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Bluegrass Brilliance: Pickin’, Grinnin’, and New Horizons

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One of the standout banjo players at Chattanooga’s 2025 IBMA World of Bluegrass was Gena Britt, a founding member of the powerhouse band Sister Sadie. With a stellar solo reputation spanning over 30 years, this acclaimed picker—nominated again for IBMA Banjo Player of the Year—has teamed up with Mountain Home Music Company for her first solo album in nearly six years. Streets, Rivers, Dreams & Heartaches delivers her signature virtuosic banjo work and soulful vocals, but it also showcases an artist evolving, blending traditional bluegrass with fresh creative edges.

“I am so grateful to Mountain Home for believing in me and allowing me to create this music that I’m so very proud of,” Britt shares enthusiastically. “The musicians and singers I assembled for this project sound so good together! We first played in an all-star configuration at the Station Inn, and it was so much fun that I wanted to continue that in the studio. These guys and gals truly poured their hearts and souls into these songs, and I cannot wait for the world to hear them!”

The album features award-winning fiddler Jason Carter and his former Travelin’ McCourys/Del McCoury Band mate Alan Bartram (acoustic bass, harmony vocals), alongside singer-guitarist John Meador (Vince Gill Band) and rising mandolin star Jonathan Dillon. Additional contributions come from East Nash Grass’s Jeff Partin (resonator guitar), Dillon’s Red Camel Collective bandmate and award-winning singer Heather Berry Mabe, Balsam Range’s Caleb Smith, The Isaacs’ Ben Isaacs, and old-time banjoist Tina Steffey.

This collection paints a vivid portrait of an artist rooted in authentic bluegrass she’s mastered and shaped for decades, yet bold enough to push boundaries. Streets, Rivers, Dreams & Heartaches proves Gena Britt is hitting her musical prime—pre-save it now ahead of its November 7 release. Get it here: https://clg.lnk.to/gb-SRDH

Speaking of IBMA triumphs, my friends in The Kody Norris Show are riding high after winning the 2025 Video of the Year for “The Auctioneer.” Hot on its heels, they’ve released their latest music video for the single “Silver Eagle” from their new album Highfalutin Hillbilly. Bursting with personality and charm, the clip follows Kody and his sweetheart Mary Rachel on the road—until she eyes greener pastures (all in good fun, of course). It even boasts a surprise guest appearance by Grand Ole Opry member and country legend T. Graham Brown. For more bluegrass flair and tour info, head to thekodynorrisshow.com.

Chattanooga’s Bluegrass Bonanza: IBMA’s 2025 Triumph

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Chattanooga, Tennessee, transformed into Bluegrass Central, the ultimate destination for pickers, stars, and fans. The city buzzed with the ring of banjos and a sawing of fiddles as the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) brought its World of Bluegrass to its new home at the Chattanooga Convention Center for a five-day celebration. Unless they were performing elsewhere, musicians of all ages flocked to seminars, jam sessions, shows, and lessons covering every facet of bluegrass.

Billy Strings visits with attendees in the exhibit hall.

Every day, attendees and locals spotted icons like Steve Martin, Billy Strings, Del McCoury, Doyle Lawson, and newly inducted Hall of Famers Hot Rize and the Bluegrass Cardinals grabbing a bite at local eateries or strolling between events. The energy was electric—riding up an escalator, I overheard a young fiddler excitedly recount jamming with a legend the night before, a moment that captured the festival’s magic.

The IBMA World of Bluegrass was a resounding success in its 2025 debut at the Chattanooga Convention Center. The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium hosted the annual Bluegrass Awards, emceed by Steve Martin and Alison Brown, featuring unforgettable performances. Standout winners included Fiddle Player of the Year Maddie Denton with East Nash Grass, and Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland, who swept Song of the Year and Collaborative Recording of the Year for Outrun the Rain, plus Album of the Year. Authentic Unlimited won Vocal Group of the Year, The Traveling McCourys took Instrumental Group of the Year, and Jaelee Roberts earned Gospel Song of the Year for He’s Gone. Kristin Scott Benson, Gena Britt, and Alison Brown claimed Instrumental Recording of the Year for Ralph’s Banjo Special.

Jam sessions were the heart of the event, with the convention center’s hallways alive with music. Every twenty feet, young players—from toddlers clutching tiny fiddles to teens wielding banjos—jammed alongside seasoned pros, their melodies echoing through the halls. After 9:30 p.m., when the convention center closed, diehards like members of the Tennessee Bluegrass Band migrated to the nearby Marriott, jamming into the early hours.

The Tennessee Bluegrass Band

Across the city, venues showcased talents like Wyatt Ellis, Becky Buller, Little Roy and Lizzy Long, and The Kody Norris Show, which won Video of the Year for The Auctioneer. Fans mingled with heroes, snapping photos and shaking hands.

