Sam Bush to Host International Bluegrass Music Awards

Legendary bluegrass/Americana artist Sam Bush will serve as the host for the International Bluegrass Music Awards at 8:30 p.m. Central time, October 4, 2007, at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn.

"I am excited to be asked to host this year's IBMA Awards Show," Bush says. "Bluegrass is and has always been an important part of my life and the foundation of the music I play. I love the music, the pickers and the fans. It's an honor and a thrill. I'm psyched!"

Though he admits a certain discomfort with the moniker, "King of Newgrass," Sam Bush has more than earned it. As co-founder and leader of the seminal progressive bluegrass band, New Grass Revival through 18 years during the 1970s and '80s, Bush may not be the only person responsible for "newgrass"--the wild bluegrass stepchild that features rock & roll grooves and extended virtuosic jams, but since New Grass Revival's dissolution in 1989, Bush has certainly been one of the most brilliant of the sub-genre's stars.

Besides helming the popular Sam Bush Band featured on his 2006 release, Laps in Seven (Sugar Hill), the mandolin prodigy from Kentucky has been a prodigious influence on musicians young and old--not only in his wide-ranging choice of material and signature groove, but also with his captivating, high-energy live shows that make him a much demanded headliner at mega-festivals and concert halls alike.

When not heading his own band, Bush has spent the past 15 years as a "super sideman" with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett and the Flecktones; spearheaded boundary-stretching collaborations with Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor and David Grisman; and driven a number of bluegrass supergroup collaborations with his powerful, inimitable mandolin chop.

On the Road, the first live concert DVD from the Sam Bush Band, is slated for an August 14 release on the Sugar Hill label. Recorded at the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico, Calif., the world class band spins acoustic gold on a collection of favorites from Sam's solo releases and New Grass hits, along with crowd pleasers like John Hartford's "Back in the Goodle Days." Bonus content on the disc includes interview footage from the taping, in-studio footage from Laps In Seven, and the music video for "The River's Gonna Run" featuring Emmylou Harris and Buddy Miller.

Sam Bush's ability to be continually touched and amazed by new music may be the quality that makes him such a successful and virtuosic performer and band leader. He helped create newgrass music almost 35 years ago, but his recent work is evidence that he's still as vital a presence on the acoustic music scene as ever: still making new sounds, still rocking out on great songs and still pushing the bar higher for the legions of protégés, fans and friends.