International Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame
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For a professional in the bluegrass music field, election to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame is the highest honor the genre can bestow. An invitation can be extended to performers, songwriters, promoters, broadcasters, musicians, and executives in recognition of their contributions to the development of bluegrass music worldwide. The hall of fame honor was created in 1991 by the
International Bluegrass Music Association The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music. Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International ...
and the inductees are honored annually at the
International Bluegrass Music Awards The International Bluegrass Music Awards is an award show for bluegrass music presented by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). Awards are voted based on professional membership in the IBMA. Award winners 2021 award winners The ...
ceremony. The Hall's first inductees were
Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...
, widely considered as the founder of the genre, and
Lester Flatt Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American bluegrass (music), bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned ...
and
Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...
, two of bluegrass music's most pioneering and influential artists. The most recent inductees (class of 2024) are Katy Daley,
Jerry Douglas Gerald Calvin Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer. He is widely regarded as "perhaps the finest Dobro player in contemporary acoustic music, and certainly the most celebrated and prol ...
, and
Alan Munde Alan Munde (pronounced "mun-dee") (born November 4, 1946) is an American five-string banjo player and bluegrass musician. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2024. Biography Born in Norman, Oklahoma, Munde lear ...
. The Hall itself is maintained at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in
Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a Home rule in the United States, home rule-class city in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States, of which it is also the county seat. It is the List of cities in Kentucky, fourth-most populous city in the state. Owensboro is loca ...
. The institution received its current name in 2007, and was known prior to this as the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor.


Member selection

Each year a nominating committee creates a slate of 10-15 candidates. From these names, electors cast ballots to narrow the nominees to five finalists. There are over 200 electors who, themselves, must have participated actively in bluegrass for at least 10 years, and must merit respect and recognition for their accomplishments and/or knowledge in one or more aspects of the field. After the five finalists have been selected, the electors again vote to select the inductee(s) for that year. The name(s) of the newest Hall of Honor inductee(s) are made public immediately following the final stage of balloting and the formal induction takes place each year during the International Bluegrass Music Awards Show. The plaques are then displayed at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky.


Eligibility

Only people or performing groups are eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame. Companies, institutions, publications, radio stations, and other organizations – many of which significantly foster bluegrass music – are not eligible for Hall of Fame recognition. People are not eligible for induction in the year following their death. Eligible people and musical groups may include: * Individuals such as performing artists, songwriters, music business executives, promoters, and broadcasters. It is permitted to include multiple individuals simultaneously under one induction when those individuals are part of an influential collaboration. Examples might include musical duos, songwriting partners, record label owners, or similar collaborations. Hall of Fame recognition is given to the individual(s). * Performing groups that present exclusively as a “band,” without a named headlining personality. Hall of Fame recognition is given to the performing group as an entity, not to any of its individual members, and regardless of band configuration or time period.


Categories

The International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inducts its members in one of three categories: *Open Two inductions are selected annually for the Hall of Fame Open Category. Eligible candidates may be living or deceased and may include performing artists, bands, and industry professionals. *Early Contributor One induction is selected during odd-numbered years for the Hall of Fame Early Contributor Category. Eligible candidates may be living or deceased and should include performing artists, bands, and industry professionals who first came to prominence at least 50 years prior to the induction year. *Non-Performer One induction is selected during even-numbered years for the Hall of Fame Non-Performer Category. Eligible candidates may be living or deceased and should include those whose primary contributions to bluegrass music are apart from performing


Criteria

Candidates for the Hall of Fame are appraised by the Nominating Committee and Panel of Electors in accordance with the criteria below: # Basic Standard - Candidates should be judged according to their contribution to the advancement of bluegrass music and the indelibility of that impact. # Individuals Versus Performing Groups – Nomination of a performing band may take priority over its individual band members, unless the contributions of an individual band member to the greater whole of bluegrass music greatly overshadows the influence of the band. The Nominating Committee is encouraged to wait three years after a band induction before individual band members may be again eligible for the Hall of Fame. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Nominating Committee. #Scope of Activity - Candidates may have excelled in a specific sphere such as songwriting, publishing, performing, recording, or producing; or they may have been active in several areas. Regardless of their focus, candidates must have achieved definitive leadership in their field(s) and must compete with all candidates in all fields. #Span of Influence - The time factor of a candidate's impact on bluegrass music is completely flexible (except as provided for the Early Contributor Category). It may cover an uninterrupted span of many years or it may cover two or more distinct and separate time cycles. A candidate may earn Hall of Fame recognition by one transient act, momentary in time, providing the impact on bluegrass music is deemed significant enough. Longevity of involvement with bluegrass music, therefore, will not in itself warrant recognition in the Hall of Fame. #Influence on Others – Inspirational effect on others is a most significant criterion in evaluating candidates; the degree to which their influence is multiplied through others to create an impact on bluegrass music far beyond direct individual contribution


