The fall music season is in full swing, and roots music fans have plenty to celebrate. From the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards in Chattanooga to the Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville, September 2025 has been a defining month for artists carrying forward the traditions of American roots music while shaping its future. Add in a wave of new releases, rising stars, and fresh festivals—and top it off with tonight’s NewGrass Radio Show—and it’s clear this is a landmark season for bluegrass and Americana.

IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards 2025: Tradition and Innovation Take Center Stage

On September 18, the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards lit up Chattanooga, Tennessee, during the organization’s annual World of Bluegrass business conference (September 16–20). Once again, the awards proved that bluegrass is both deeply rooted and constantly evolving.

• Entertainer of the Year: Billy Strings cemented his superstar status, winning for the fourth consecutive time. His genre-bending approach continues to draw new audiences into bluegrass while honoring its traditions.
• Album of the Year: Fiddle greats Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland scored big for their collaborative project, Carter & Cleveland, showcasing dazzling musicianship and soulful storytelling.
• Song of the Year: From the same album, “Outrun the Rain” took top honors, reflecting the duo’s lyrical depth and technical mastery.
• Vocalists of the Year: The legendary Alison Krauss was named Female Vocalist of the Year, while Greg Blake earned Male Vocalist of the Year—a reminder that world-class voices remain central to the bluegrass tradition.
• Hall of Fame Inductions: Hot Rize, The Bluegrass Cardinals, and Arnold Shultz were welcomed into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Shultz’s posthumous induction was especially meaningful, honoring the pioneering Black musician whose influence helped shape the sound of early bluegrass.
• Momentum Vocalist of the Year: Rising talent Ali Vance won recognition as one of the genre’s most promising new voices.

Together, these winners reflect bluegrass at its best: a blend of established masters and emerging stars, with a respect for history and an eye on the future.

New Bluegrass Highlights

• Fresh Releases: New singles and projects are flowing fast from David Parmley, Mei Lin Heirendt, and Bryan McDowell. Each release adds new shades to the spectrum of contemporary bluegrass.
• New Festival on the Horizon: Moorestown, New Jersey, will host its first-ever bluegrass festival in September 2025, expanding the genre’s reach into new communities.

Americana Honors & Awards 2025: Nashville’s Ryman Shines

The Americana world gathered on September 10 at the Ryman Auditorium for the Americana Honors & Awards, the crown jewel of AMERICANAFEST 2025. This year’s winners show just how wide-ranging and powerful the Americana sound has become.

• Artist of the Year: Sierra Ferrell continued her reign, winning for the second year in a row with her distinctive, genre-blending voice and stage presence.
• Album of the Year: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats won with South of Here, a record brimming with heart, grit, and soul.
• Duo/Group of the Year: Folk icons Gillian Welch & David Rawlings captured the honor, their timeless harmonies once again proving unmatched.
• Emerging Act of the Year: MJ Lenderman earned the award, cementing his spot as one of Americana’s rising stars.
• Lifetime Achievement Awards: This year’s honorees included Joe Henry, The McCrary Sisters, Old 97’s, Darrell Scott, and Jesse Welles—artists whose contributions continue to shape Americana’s rich narrative.

Beyond the awards, AMERICANAFEST transformed Nashville into a weeklong roots music playground, with hundreds of live performances across venues big and small.

Festivals Keep the Spirit Alive

Not to be overlooked, the Allegheny County Americana Festival in Settlers Cabin Park, Pennsylvania, brought together fans for a free, day-long celebration of music on September 6. With regional performers sharing the stage, the event reinforced Americana’s reputation as both a community-driven and nationally celebrated art form.

Tonight on NewGrass Radio: Tradition Meets Tomorrow

While awards season celebrates the past year’s best, NewGrass Radio keeps the spirit alive every week—and tonight’s broadcast is one you won’t want to miss.

NewGrass Radio is where tradition meets innovation in American roots music. Each show is more than just a playlist—it’s a guided journey through the high-lonesome sound of Bill Monroe’s era, the soulful grace of Alison Krauss, and the boundary-breaking artistry of Béla Fleck, Punch Brothers, and Billy Strings.

Listeners can expect a seamless mix of timeless classics, contemporary bluegrass hits, and the progressive “newgrass” edge that is carrying the genre into a new generation. More than entertainment, each broadcast is a living archive of bluegrass history—bridging the gap between its pioneers and today’s innovators.

Whether you’ve been following bluegrass for decades or you’re just discovering the sound, tonight’s NewGrass Radio Show offers a front-row seat to the full spectrum of American roots music.

Why It Matters

Bluegrass and Americana are experiencing a powerful moment in 2025. Awards and festivals are honoring legends while giving the spotlight to emerging artists. New releases keep the genre fresh, and platforms like NewGrass Radio ensure that fans can explore the roots and the reinvention of this music every week.

From Billy Strings’ dominance to Sierra Ferrell’s artistry, from new festivals in New Jersey to historic inductions in Chattanooga, the message is clear: roots music is thriving, evolving, and reaching more listeners than ever before.

