Special C.'s 'Fireball' wins IBMA award

Four months ago (28 May) the BIB posted news of Long I ride, the latest Compass Records CD from the Special Consensus, which was subsequently released on 10 June. A Bluegrass Today feature included two videos from the Compass YouTube channel: the title track, and a high-powered rendition of Josh Graves's 'Fireball', with twin banjos (Greg Cahill and Alison Brown), twin mandolins (Rick Faris and Nick Dumas), and dobro and guitar played by Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley (who were the concert stars at the Dunmore East Guinness International Bluegrass Festival in August).

The 'Fireball' video can be seen on YouTube; and there's a link to it on the latest Compass Records e-newsletter, to celebrate the fact that it has just won the IBMA's Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year award. An official list of award winners has yet to appear,* but a lot can be gathered from this feature on Bluegrass Today of fine photos taken at the awards show by Frank Baker, including the one reproduced below.

As recently mentioned on the BIB, the Special C. will be back in Ireland early in the new year; all dates are on the BIB calendar.

The Special C. with their wives at the IBMA awards show
(photo: Frank Baker)

* Update 1 Oct.: Lists of winners have already appeared on Bluegrass Today and the Prescription Bluegrass Blog.