DOLLY PARTON AND DOYLE LAWSON & QUICKSILVER BRING HOME 3 WINS
Artists and recordings from Billy Blue Records, one of today’s premier bluegrass music labels, were honored with three wins and multiple nominations and performances at the 33rd Annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards held at the Duke Energy Center in Raleigh, NC, on Thursday, September 29th. Dolly Parton’s “In the Sweet By and By” featuring Jerry Salley, Larry Cordle, Carl Jackson, and Bradley Walker from the Salley-produced Country Faith Bluegrass album took home two trophies for Gospel Recording of the Year and Collaborative Recording of the Year, while Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver was named Vocal Group of the Year. Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Doyle Lawson, and Alan Bibey all played key roles in the show’s performances and presentations, joining together to celebrate the induction of Mullins’ father, Paul “Moon” Mullins, into the IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
The acceptances of the awards were poignant. Ms. Parton graciously accepted her awards via video, while Lawson thanked his fans for nearly 60 years of support while passing the mantle on stage to his former Quicksilver bandmates who now form the core of the dynamic Authentic Unlimited.
Other Billy Blue artists honored with nominations included Darin and Brooke Aldridge (Female Vocalist for Brooke Aldridge and Gospel Recording of the Year for “He’s Getting Me Ready” featuring the Oak Ridge Boys), Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (Song of the Year for “I’ll Take the Lonesome Every Time”) and (Gospel Recorded Song of The Year for “A Little More Faith In Jesus”), Alan Bibey and Doyle Lawson (Instrumental Recording of the Year for “Happy Go Lucky”), Jesse Brock of Authentic Unlimited (Mandolin Player of The Year) and Alan Bibey of Alan Bibey & Grasstowne (Mandolin Player of The Year).
Jerry Salley and Billy Blue graphic artist Carla Wehby were feted with nominations for Songwriter of the Year and Graphic Designer of the Year, respectively.
A&R and Creative Director of Billy Blue Records, Jerry Salley, commented, “The opportunity to produce a song on the legendary Dolly Parton is one of the greatest opportunities I’ve had in my career. She is truly the best. Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Bradley Walker and myself have sung together over the years on countless recordings and at live performances, and I thought our blend might be a good choice to join Dolly on the recording. I thank Dolly and the guys for this very, very special performance. And, a big thanks to Deborah Evans Price, Danny McGuffey and Bob DeMoss of the Country Faith brand for the opportunity for Billy Blue Records to partner with them on this project. From a grateful heart, I thank the IBMA voting members for this recognition.”
Salley continued, “Working with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver has also been a career highlight, and I look forward to working with him on many special projects in the future. Of course, I am so proud of the label we have built, and to see our artists celebrated with nominations, awards, and performance opportunities makes me so proud. I also want to thank Ed Leonard and Dottie Leonard Miller and the entire Billy Blue Records team for their talents and the dedicated hard work they do to bring our recordings to the world.”