Kansas City, MO – Folk Alliance International is pleased to announce nominees and recipients for the 2016 International Folk Music Awards. The awards will be presented at the annual Awards Show held at Westin Crown Center Hotel on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, opening night of the 29th Annual Folk Alliance International conference. Event emcee is Grammy-Award winning artist and feminist, Paula Cole, the first woman in history to individually receive a Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year.
Awards will be presented for the Best of 2016 Album, Song, and Artist of the Year. Compiled from ‘Best of 2016’ radio and print media lists in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia, in addition to the year-end Folk DJ chart. Actress, singer, Emmy and Golden Globe Awards winner, Megan Mullally will present the membership-voted awards.
Nominees for Album of the Year are All These Years by Solas, Auprès du Poêle by Ten Strings And A Goat Skin, Nine Pin by Kaia Kater, Undercurrent by Sarah Jarosz, and Upland Stories by Robbie Fulks. Nominees for Song of the Year are “Ain’t Nobody” by Dori Freeman, “Black Man in a White World” by Michael Kiwanuka and Inflo, “Move Me” by Sara Watkins, “Play By Your Own Rules” by Sam Bush, and “We are Love” by The Once Band. Nominees for Artist of the Year are John McCutcheon, Irish Mythen Music, Moddi, Parker Millsap, and Tanya Tagaq.
In a permanent commitment to honor the socially conscious roots of folk music, Folk Alliance International launches two new awards this year—The People’s Voice Award and The Clearwater Award.
To be presented annually to an individual who has committed to social and political commentary in their creative work and folk music career, the inaugural People’s Voice Award will be presented to multi-platinum selling recording artist Bruce Cockburn. Over his 40-year career, Cockburn has consistently highlighted environmental, social, and indigenous issues globally. Critically acclaimed artist-activist, Kris Kristofferson will present Cockburn with the award.
The second new award will be presented annually to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production. Presented to its namesake organization, the inaugural Clearwater Award will be bestowed to the Clearwater Festival. Now in its 50th year, the festival is recognized as one of the world’s largest and most proactive environmentally focused cultural events. Grammy-nominated musician and career activist, Eliza Gilkyson will present the award.
Additional Awards presented that evening are Lifetime Achievement, Spirit of Folk, and first-time inductions into the Folk DJ Hall of Fame.
A platform for emerging talent, FAI’s conference is the world’s largest gathering of the folk music industry. Official showcases offer artists from around the globe the opportunity to perform for hundreds of presenters (bookers for festivals, venues, and concert series) agents, managers, media, and music industry representatives from 20 different countries.