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The late radio host Cousin Al Knoth will be honored with a Distinguished Achievement Award at the IBMA World Of Bluegrass in Chattanooga, TN on Thursday, September 18, 2025. The ceremony will be streamed beginning at 8:00am Pacific. The list of honorees:

Alan Arthur Knoth
Penny Parsons
Ron Thomason
Sidney Austin, LLP
Missy Raines

That evening, AJ Lee and Molly Tuttle have been nominated for major awards at the convention. Here is the complete information for the streamed evening awards show: <2025 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Nominees, Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients, and Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame Inductees Announced – IBMA>

Helen Lude, formerly of San Francisco and now of Nashville has been nominated for a Momentum Award (Industry Involvement). The award ceremony from the IBMA World Of Bluegrass in Chattanooga, TN will be streamed on Wednesday, September 17, at 8:00am (Pacific).

Nominees for the 2025 IBMA Momentum Awards are:

BAND OF THE YEAR  
The Burnett Sisters Band
Country GongBang 
Jackson Hollow
Mountain Grass Unit
Wyatt Ellis Band

INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT  
Jordan Laney (artist support, music event specialist)
Helen Ludé (booking agent, tour manager)
Austin Scelzo (musician, teacher)

INSTRUMENTALIST OF THE YEAR (2 awarded)  
Justin Alexander (banjo, guitar)
Luke Black (banjo, guitar)
Marissa Colter (fiddle)
Kyser George (guitar)
Anthony Howell (banjo, guitar, other instruments)
Rainy Miatke (mandolin)
Sam Stage (fiddle)

VOCALIST OF THE YEAR  
Kristen Bearfield
Carly Greer
Yebin Kim
Seth Mulder
Ali Vance

MENTOR OF THE YEAR  
Becky Buller
Louisa Branscomb
Martin Gilmore
Rick Lang
Deanie Richardson

Some of the events at the International Bluegrass Music Association World Of Bluegrass are available online, so those who can’t make it to Chattanooga can still enjoy them. So — Enjoy!

The NCBS is a longtime organizational member of the IBMA.

The International Bluegrass Music Association World Of Bluegrass Convention will be held at the Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga, TN September 16-20, 2025. The gathering will have many Californians in attendance.

Molly Tuttle, AJ Lee, and the late Cousin Al Knoth will be among those honored at the convention.

A new convention event, Biscuits For Bluegrass, will serve breakfast to raise funds for the IBMA Foundation, which is affiliated with the IBMA and is the leading philanthropic bluegrass organization. NCBS President Michael Hall is entering the final year of his third and final term on the IBMA Foundation Board Of Directors.

The new dates (earlier in September) and the new Chattanooga location reflect the growth and development of the international organization. The Northern California Bluegrass Society is a longtime organizational member of the IBMA.

Membership in the Northern California Bluegrass Society supports local bluegrass music in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Monterey Bay Area, and in all of Northern California.

Be a part of it all! Join the Society or renew today!

NCBS Membership

The Northern California Bluegrass Society welcomes the Snazzy Productions concert with the NCBS GOF favorite Water Tower. The show will be held at 7:00pm on September 26 at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz. The band’s latest album is “Live From Los Angeles.”

The NCBS National Bluegrass Stolen & Missing Instrument Page is on this website. It provides a central reporting location for the recovery of stolen or lost bluegrass instruments. This service is for both theft victims and used instrument buyers. The FREE page is searchable, and links can be added to connect additional information. Please post again when the instrument is recovered.

The Northern California Bluegrass Society Board Of Directors has elected officers for the 2025-2026 year. They are:

President — Michael Hall

Vice-President — Mike Russell

Secretary & Treasurer — Bruce Edmundson

The IBMA Foundation’s Biscuits for Bluegrass Silent Auction is live now through September 20, 2025 at 10:15am Eastern Time. Check out the link below, take a look at the auction items, and help support a bright future for bluegrass music! The auction will take place at the IBMA World of Bluegrass Convention in Chattanooga, TN, but bids may be submitted online and you do not need to be in Chattanooga to win.

One item up for bid is a pair of tickets to the 2026 NCBS Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival.

Silent Auction Online: <https://go.rallyup.com/biscuits-for-bluegrass-2025-silent-auction>

The IBMA Foundation is affiliated with the International Bluegrass Music Association. The Northern California Bluegrass Society is a longtime organizational member of the IBMA. NCBS President Michael Hall is an IBMA Foundation board member.

The Northern California Bluegrass Society welcomes The Jamesburg Community Schoolhouse Bluegrass Festival, set for the schoolhouse on Saturday, October 4 in Jamesburg, up in the mountains south of Carmel Valley. There will be lots of familiar musicians onstage for this small, fun mountain gathering!