Inductees


1990s

1991 *
Bill Monroe William Smith Monroe ( ; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre takes its n ...
*
Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...
*
Lester Flatt Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American bluegrass (music), bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned ...
1992 *
The Stanley Brothers The Stanley Brothers were an American Bluegrass music, bluegrass duo of singer-songwriters and musicians, made up of brothers Carter Stanley (August 27, 1925 – December 1, 1966) and Ralph Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016). Ralph a ...
**
Ralph Stanley Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. He began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of The ...
**
Carter Stanley Carter Glen Stanley (August 27, 1925 – December 1, 1966) was a bluegrass music lead singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitar player. He formed The Stanley Brothers and The Clinch Mountain Boys band with his younger brother Ralph Stanley. Biogra ...
*
Reno and Smiley Reno and Smiley were an American musical duo that was composed of Don Reno (May 17, 1925 – October 16, 1984) and Red Smiley (February 21, 1925 – January 2, 1972). They were one of the most acclaimed duos in country and bluegrass music in th ...
**
Don Reno Donald Wesley Reno (February 21, 1926Trischka, Tony, "Don Reno", ''Banjo Song Book'', Oak Publications, 1977, – October 16, 1984) was an American bluegrass and country musician, best known as a pioneering banjo and guitar player who pa ...
**
Arthur Lee "Red" Smiley Arthur Lee "Red" Smiley (May 17, 1925 – January 2, 1972) was an American bluegrass and country musician, best known for his guitar playing with Don Reno under the name Reno and Smiley. Smiley was born in Asheville, North Carolina, United S ...
1993 *
Mac Wiseman Malcolm Bell Wiseman (May 23, 1925 – February 24, 2019) was an American bluegrass and country singer active for seven decades in the twentieth century. He was part of Bluegrass music's earliest generation, though bluegrass never defined him. ...
*
Jim & Jesse Jim & Jesse were an American bluegrass music duo of brothers, Jim McReynolds (February 13, 1927 – December 31, 2002) and Jesse McReynolds (July 9, 1929 – June 23, 2023). They were born and raised in Carfax, a community near Coeburn, Virgini ...
**Jim McReynolds **
Jesse McReynolds Jesse Lester McReynolds (July 9, 1929 – June 23, 2023) was an American bluegrass musician. He was best known for his innovative crosspicking and split-string styles of mandolin playing. Biography McReynolds was born in Coeburn, Virginia. He ...
1994 *
Osborne Brothers The Osborne Brothers, Sonny (October 29, 1937 – October 24, 2021) and Bobby (December 7, 1931 – June 27, 2023), were an influential and popular bluegrass act during the 1960s and 1970s and until Sonny retired in 2005. They are probably ...
**
Bobby Osborne Bobby Van Osborne (December 7, 1931 – June 27, 2023) was an American bluegrass musician. He was the co-founder (with his brother Sonny) of the Osborne Brothers, a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fa ...
**
Sonny Osborne Sonny Osborne (October 29, 1937October 24, 2021) was an American bluegrass musician and founding member of the Osborne Brothers. Personal life Born on October 29, 1937, in Thousandsticks, Kentucky, Sonny Osborne's father was a farmer, teacher ...
1995 *
Jimmy Martin James Henry Martin (August 10, 1927 – May 14, 2005) was an American bluegrass singer and musician, known as the "King of Bluegrass". Early years Martin was born in Sneedville, Tennessee, United States, and was raised in the hard farming l ...
1996 * Peter V. Kuykendall *
The Country Gentlemen The Country Gentlemen was a progressive bluegrass band that originated during the 1950s in the area of Washington, D.C., United States, and recorded and toured with various members until the death in 2004 of Charlie Waller, one of the group's ...
** Charlie Waller **
John Duffey John Humbird Duffey Jr. (March 4, 1934 – December 10, 1996) was an American bluegrass musician. Biography Duffey was born on March 4, 1934, in Washington, D.C., and lived nearly all his life in the Washington D.C. area. He graduated from ...
**
Eddie Adcock Edward Windsor Adcock (June 21, 1938 – March 19, 2025) was an American banjoist and guitarist. His professional career as a five-string banjoist began in 1953 when he joined Smokey Graves & His Blue Star Boys, who had a regular show at a rad ...
** Tom Gray 1997 *
Josh Graves Josh Graves (September 27, 1927 Tellico Plains, Monroe County, Tennessee – September 30, 2006), born Burkett Howard Graves, was an American bluegrass musician. Also known by the nicknames "Buck," and "Uncle Josh," he is credited with introdu ...
1998 *
Chubby Wise Robert Russell "Chubby" Wise (October 2, 1915 – January 6, 1996) was an American bluegrass fiddler. Originally starting out playing the banjo and guitar, Wise began playing fiddle at age 12, working locally in the Jacksonville area. He joine ...
*
Carlton Haney Lawrence Carlton Haney (September 19, 1928 – March 16, 2011) was an American booking agent, festival promoter, and songwriter primarily active in bluegrass music. Once dubbed “The P.T. Barnum of Country Music” for his large personality, Ha ...
1999 * Kenny Baker


