Rising bluegrass band Balsam Range from Haywood County in North Carolina’s Appalachian area was the recipient of several accolades at the 2014 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards, which were announced last night at the annual World of Bluegrass convention in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Vocalist and fiddler Buddy Melton was named Male Vocalist of the Year and shared his wholehearted gratitude from the stage. Balsam Range was honored as Vocal Group of the Year, and in the final award of the night, the band received the coveted IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award.
Balsam Range combine Bluegrass, Folk, Gospel and Jazz into a new American acoustic music experience. Their new album is titled Five.
The band released Marching Home in 2007. Trains I Missed in 2010. The title track became Bluegrass Song of the Year. Papertown (2012) stayed five consecutive months as the #1 album on Bluegrass radio, and won the 2013 IBMA Album of the Year award. “Papertown was received so well that we were a little anxious about what we could do next,” said Tim Surrett, vocalist and bass player for the band. “How do we follow an Album of the Year? We finally just went in there and made the best record we could and had some fun.”
The lineup includes Buddy Melton on vocals, fiddle; Darren Nicholson on vocals, mandolin; Marc Pruett on banjo; Caleb Smith on vocals, guitar; and Tim Surrett on vocals, bass, dobro.
For more on Balsam Range, visit www.balsamrange.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
