Special C. in the running for a Grammy award

Nominations for the 61st Grammy awards were published early yesterday (7 Dec.), and there's a good chance that a Grammy-award-winning band will be in Ireland on tour less than six weeks from now. What is certain is that our old friends the Special Consensus (USA) are among the five nominees for Best Bluegrass Album in the 2019 awards, with their latest Compass Records album Rivers and roads.

Rivers and roads already won the IBMA Album of the Year award for 2018, and the track 'Squirrel Hunters' from the album won the IBMA Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year award. Other nominees for the Grammy bluegrass album award are Portraits in fiddles by Mike Barnett (also on Compass), Sister Sadie II by Sister Sadie, The Travelin' McCourys by The Travelin' McCourys, and North of despair by Wood & Wire.

BIB editor's note: Playing mandolin for Wood & Wire is the highly regarded Billy Bright, who played in Ireland with the Two High String Band some years back.