Full Press Release

Entertainer of the Year

Cherryholmes

The Grascals

Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

The Del McCoury Band

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage

Vocal Group of the Year

Blue Highway

The Isaacs

Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage

Instrumental Group of the Year

Blue Highway

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper featuring Audie Blaylock

Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas

The Del McCoury Band

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

Male Vocalist of the Year

Ronnie Bowman

Russell Moore

Tim O’Brien

Larry Sparks

Bradley Walker

Female Vocalist of the Year

Dale Ann Bradley

Sonya Isaacs

Alison Krauss

Claire Lynch

Rhonda Vincent

Song of the Year

Song Title, Artist (s), Songwriter(s)

• “All American Bluegrass Girl,” Rhonda Vincent (artist/writer)
• “Fork In The Road,” The Infamous Stringdusters (artists), Chris Jones & John Pennell (writers)
• “Lefty's Old Guitar,” J.D. Crowe & The New South (artists), Dave Maggard & Jack Spencer (writers)
• “Sadie's Got Her New Dress On,” Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artists), Connie Leigh (writer)
• “The Last Suit You Wear,” Larry Sparks (artist), Larry Shell, Larry Williams & Kim Williams (writers)

Album of the Year

Recording Title, Artist(s), Label, Producer          

• All American Bluegrass Girl, Rhonda Vincent (artist); Rounder Records (label); Rhonda Vincent & Darrin Vincent (producers)
• Fork In The Road, The Infamous Stringdusters (artists), Sugar Hill Records (label), Tim Stafford & The Infamous Stringdusters (producers)
• Lefty's Old Guitar, J.D. Crowe & The New South (artists/producers), Rounder Records (label)
• More Behind The Picture Than The Wall, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artists), Rounder Records (label), Doyle Lawson(producer)
• The Last Suit You Wear, Larry Sparks (artist), McCoury Music (label), Don Rigsby & Larry Sparks (producers)

Instrumental Album of the Year

Recording Title, Artist(s), Label, Producer                      

• Acoustic Rising, Mark Johnson & Emory Lester (artists/producers), Mountain Home (label)
• Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, Tony Trischka (artist), Rounder Records (label), Tony Trischka, Bela Fleck & Ronnie Freeland (producers)
• Instrumentals, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder (artists/producers), Skaggs Family Records (label)
• No Apologies, Jim VanCleve (artist/producer), Rural Rhythm Records (label)
• Wow Baby, Hunter Berry (artist), Upper Mgt. Music (label), Darrin Vincent (producer)

Recorded Event of the Year

Recording Title, Artist(s), Label, Producer

• Vassar Clements, Tony Rice & The Low Country All-Star Band; Vassar Clements, Tony Rice & The Low Country All-Star Band (artists); Flatt Mountain (label); Randy Wood (producer)
• Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular; Tony Trischka with Earl Scruggs, Kenny Ingram, Tom Adams, Bela Fleck, Noam Pikelny, Alison Brown, Scott Vestal, Steve Martin & Bill Emerson (artists); Rounder Records (label); Tony Trischka, Bela Fleck & Ronnie Freeland (producers)    
• New Songs, Old Friends; Jerry Salley with Vince Gill, Doyle Lawson, Bryan Sutton, Oak Ridge Boys, Darryl Worley, Adam Steffey, Jamie Johnson, Lisa Shaffer, Rob Ickes, Del McCoury, Sonya Isaacs, David Talbot, Rhonda Vincent, Carl Jackson, Stuart Duncan, Larry Cordle, Keith Sewell, Wendy Sewell, Ben Isaacs, Alecia Nugent, Ricky Skaggs & Sharon White (artists); Mountain Home (label); Steve Ivey & Jerry Salley (producers)
• Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby, Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby (artists/producers), Legacy (label) 
• Wow Baby; Hunter Berry with Tony Rice, Doyle Lawson, Dan Tyminski, Marty Stuart, Bobby Osborne, Bryan Sutton, Adam Steffey, Jason Carter, Buck White, Sally Sandker, Sonya Isaacs, Keith Williams, Rhonda Vincent, Buddy Spicher, Ronnie Stewart, Darrin Vincent, Bob Moore & Tom Roady (artists); Upper Mgt. Music (label), Darrin Vincent (producer)

Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year

Recording Title, Artist(s), Label, Producer                      

• "Did You Forget God Today," The Grascals (artists/producers), Rounder Records (label)
• “He Lives In Me,” Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artists), Horizon (label), Doyle Lawson (producer)
• Tell Someone, Kenny & Amanda Smith Band (artists/producers), Rebel Records (label)
• The Promised Land, The Del McCoury Band (artists), McCoury Music (label), Del McCoury & Ronnie McCoury (producers)
• "We Shall Inherit," Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artists), Horizon (label), Doyle Lawson (producer)

Emerging Artist of the Year

Cadillac Sky

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper featuring Audie Blaylock

The Infamous Stringdusters

Bradley Walker

Williams & Clark Expedition

Instrumental Performers of the Year

BANJO

Cia Cherryholmes

J.D. Crowe

Jim Mills

Sammy Shelor
Tony Trischka

BASS

Barry Bales

Mike Bub

Mickey Harris

Missy Raines

Marshall Wilborn

FIDDLE

Hunter Berry

Michael Cleveland

Stuart Duncan

Ron Stewart

Jim VanCleve
 

DOBRO

Mike Auldridge

Jerry Douglas

Rob Ickes

Randy Kohrs

Phil Leadbetter

GUITAR

Jim Hurst

Tony Rice

Kenny Smith

Larry Sparks
Bryan Sutton

MANDOLIN

Sam Bush

Doyle Lawson

Ronnie McCoury

Adam Steffey

Chris Thile
 

Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year

• Kyle Cantrell; XM Satellite; Nashville, Tenn.
• Chris Jones; Sirius Satellite Radio; Nashville, Tenn.
• Ned Luberecki; Sirius Satellite Radio; Nashville, Tenn.

Bluegrass Event of the Year

• 33rd Festival of the Bluegrass; Lexington, Ky.; June, 2006
• The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival; Ancramdale, N.Y.; July 2006 
• Pickin' In The Sticks: The 27th Annual Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Festival; El Rancho Manana Campground; St.Cloud, Minn.; August 2006

Best Liner Notes for Recorded Project

• Barry Poss & Jay Orr; Sugar Hill Records, A Retrospective; Various Artists; Sugar Hill Records
• Peter K. Siegel, John Cohen & Jody Stecher; Friends of Old Time Music, The Folk Arrival 1961-1965;  Various Artists; Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
• Gary Reid; Don Reno & Red Smiley and the Tennessee Cut-Ups, 1959-1963; Gusto

Best Graphic Design for Recorded Project

• Don Bailey, Hillbilly Hemingway, The Mark Newton Band, Rebel Records
• Sue Meyer; Sugar Hill Records, A Retrospective; Various Artists; Sugar Hill Records
• Visual Dialogue; Friends of Old Time Music, The Folk Arrival 1961-1965; Various Artists; Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Print Media Person of the Year

• Aaron Keith Harris; National Review Online, Baltimore Examiner News, Lonesome Road Review, Bluegrass Unlimited 
• Chris Stuart, freelance writer for Bluegrass Unlimited
• John Lawless & Brance Gillihan, The Bluegrass Blog