2021 IBMA Keynote Address by Dudley Connell

One of the all-time great vocalists in bluegrass music, IBMA Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame member with The Johnson Mountain Boys, and traditional music historian/archivist, Dudley Connell delivers the Keynote Address at the 2021 IBMA Business Conference Tuesday, September 28.
With this year’s conference theme, “Refocus. Reconnect. Reimagine.”, Connell offers insightful perspectives on how he has remained true to himself but also embraced the unexpected, a journey many of us face - especially today.
Dudley Connell has enjoyed a fascinating career as an award-winning artist with renowned groups including The Johnson Mountain Boys, Longview, and The Seldom Scene, while also having a distinguished career as manager of the Smithsonian Folkways office and now as an Audio Archivist for the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), cataloging and digitizing their collection of recordings for the Library of Congress.
While Connell is a well-known figure in bluegrass music, his work with Smithsonian Folkways and the NCTA is equally important. During his twenty years at Smithsonian Folkways, his work included performing archival and digital work with the master recording of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land”, among other American roots music masterpieces. Since joining the NCTA, he has been responsible for archiving and digitizing every performance, workshop, and presentation at the National Folk Festival. All of this points to Connell’s deep appreciation for traditional music, where he has often drawn on his work to find musical ideas and inspiration for what might have been previously considered “non-bluegrass” material to perform as a bluegrass artist.
It is Dudley Connell’s musical artistry that has received great accolades among his professional peers and fans all over the world. His lead singing journey from The Johnson Mountain Boys’ deeply rooted traditional sounds to the far more contemporary material of The Seldom Scene demonstrates his ability to adapt while maintaining his signature vocal distinctiveness and greatness. In addition to his 2020 Hall of Fame induction, the IBMA honors he has received are many, including Male Vocalist of the Year in 2000, Album of the Year in 1990 with The Johnson Mountain Boys and again in 2006 with the Seldom Scene, and both Song of the Year and Collaborative Recording of the Year in 1998 with the all-star group, Longview. With all of these awards, Connell also cherishes recording and touring internationally with the late Hall of Fame member, Hazel Dickens. Dudley Connell’s passion, talent, and charisma have made him one of the most beloved bluegrass artists of his generation.
The International Bluegrass Music Association is the non-profit music association that connects, educates, and empowers bluegrass professionals and enthusiasts, honoring tradition and encouraging innovation in the bluegrass community worldwide.
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[@nicolmicah]

Amazing words! Amazing to hear!