Who will be the 2009 IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year? In the running this year are the following artists: Sierra Hull & Highway 111,  Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass, Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice, The Steeldrivers and the Josh Williams Band. Vote now and see if you can pick the winner!

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Sierra Hull & Highway 111
“Despite the praise and acclaim that swirls around her, Sierra Hull remains humble, down to earth, and gracious. It is this good nature that has already endeared her to so many and continues to charm and impress all who come into contact with her. “Sierra is a remarkably talented, beautiful human being,” says Alison Krauss. “Success could not come to a more worthy person. I adore her.”” SierraHull.com

Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass
“Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass play powerful, unadorned, and intense traditional bluegrass. There is no hybrid or genre-bending music here. It is music borne of the vibrant old time southern fiddle bands, as well as the lonesome moans of the backwoods mountain blues. The instruments blaze with energy while the songs reveal a paradoxical, desperate sadness anchoring the music squarely in the classic bluegrass tradition.” DannyPaisley.com

Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choices
” Junior Sisk has lived most of his life in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where he listened to and played the music that was born there. His songwriting helped The Lonesome River Band in its ascent to bluegrass stardom in the early 1990’s, but it was his lonesome, haunting singing that earned him the devotion of traditional bluegrass fans a few years later…” JuniorSiskAndRamblersChoice.com

The Steeldrivers
“only Nashville could give birth to a band like the SteelDrivers: a group of seasoned veterans – each distinguished in his or her own right, each valued in the town’s commercial community – who are seizing an opportunity to follow their hearts to their souls’ reward. In doing so, they are braiding their bluegrass roots with new threads of their own design, bringing together country, soul, and other contemporary influences to create an unapologetic hybrid that is old as the hills but fresh as the morning dew.” Steeldrivers.net

Josh Williams Band
” [Josh Williams] is happier than ever working with his own band, and playing his own style of bluegrass music. After graduation he spent five years on the road with “Special Consensus”, followed by four years of three hundred days per year touring with “The Rage”. Josh claims Doc Watson and Tony Rice as his biggest influences on guitar.” JoshWilliamsMusic.com

Have you missed our other IBMA Awards Reader’s polls?

• Who’s the 2009 IBMA Broadcaster of the Year ? * Ned Luberecki (76%)
• Who slides in as the 2009 IBMA Dobro Player of the Year? *Phil Leadbetter (30%)
• Stop fiddlin’ around! Vote for the IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year. *Michael Cleveland (59%)
• Who’s on a roll? Vote for the ‘09 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year. *Kristin Scott Benson (30%)
• IBMA Bass Player of the Year Reader’s Poll *Darrin Vincent (37% & Missy Raines (34%) still neck and neck
• IBMA Guitar Player of the Year Reader’s Poll *Kenny Smith (42%)
• IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year Reader’s Poll *Jesse Brock (29%)

* Current leader(s) (percentage of vote) as of publishing time.

The IBMA Awards Show takes place during the World Of Bluegrass Week on Thursday, October 1 at 7:30 pm (Central Time) at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.