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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!

Jeannie Seely writes the songs and Infamous Stringdusters test Gravity in new CDs

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GRAMMY® award-winning country music legend Jeannie Seely’s long-awaited new album Written in Song is now in select stores and available through digital retailers.
“Written in Song is such an exciting project for me for many reasons,” Seely said. “It consists of 14 songs that I have written over the years, most of them recorded by my peers and my heroes. It’s also very rewarding to know that these songs have stood the test of time and are just as viable today. I am extremely grateful to the musicians and singers who made them sound brand new.”
The Grand Ole Opry songstress, known as “Miss Country Soul,” continues a whirlwind media schedule to promote the 14-track album full of original songs recorded by Merle Haggard (“Life of a Rodeo Cowboy), Dottie West (“He’s All I Need”), Ernest Tubb (“Sometimes I Do”), Willie Nelson (“Senses”) and more.
Seely brings back the traditional country sound that fans have been longing for on Written in Song. Standout tracks include “Leavin’ & Sayin’ Goodbye” featuring special guests Kenny and Tess Sears, “Senses” with guest Connie Smith and Marty Stuart and “We’re Still Hangin’ In There Ain’t We Jessi” with Jan Howard and Jessi Colter. Written in Song is distributed by Smith Music Group.
Like Jeannie Seely on Facebook or visit jeannieseely.com.
Bluegrass virtuosos The Infamous Stringdusters released Laws of Gravity, debuting at #3 on iTunes Country Chart and #1 on the Amazon Bluegrass Chart. The new album marks a return for the Grammy-nominated acoustic five-piece.
The Infamous Stringdusters — Andy Hall (dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), and Travis Book (upright bass) recorded the album in Nashville and co-produced it with Billy Hume (Ludacris, Ying Yang Twins).
“This is the record I’ve been looking forward to making since the band started,” Hall said. “As pure of a Stringdusters sound as there is. All original, all us, recorded live for you. From bluegrass to jams, to songs relevant to the times, the music here is a true representation of what makes us tick.”
The band will take this album on the road for an extensive tour that has already begun.
“We are a band,” Pandolfi said. “We play live together, and more than any one song or achievement, this is what we do. Now we have an album that captures that.”
Learn more at www.thestringdusters.com.