Exhibit halls hosted global band showcases and youth performers debuting skills honed in dedicated workshops. Seminars highlighted bluegrass history, including a tribute to Hazel Dickens and a panel with legends Paul Williams, Doyle Lawson, and Male Vocalist of the Year Greg Blake. Dom Flemons led a session on African American Hall of Fame inductee Arnold Shultz’s influence on pioneers like Bill Monroe.

Billy Strings, Entertainer of the Year, wondered through the exhibit hall, picking up guitars and whipping out a tune including on Jimmy Martin’s guitar—available for anyone to strum, thanks to Martin’s son—and joining Junior Sisk and New Artist of the Year Red Camel Collective for a tune before his keynote address.

On Friday and Saturday, thousands filled Miller Plaza, where four stages, including one for youth talent, showcased acts like The Infamous Stringdusters, Carter and Cleveland, and Sister Sadie. Local Chattanooga stars, including Mountain Cove Bluegrass, the Landon Fitzpatrick Band, Carl Towns and Upward Road, and Emerald Butler dazzled international audiences with their homegrown flair.

Mike Bub and Randall Franks

I was honored to direct the Special Industry and Distinguished Achievement Awards alongside producer Chris Keenan and an amazing production staff, spotlighting talents like Missy Raines and Ron Thomason. Five-time Bass Player of the Year Mike Bub served as our host for the show. One unforgettable moment was watching a young guitarist, barely taller than his instrument, beam with pride as he played alongside a bluegrass legend, a reminder of the genre’s vibrant future.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the IBMA has made Chattanooga its home for the next three years. If you love bluegrass—or want to discover your new favorite band—mark your calendar for October 20–24, 2026, and October 19–23, 2027. Visit IBMA.org to plan your trip and join the celebration!

Pickin’, singin’ and a lot of grinnin’

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While America’s media concentrated upon candidate negatives and battles in community streets, I was honored to spend some amazing hours away from these talking heads and among some of our country’s most amazing people.

They had not gathered over political policies, perceived injustice had not placed them on opposite sides of a demonstration.

Music had brought them together, from seniors to children, black, white, brown, and all shades in between, representing races and people from countries around the world. I stood in the hallways of the Raleigh Convention Center in North Carolina and its neighboring hotel, listening to various languages being spoken as they prepared to jam playing yet another tune or sing another song.

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Randall Franks and Grand Ole Opry star Del McCoury pause backstage at the IBMA Awards Show.

They held banjos, fiddles, mandolins, guitars, and basses among others. They sang songs from the repertoire of Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Jim and Jesse, the Stanley Brothers, Alison Krauss, Doyle Lawson and many others.

The International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass including their annual awards filled thousands of people’s faces with smiles and the hearts with a song. While there was a long list of artists who went away smiling holding awards which makes them the leading of their genre in the coming year, the greatest smiles were on the musicians which simply came to jam and make new friends.

Some key winners were The Earls of Leicester, Entertainer of the Year; Becky Buller, Female Vocalist; Danny Paisley, Male Vocalist; Flatt Lonesome, Vocal Group of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year; Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, Instrumental Group of the Year; and Mountain Faith, Emerging Artist.

Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers took the Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year with “All Dressed Up.” Guitarist Clarence White and Rounder Record founders Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton-Levy and Bill Nowlin were inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

Distinguished Achievement Awards were presented to Bluegrass Unlimited magazine; Boston Bluegrass Union; Bill Emerson; Jim Rooney and SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction.

Learn more at ibma.org.

When I left the IBMA event, I made my way to the National Quartet Convention in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

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Randall Franks visits with Mark (right) and Kenneth Bishop at National Quartet Convention in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Once again I found thousands gathered, smiles on their faces, and a song in their heart as the brightest stars of gospel music shared their latest songs and the biggest hits.

The Singing News awarded this year’s leading performers and the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame inducted their latest honorees. Some of the winners were Ivan Parker, Favorite Soloist;

Goodman Revival, Favorite New Artist; Kingdom Heirs Band, Favorite Band; Collingsworth Family, Favorite Mixed Group; Booth Brothers, Favorite Trio; and Triumphant Quartet, Favorite Traditional Quartet.

Among the new SGMA Hall of Famers were Carroll McGruder, Lari Goss, Peg McKamey Bean, and Ronny Hinson. Music agent Ed Harper was presented the Southern Gospel Music Guild Lifetime Achievement Honor.

Fans visited with their favorites and enjoyed an uplifting song-filled experience that will continue in Pigeon Forge annually for several more years. Find out more at visit www.natqc.com.