Steve Martin and Alison Brown to Host 2025 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards
The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the hosts for its 2025 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. For the 36th annual presentation of the esteemed ceremony, the organization will welcome actor, comedian and banjo aficionado Steve Martin and acclaimed Grammy-winning banjoist and guitarist Alison Brown. Beyond their emcee position, the duo is up for several high-profile prizes at this year’s ceremony for their recent single “5 Days Out, 2 Days Back,” featuring Tim O’Brien and released in advance of their forthcoming full-length album Safe, Sensible and Sane, arriving via Compass Records on October 17.
“I’m thrilled to be hosting with Alison Brown, and connecting with all my bluegrass friends as opposed to my kinda dumb comedy friends,” Martin shared.
“The IBMA Awards show is always one of my very favorite nights of the year,” Brown echoed. “I’m so honored to co-host this year with my banjo pal Steve Martin.”
“5 Days Out, 2 Days Back” is up for Song of the Year, Music Video of the Year and Collaborative Recording of the Year, placing the duo among the most highly nominated artists at this year’s awards. Alison Krauss & Union Station, Billy Strings, the Del McCoury Band, Appalachian Road Show and East Nash Grass lead the pack as the nominees for Entertainer of the Year.
Krauss & Union Station and their celebrated reunion record Arcadia are also in the running for Album of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year, while Krauss is up for Female Vocalist of the Year and her longtime bandmates, banjoist Ron Block, bassist Barry Bales and dobroist Jerry Douglas, are nominated for their respective instruments. Russell Moore, who assumed the seat formerly held by Dan Tyminski, is the most awarded male vocalist in the history of the IBMA and earned yet another nomination in the category this year.
Strings returns this year as a continuing staple of the awards, following a first win for New Artist of the Year in 2019 and claims to the highest prize of Entertainer of the Year in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Beyond his candidacy for his fourth award in that coveted category, Strings is elsewhere nominated for Album of the Year, Instrumental Group of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Guitar Player of the Year.
The 35th Annual Bluegrass Awards will be held on Sept. 26 at Chattanooga, Tenn.’s Soldiers and Sailors Memorial for the Performing Arts. Find tickets and more information at worldofbluegrass.org.
