Compass Records artists won three awards last night at the 2023 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards in Raleigh, NC.
Special Consensus celebrated two wins. "Alberta Bound" from their latest project GREAT BLUE NORTH won for COLLABORATIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR. “Alberta Bound” features appearances from some of Canada's best bluegrass musicians including John Reischman and the Jaybird Trio, Pharis & Jason Romero, Ray Legere and Claire Lynch, and highlights the musical connections between the US and Canadian bluegrass communities. The track has received extensive airplay and the album is currently #2 on the Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey. Lead singer and guitarist Greg Blake received his first award for MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR. Band leader Greg Cahill comments: "We were so thrilled to see Greg Blake win Male Vocalist of the Year Award. He is so deserving and has touched people with his fabulous singing for many years. We were completely surprised by our win of the Collaborative Performance of the Year award and greatly appreciate our Canadian friends who appeared on the recording with us. Thanks to Compass Records, our producer and great friend Alison Brown and all the IBMA members who voted for us."
Guitar phenom Trey Hensley took home his first award for GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR last night. The award is a highlight of what has been a stellar year for Hensley with the release of Ickes & Hensley's critically-acclaimed project LIVING IN A SONG and coast to coast touring in support of the new album. Hensley comments: “I’m so incredibly honored to have received the Guitar Player of the Year award from IBMA. I was thrilled to be nominated with four of my favorite guitar players and to be recognized this year is a lifetime highlight. Thank you all so much for the continued support!”
To cap off the show, banjoist Alison Brown, together with Steve Martin, performed a version of their nominated song "Foggy Morning Breaking" joined by an all star band including Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Trey Hensley and Todd Phillips.
The awards were voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). The show was aired live on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction channel, and was available to livestream through: IBMA’s Facebook Live, YouTube, and via Swapcard, the official event platform for IBMA World of Bluegrass.
