NASHVILLE, TN – The Grascals continue to ride an incredible wave of success taking home the coveted Entertainer of the Year award at the 17th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, September 28, 2006 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn. Their honors come only one year after the group took home the Emerging Artist of the Year trophy in 2005.

Marty Stuart played the role of host and performer at the show, which also featured an incredible performance by Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder with a 20-piece orchestra, the Nashville String Machine, Vince Gill performing with Del McCoury, The Grascals with Steve Wariner, Cherryholmes, Claire Lynch, Curly Seckler with Larry Sparks, Blue Highway, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, 3 Fox Drive, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, U.S. Navy Band Country Current, and The Lewis Family and The Isaacs with Jeff and Sheri Easter. The 2005 Recipients for all Instrumental Performer categories also performed.

Winning in the Male Vocalist category was Tim O'Brien, who also took the honor in 1993. O'Brien was also recognized for Song of the Year with "Look Down That Lonesome Road," a cut from the Fiddler's Green disc.

Rhonda Vincent carried home the Female Vocalist award for the seventh consecutive year, breaking her own record of six set with a win in 2005.

For a sixth year in the Vocal Group of the Year category winner is Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Lawson was another multiple winner of the evening, taking the Gospel Recorded Performance trophy for "He Lives In Me."

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder continued wearing the crown of Instrumental Group of the Year for the eighth consecutive year. Skaggs was not only a winner as a performer, but as a label chief. Skaggs Family Records released the Album of the Year winner, Celebration of Life: Musicians Against Childhood Cancers. The Album features a virtual Who's Who of the bluegrass world with 3 Fox Drive, Lonesome River Band, Seldom Scene, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Cherryholmes, J.D. Crowe & The New South, BlueRidge, IIIrd Tyme Out, James King Band, Larry Cordle, Wayne Benson, Clay Hess, Greg Luck, Aubrey Haynie, Marty Raybon & Full Circle, Tony Rice, Ronnie Bowman & The Committee, Larry Stephenson Band, Blue Highway, Gena Britt, Randy Kohrs & The Lites, Steve Thomas, Scott Vestal, David Parmley & Continental Divide, Karl Shiflett & the Big Country Show, Kenny & Amanda Smith Band, Wildfire, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Lost & Found, The Grascals, Alecia Nugent, Carl Jackson, Jerry Salley, Don Rigsby & Midnight Call, Bradley Walker, Dan Tyminski, Bela Fleck, Barry Bales, Joe Mullins, Bryan Sutton, Jim VanCleve, Clay Jones & Keith Garrett. Bob Kelly, Jack Campitelli & Darrel Adkins produced the record.

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper were honored in the Instrumental Album of the Year category for, Let 'Er Go Boys. Cleveland also won the prize in 2004 for Live At The Raged Edge. Not stopping at Album of the Year, Cleveland was named 2006 Fiddle Player of the Year, a fourth trophy to add to his collection

The Steep Canyon Rangers won the coveted Emerging Artist of the Year, on the strength of their latest release, One Dime at aTime.

Individual achievements were also recognized in the Instrumental Performer categories. Rob Ickes of Blue Highway was named Dobro® Player of the Year for the eighth time. Jim Mills was named Banjo Player of the Year following his 2005 win in the same category. It is his sixth time receiving the honor. Missy Raines, who tours with the Claire Lynch Band, once again, took home the Bass Player of the Year award. She too has taken the award six times. Rounding out the Instrumental Performers were Bryan Sutton, taking his fifth trophy for Guitar Player of the Year and Adam Steffey, of Mountain Heart, doing his fifth turn at Mandolin Player of the Year.

The 2006 Hall of Honor inductees are the late Sydney Nathan and The Lewis Family. Both considered pioneers in their respective fields in bluegrass, record shop owner Sydney Nathan founded King Records in Cincinnati during November 1943 and would create one of the most significant repositories ad distributors of classic bluegrass recordings. The Lewis Family has played a highly significant role in popularizing the bluegrass gospel genre and bringing it to prominence since the all-family group's formation in 1951.

The show was carried live on XM Satellite Radio’s Bluegrass Junction (channel 14) in addition to being syndicated to over 300 radio stations worldwide, making it the largest syndicated bluegrass radio special of its kind. The show is sponsored by GAC TV, Martha White, MerleFest, GHS Strings, Deering Banjos and Western Kentucky’s Bluegrass, Blues and Barbecue Region. For broadcast information, contact Tina Potter, Marketing/Public Relations with the IBMA at 1-888-GET-IBMA. For more information on the International Bluegrass Music Association, call us or visit our website at http://www.ibma.org/.

Mel Bay author Pat Kirtley was inducted into the Thumbpicking Hall of Fame during the recent Home of the Legends weekend in Muhlenberg County Kentucky. Chet Atkins Appreciation Society president Dr. Mark Pritcher presented the award and Atkins' friend and early transcriber John Knowles was also present at the ceremony to honor Pat.

The elated Pat Kirtley said, "Now my photo will be up on the wall with Chet, Merle, Jerry, Mose, and the other previous inductees...What a thrill!"

Pat Kirtley addressing the crowd after being inducted into the National Thumbing Hall of Fame.

The National Thumbpicking Hall of Fame was created in 1997 to honor the unique style of guitar playing which evolved in western Kentucky in the region around Muhlenberg County. Each year, guitarists and others who have been involved in supporting this musical style are honored by being inducted into the Hall of Fame. The two major categories are Living Thumbpicker and Deceased Thumbpicker, representing those who go back to the very roots of the guitar style over 75 years ago. This year, past national thumbpicking and fingerpicking champion Pat Kirtley was inducted in the "Living" category, with the award presented by Dr. Mark Pritcher of Knoxville Tennessee, president of the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society. Previous inductees include: Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, Jerry Reed, Mose Rager, Eddie Pennington, and Australia's Tommy Emmanuel.

The award ceremony, with an attendance of over 400 people, was held Friday, August 25th at Paradise Park, near Central City in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. The award ceremony has been incorporated as part of the annual Home of the Legends Guitar Weekend, now in its 17th season.

The main focus of the event is the International Thumbpicking Championship, which now has contests in three distinct categories -- traditional thumbpicking, in the distinct style of Merle Travis and early Chet Atkins, contemporary thumbpicking, which allows a broader range of tunes including contestants' original compositions, and the open class competition, in which contestants may perform in any style except thumbpicking. There is also a grand play-off between the traditional and contemporary winner to determine the year's overall winner.

This year, all the prizes were won by two contestants. Overall winner Dave Duncan of Columbus, Ohio, got two guitars by coming in first in the traditional category, and then winning the play-off with the classic Chet Atkins tune "Oh by Jingo". Nineteen-year-old Matt Thomas of Virginia Beach wowed the audience with his exemplary technique and also claimed two guitars, winning both the contemporary and open class contests. Dave Duncan got first choice of the guitars and selected a handmade Ace guitar and a Taylor 310. Matt Thomas received a handmade guitar by Mel McCullough and a Taylor 310.

The Hall of Fame has accumulated a significant collection of photos and museum items which will soon be moved to a permanent home in the new million-dollar Merle Travis Performing Arts Center now under construction near Central City. This building will provide a well equipped 350- seat performance venue, as well as museum space for the Hall of Fame.