2000s

2000 *Lance LeRoy *
Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. He won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His ...
2001 *
Carter Family The Carter Family was an American folk music group that recorded and performed between 1927 and 1956. Regarded as one of the most important music acts of the early 20th century, they had a profound influence on the development of bluegrass, c ...
**
A. P. Carter Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (December 15, 1891 – November 7, 1960) was an American musician and a founding member of the Carter Family, one of the most notable acts in the history of country music. A.P. suffered from a tremor in his right h ...
**
Sara Carter Sara Elizabeth Carter (née Dougherty, later Bayes; July 21, 1898 – January 8, 1979) was an American country music musician, singer, and songwriter. Remembered mostly for her deep, distinctive, mature singing voice, she was the lead singer on ...
**
Maybelle Carter "Mother" Maybelle Carter (born Maybelle Addington; May 10, 1909 – October 23, 1978) was an American country musician and "among the first" to use the Carter scratch, with which she "helped to turn the guitar into a lead instrument." It ...
2002 * The Lilly Brothers & Don Stover **Michael Burt "Bea" Lilly **Charles E. "Everett" Lilly **
Don Stover Don Stover (1928-1996) was an American Bluegrass musician. He toured with numerous bands, most notably The Lilly Brothers. He is a member of both the Massachusetts Country Music Hall of Fame and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, ...
* David Freeman 2003 *
J. D. Crowe James Dee Crowe (August 27, 1937December 24, 2021) was an American banjo player and Bluegrass music, bluegrass band leader. He first became known during his four-year stint with Jimmy Martin in the 1950s. Crowe led the bluegrass group New South ...
2004 * John Ray "Curly" Seckler * Bill Vernon 2005 *
Red Allen Henry James "Red" Allen Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been described by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armst ...
* Benny Martin 2006 *
The Lewis Family The Lewis Family is a family of gospel and bluegrass musicians from Lincolnton, Georgia. They are known as the "First Family of Bluegrass Gospel". Background The family was founded by Pop and Mom Lewis (Roy Lewis Sr. and Pauline Lewis, née H ...
**James Ray "Pop" Lewis **Blanche "Mom" Lewis **Nannie Lewis **James Wallace Lewis **Talmadge Lewis **Polly Lewis **Roy Lewis **Travis Lewis **Janis Lewis Phillips **Lewis Phillips *
Syd Nathan Sydney Nathan (April 27, 1904 – March 5, 1968) was an American music business executive who founded King Records, a leading independent record label, in 1943. He contributed to the development of country & western music, rhythm and blues a ...
2007 *Howard Watts ("Cedric Rainwater") * Carl Story 2008 *
Bill Clifton Bill Clifton (born William August Marburg; April 5, 1931) is an American Bluegrass music, bluegrass musician and singer who is credited with having organized one of the first bluegrass festivals in the United States in 1961.Wolff, Duane 2000, p. ...
*Charles Wolfe 2009 *
Lonesome Pine Fiddlers The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers (1938–1966) were an early bluegrass band. Throughout their formations, they included notable "first generation" bluegrass musicians such as Ezra Cline, Bobby Osborne, Paul Williams, Melvin Goins, Charlie Cline, C ...
**
Charlie Cline Charles Cline (June 6, 1931 in Baisden, Mingo County, West Virginia - November 19, 2004), was an American bluegrass fiddler and multi-instrumentalist, known for being the sideman of several legendary bluegrass groups from the 1950s and well into ...
**
Curly Ray Cline Curly Ray Cline (born Ray Cline; January 10, 1923 – August 19, 1997) was an American bluegrass fiddler from West Virginia known for his work with the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers and Ralph Stanley. Biography Cline was born in Mingo County, West Vir ...
**
Ezra Cline Ezra Cline (1907 - 1984) was an American bluegrass bassist. Cline was born on 13 January 1907 at Glbert Creek, West Virginia. He began performing locally with his cousins Ireland "Lazy Ned" Cline and Ray "Curly Ray" Cline, along with local gui ...
**Melvin Goins **Paul Williams *
The Dillards The Dillards are an American bluegrass music, bluegrass and country rock band from Salem, Missouri. They are notable for being among the first bluegrass groups to have electrified their instruments, and they are considered to be pioneers of cou ...
**
Doug Dillard Douglas Flint Dillard (March 6, 1937 – May 16, 2012) was an American musician noted for his banjo proficiency and his pioneering participation in late-'60s country rock. Biography Early life Dillard, who grew up on a farm near Salem, Missouri ...
** Rodney Dillard **
Mitchell F. Jayne Mitchell Franklin "Mitch" Jayne (July 5, 1928 – August 2, 2010) was an American musician, best known as emcee and upright bass player in The Dillards bluegrass band, the band often remembered for their several Andy Griffith Show appearances as ...
**Dean Webb


2010s


2020s


Multiple inductees

To date, there have been six artists who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame more than once:


See also

*
List of music museums This list of music museums offers a guide to museums worldwide that specialize in the domain of music. These institutions are dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of music-related history, including the lives and works of prominent musicia ...


References


International Bluegrass Music Museum's Hall of Fame list of inductees by year
an
the induction process


External links



{{Bluegrass music Bluegrass music Music halls of fame
Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
Awards established in 1991 1991 establishments in Kentucky