Bluegrass may have been born in tradition, but it has never stopped evolving. From the high lonesome sound of Bill Monroe to the trailblazing spirit of Sam Bush and the New Grass Revival, this music has always been about honoring the past while daring to stretch the rules. And in 2025, the genre is buzzing with fresh energy—from packed festival lineups and prestigious award nominations to the launch of new music and fresh collaborations.

And tonight, NewGrass Radio carries that torch forward with a special edition of its show, spotlighting both traditional bluegrass artists and the new wave of innovators who are creating fearless blends of “Music Without Rules!” It’s a perfect reflection of where this scene has been—and where it’s headed next.

The Roots of NewGrass: A Revolution in the 1970s

Back in the 1970s, the boundaries of bluegrass began to expand in exciting ways. One of the most pivotal groups in this shift was New Grass Revival, a band that redefined what bluegrass could be. With members Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, Ebo Walker, Curtis Burch, Butch Robins, John Cowan, Béla Fleck, and Pat Flynn, the band fused traditional picking with rock, jazz, and folk influences, creating a progressive sound that would open doors for generations to come.

Their daring approach proved that bluegrass could honor its heritage while also evolving, inspiring today’s fearless artists to continue pushing those boundaries—exactly the kind of spirit celebrated on NewGrass Radio’s “Music Without Rules” tonight.

Awards and Accolades: Bluegrass & Americana 2025

The next few months are packed with milestones for bluegrass and Americana, with the biggest names in the genre gathering for awards season.

International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards

• Hosts: Comedian/banjo legend Steve Martin and master banjoist Alison Brown will co-host the 2025 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards on September 26. The two are also nominated for Song of the Year for their collaboration “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back.”
• Nominees: Familiar names dominate the ballot. Billy Strings leads the way with nods for Entertainer of the Year, while Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, and Del McCoury continue to shine as fan favorites.
• Hall of Fame Inductees: This year, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame welcomes Hot Rize, The Bluegrass Cardinals, and Arnold Schultz—three names that helped shape the very DNA of the genre.
• Location: For the first time, the awards will be staged in Chattanooga, Tennessee, inside the historic Soldiers and Sailors Memorial for the Performing Arts.

Americana Honors & Awards

• Host: Actor and musician John C. Reilly brings his down-home charm to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for the 24th annual Americana Honors & Awards on September 10, 2025.
• Nominees: MJ Lenderman leads the pack with three nominations, while Charley Crockett, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, and Gillian Welch & David Rawlings each snagged two nods.
• AMERICANAFEST: The ceremony anchors the 25th anniversary of AMERICANAFEST (Sept. 9–13, 2025), a five-day Nashville takeover featuring showcases from hundreds of artists across the Americana spectrum.

Grammy Spotlight

At this year’s Grammy Awards, Billy Strings cemented his dominance, winning Best Bluegrass Album for Live Vol. 1.

Festivals Heating Up for 2025

The bluegrass and Americana calendar is bursting with reasons to hit the road:

• World of Bluegrass (WOB): For the first time, the IBMA’s week-long celebration moves to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where it will remain through 2027. This year’s event runs September 16–20, 2025, with a keynote address by Billy Strings.
• Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival: Back in full swing with a star-studded 2025 lineup that drew crowds from across the country.
• Earl Scruggs Music Festival: A joyful tribute to banjo tradition, spotlighting both legends and rising stars.
• New Jersey Bluegrass Festival: Launching this September in Moorestown, NJ, thanks to the Moorestown Music Collective. Even better—it’s free.
• AMERICANAFEST 25th Anniversary: Beyond the awards, Nashville will buzz with hundreds of showcases, panels, and surprise collaborations during its five-day run.

Artist News: Shaping the Next Chapter

• JigJam: The Irish quartet has brought their self-dubbed “iGrass” to international acclaim, even making a dazzling Grand Ole Opry debut.
• Molly Tuttle: After disbanding her group Golden Highway, she’s now forming an all-woman band, marking an exciting new chapter.
• Bronwyn Keith-Hynes: The virtuoso fiddler is stepping confidently into her solo career after parting with Golden Highway.
• Alison Krauss: Ever a guiding voice, she recently praised Billy Strings and Sierra Ferrell for keeping traditional songs alive in fresh ways.
• New Releases: Expect upcoming projects from Rodney Crowell, Margo Price, and Jeff Tweedy before the year wraps.

Tonight on NewGrass Radio: Tradition Meets “Music Without Rules!”

With so much momentum in the bluegrass and Americana world, tonight’s NewGrass Radio Show feels perfectly timed. The program will celebrate traditional artists—the very foundation of this music—while also spotlighting the new generation of bold musicians making fearless blends of genres.

This isn’t just a radio show. It’s a reminder that bluegrass lives on two tracks at once: rooted in its high-lonesome history and branching toward limitless horizons. Whether it’s the fiery innovation of New Grass Revival in the 1970s or the genre-bending sounds of today, the spirit remains the same—“Music Without Rules!”

So tune in tonight, turn it up, and let the timeless and the trailblazing flow together.