music Festival’s Singer-Songwriter Competition. A panel of three judges chose the winners from among 10 finalists who each performed two songs live during the festival at the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds in Davie on Saturday, February 3. Each of the winners received a cash prize and an invitation to perform at next year’s festival. They also performed in a winners’ round on the last day of the festival that featured some 40 artists/acts perform ..read more

The Americana Music Association has released a listing of the top 100 albums of 2023 as reported to the Americana Radio Airplay Albums Chart (powered by CDX) during the period extending from January 1—December 12, 2023. Topping the chart is Weathervanes by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, which also had the #1 and #3 singles with “When We Were Close” and “Death Wish,” respectively. Charley Crockett had the #2 album (The Man From Waco) and #2 song (“Trinity River”). Here’s a link to listen to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s “When We Were Close”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF141kKZ-nc Establi ..read more