Dan Tyminski Band leads bluegrass nominees

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Dan Tyminski sure made the most of his time off from Alison Krauss’ group Union Station.

Tyminski, a guitarist and singer, and his band are the top nominees for this year International Bluegrass Music Awards with nine, including entertainer of the year.

The nominations were announced Thursday in Nashville. The duo Dailey & Vincent have seven and comedian-actor Steve Martin got six. A longtime banjo picker, Martin burst onto the bluegrass scene with his first music album this year.

With Krauss busy working with Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, Tyminski and two other Union Station members — Adam Steffey and Barry Bales — released an album last year and toured as the Dan Tyminski Band.

“Wheels” is nominated for album of the year and the title track for song of the year. The group’s other nominations are for instrumental group and male vocalist. Band members Ron Stewart, Bales and Steffey are also nominated for individual instrumental skills, with Stewart nominated both in the banjo and fiddle categories.

“I’ve never been up for entertainer, and that’s kind of a neat one for me — to think that people would look at this band as even close to contending for that,” Tyminski said.

Currently in the studio recording with Krauss and Union Station, Tyminski said the whole reason he wanted to do a solo record — his second — was to play music with Stewart, Bales and Steffey.

“I don’t consider it going out on my own,” Tyminski said. “No doubt it’s the most excellent company that I keep. They’re inspiring players.”

‘We were just blown away by it’
Dailey & Vincent’s seven nominations include entertainer of the year, male vocalist and vocal group of the year. The duo of Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent were the big winners at last year’s IBMA awards, taking home seven trophies.

“Having the kind of year we had the first year, we were just blown away by it. It’s harder to keep going and staying in, so we just felt blessed,” Dailey said. “Even if it had been one nomination, we’d have been tickled to death.”

Martin’s first music album, “The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo,” has topped the bluegrass chart for 12 weeks. He is nominated for instrumental recorded performance, recorded event (for two songs, “Daddy Played the Banjo” and “The Crow”), banjo player of the year, best liner notes and best graphic design for a recorded project.

1. More Entertainment stories
   1. Will Smith shines in 'Men in Black III'
      

      REVIEW: If you're not a fan of Will Smith's smooth-talking Agent J in the "Men in Black" franchise, don't see the third mo...

   2. Can WWII film hidden by Army help veterans?
   3. Happy 35th anniversary, 'Star Wars'!
   4. Tim McGraw giving homes, hope to veterans
   5. Phillip Phillips has a double double name name

Martin, who has played the banjo since he was 17, wrote or co-wrote all of the album’s 15 tracks.

“We’re glad to have him,” bluegrass star Del McCoury said of Martin. “He’s a good musician, he really is.”

McCoury, a nine-time entertainer of the year winner, is nominated again for that honor with his band. He announced the nominees with Alan O’Bryant of the Nashville Bluegrass Band.

Hall of Fame adds two
The IBMA also announced two new additions to its Hall of Fame: The Dillards and The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers.

The Dillards helped expand the audience for bluegrass music in the 1960s and ‘70s, playing on college campuses and with mainstream rock acts.

Early in their career, they relocated from Missouri to Los Angeles where they auditioned for and won the role of the Darlins on “The Andy Griffith Show.” They recorded only six episodes for the program, but the IBMA says they continue to be the most often-seen bluegrass artists on television because of the show’s popularity in reruns.

The Dillards’ best-known songs include “Dooley,” “The Old Home Place” and “Banjo in the Holler.”

The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers were formed in West Virginia in 1937 and weathered several personnel changes as they performed music ranging from old-time to bluegrass to country. They were the first bluegrass band signed to the RCA Victor label in the late ‘50s.

Their songs include “Nobody Cares (Not Even You), “Twenty-One Years” and “Dirty Dishes Blues.”

The Dillards and The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers will be inducted during the 20^th annual IBMA awards Oct. 1 at the Ryman Auditorium.

The hosts for the awards show will be Kathy Mattea and the band Hot Rize.