Rhonda Vincent and her bandmates, The Rage, led the pack today as nominees were announced for the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association awards. Vincent, who started performing at an early age with her family’s band in Missouri, and the Rage, led the field with 11 nominations.

Two bona fide pioneers — Howard Watts (better known as Cedric Rainwater) and Carl Story — were announced as this year’s inductees into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Nominees were announced this morning at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tenn. Mandolin player Sam Bush, himself a IBMA nominee and host of the Oct. 4 awards show at the Grand Ole Opry House, opened the ceremony.

Vincent and her band are nominated for entertainer of the year, vocal group and female vocalist. Their All American Bluegrass Girl is up for album of the year, and the title track is nominated for song of the year.

The Rage band member Hunter Berry, nominated in the fiddle player field, also saw his debut release, Wow Baby, nominated in the instrumental album and recorded event of the year categories. Mickey Harris is nominated for bass player of the year, and banjo player Kenny Ingram is nominated for recorded event of the year for his contributions to Tony Trischka’s Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular.

In addition, Vincent earned a nomination in the recorded event division for her work on Jerry Salley’s New Songs, Old Friends.

Doyle Lawson and members of his band, Quicksilver, scored nine nominations. Picking up seven nominations each are Alison Krauss & Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas, the Del McCoury Band and Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder.

Watts, who died in 1970, became known as Cedric Rainwater in the late 1940s when he played bass in the classic lineup of Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys. He later became a member of Hank Williams’ immortal band, the Drifting Cowboys.

Story, a guitarist, fiddler and vocalist who died in 1995, was a pioneer of bluegrass gospel music. He worked in a South Carolina-based band, the Lonesome Mountaineers, in the 1930s before joining Monroe’s band as a fiddler in 1942. He began his recording career in 1947 on Mercury Records and later recorded for Columbia, Starday and several smaller labels.

The IBMA also announced a new round of recipients of the organization’s Distinguished Achievement Award, which recognizes individuals who have fostered bluegrass music’s image with developments that broaden the genre’s recognition and accessibility. Among this year’s recipients is Dobro legend Mike Auldridge, a founding member of the Seldom Scene. Other recipients are The Bluegrass Breakdown (a publication of the California Bluegrass Association), Czech bluegrass pioneer Marko Cermak and California event producer and philanthropist Warren Hellman.

Happy and Jane Traum will receive the Distinguished Achievement award in recognition of their company, Homespun Tapes, and its continuing series of bluegrass instructional tapes, CDs and videos.

Several IBMA nominees attended Thursday’s press conference. Bush welcomed the crowd. Doyle Lawson revealed the inductees into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, while Del McCoury and Dale Ann Bradley listed the nominees. Here’s a complete list of this year’s IBMA nominees:

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Vine Grove, KY - The 8th annual Vine Grove Bluegrass Festival, in Vine Grove KY, will feature two big days of bluegrass music starting September 21^st.

Featured acts for the 2 day affair include the 2005 IBMA Entertainers of the Year - Cherryholmes , IIIrd Tyme Out, Bluegrass 101, The Boys From Kentucky and many more.

Advance 2 day tickets are available for $20 until Aug. 31^st and single day passes are $12.00. Children under 12 will be admitted free with paid adult admission.

Campsites are available for the festival at Optimist Park located at 300 Knox Ave in Vine Grove KY. Reserved sites with water and electric are $15 per night and primitive camping is available at $10 per night. All Camping reservations require a minimum order of two 2-day tickets.

Check out the Quick Links section for more information or call (270) 877-5636

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