Rhiannon Giddens Wins Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass

Congratulations to Rhiannon Giddens, the recipient of the seventh-annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. "Rhiannon has made a rare contribution to American music," said Steve Martin. "She—along with the Carolina Chocolate Drops—has resurrected and revitalized an important part of banjo history." Created to bring recognition to an individual or group for outstanding accomplishment in the field of five-string banjo or bluegrass music, the prize highlights the extraordinary musicianship of these artists and bluegrass music worldwide. The award is given to a person or group who has given the board a fresh appreciation of this music, either through artistry, composition, innovation or preservation, and is deserving of a wider audience. Its first winner was Noam Pikelny of Punch Brothers.

Her Nonesuch Records release, Tomorrow is My Turn, is available now on cd, and vinyl, from B&T!

Violinist Itzhak Perlman Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

Israeli-born American violinist Itzhak Perlman has been chosen as one of 17 recipients of this year's Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was awarded the honor in a ceremony on November 24.

The awards celebrate important lifelong contributions to security, world peace, and the arts: President Obama described Perlman and other recipients from the cultural sphere as "artists who expanded our imaginations...enriched our lives and helped define our shared experience as Americans."

The accolade comes the year of Perlman's 70th birthday celebrations, which has seen his complete Warner Classics catalogue of iconic recordings released in a collectors' boxed set of his Complete Warner Recordings (see image below, available from B&T through our Titlesource platform).  He has dazzled generations of music-lovers in repertoire as diverse as Paganini's Caprices and soulful klezmer, collaborating with some of the greatest musicians of the last century - Daniel Barenboim, Yo-Yo Ma, Isaac Stern and André Previn - who Perlman counts among his closest friends.

The prize also acknowledges his contribution to the future of classical music and his generosity to young artists through his teaching activities at the Juilliard School in New York. In 1994, with his wife Toby, he founded the Perlman Music Program, an intensive summer school and mentoring program for talented young string players.

Texas Songwriter Robert Earl Keen Announces 2016 Hall Of Fame Honorees For The Texas Heritage Songwriters' Association

The tenth Annual Texas Heritage Songwriters' Association(TxHSA) Hall of Fame Awards Show will take place Sunday, February 21st, 2016 at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin, Texas.  In collaboration with both the TxHSA and The Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau, Texas songwriting troubadour Robert Earl Keen announced a new class of inductees during the Key West Songwriters Festival last week. The TxHSA will honor the late Roy Orbison, Joe Ely, J.D. Souther and Will Jennings in 2016.

These artists join past inductees, who embody the spirit of Texas and its distinctive culture through songwriting, such as Kris Kristofferson, Townes Van Zandt, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark, and many more. Both Ely and Souther will deliver a featured performance after accepting their awards.

Every year, one person is also recognized for their support of the songwriting community with The Darrell K Royal Texas Music Legend Award.  "The 2016 Hall of Fame show will be a music aficionado's dream," said Joe Ables, Texas Heritage Songwriters' board member and founder of Austin's landmark Saxon Pub. "If live performances from Joe Ely and J.D. Souther aren't enough, just wait until you hear which great artists will be performing some of the incredible songs of Roy Orbison and Will Jennings!"

Sunday's Hall of Fame Awards Show will finish out TxHSA's weekend-long Homecoming celebration, which takes place February 19-21, 2016, packed with performances from past inductees, Grammy award nominees and recipients, and renowned songwriters and recording artists.