Dailey & Vincent, a duo formed just last year, topped the nominations for the 2008 International Bluegrass Music Association awards. The announcements were made Thursday (Aug. 14) at the Country Music Hall of Fame's Ford Theater by multiple IBMA award-winner Del McCoury, two-time Country Music Association female vocalist of the year Kathy Mattea, disc jockey and historian Eddie Stubbs and IBMA executive director Dan Hays.

Together and separately, veteran performers Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent were picked to vie in 10 categories, including the all-important entertainer and album of the year slots. Cornering six nominations each were Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Blue Highway and the Dan Tyminski Band, another new musical configuration.

Dailey & Vincent were on hand to open and close the program with their music. One of the songs they performed, "By the Mark," turned out to be one of their two song of the year nominations (the other being "More Than a Name on the Wall). "By The Mark" was also cited in the best gospel performance category.

Stubbs announced that Bill Clifton and the late Dr. Charles K. Wolfe will be inducted into International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. Clifton is a longtime performer, recording artist, folk music scholar and organizer of folk clubs and bluegrass events in the U.S. and Europe.

Wolfe, who would have been 65 on the day his nomination was announced, wrote voluminously and expertly on country and bluegrass music and performers in addition to his holding down his day job as professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University. Of his many books and countless articles, his magnum opus was A Good Natured-Riot: The Birth of the Grand Ole Opry, a study that recounted the Opry's first 15 years of operation, from 1925 to 1940.

CMT.com's in-house bluegrass aficionado, Craig Shelburne, was nominated for print media person of the year in a category that also includes freelance writers Stephanie P. Ledgin and Chris Stuart.

Among the bluegrass artists attending the announcements were Tyminski, Eddie Adcock, Ronnie Reno, Carl Jackson, Larry Stephenson, Rob Ickes and David Crow.

Noting that McCoury, a nine-time IBMA entertainer of the year, will host the organization's awards show, Hays joked, "Maybe he'll bring some of his trophies back and we can hand them out again. I think he has more than we do."

When Hays introduced McCoury and Mattea to read the performing and recording nominations, he pointed out that each has a new album that has topped Billboard's bluegrass chart and that each album -- Mattea's Coal and McCoury's Moneyland -- speaks to current social issues.

"They both reshaped how we think of music," Hays asserted.

Mattea and McCoury were in high spirits and good humor, however, as they slogged through category after category of nominees. Mattea quipped that the exquisitely coiffed McCoury had "commandeered all the hairspray in Nashville" and added, "It's pretty bad to be the only woman in the room and have the lowest voice."

McCoury marveled that he was able to read the nominations without donning his glasses. When he read the album title Everett Lilly & Everybody and Their Brother, a candidate in the recorded event division, he struck an incredulous tone, saying, "Everett's got everybody and their brother [on the album] except me and my brother."

Set for Oct. 2 at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, The IBMA Awards show is the high point of the World of Bluegrass convention that takes place Sept. 29 to Oct. 5, primarily at the Nashville Convention Center. The Bluegrass Fan Fest, which features the genre's top performers, runs Oct. 3-5.

Here's a complete list of this year's IBMA nominees:

Entertainer of the Year Dailey & Vincent The Grascals Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver The Del McCoury Band Rhonda Vincent & the Rage

Vocal Group of the Year Blue Highway Dailey & Vincent The Grascals The Isaacs Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass

Instrumental Group of the Year Blue Highway Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper The Infamous Stringdusters Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder Dan Tyminski Band

Male Vocalist of the Year Jamie Dailey Russell Moore Tim O'Brien Danny Paisley Dan Tyminski

Female Vocalist of the Year Dale Ann Bradley Sonya Isaacs Alison Krauss Claire Lynch Rhonda Vincent

Album of the Year Dailey & Vincent Dailey & Vincent

Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass -- Tribute to 1946 and 1947 Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

Lovin' Pretty Women Steep Canyon Rangers

The SteelDrivers The SteelDrivers

Through the Window of a Train Blue Highway

Song of the Year "Alison's Band" Artist: Charlie Sizemore Band Writers: Charlie Sizemore and Buddy Cannon

"By the Mark" Artist: Dailey & Vincent Writers: David Rawlings and Gillian Welch

"Drinkin' Dark Whiskey" Artist: The SteelDrivers Writers: Mike Henderson and Chris Stapleton

"More Than a Name on the Wall" Artist: Dailey & Vincent Writers: Jimmy Fortune and John Rimel

"Through the Window of a Train" Artist: Blue Highway Writers: Tim Stafford and Steve Gulley

Gospel Recorded Performance "Be Still Moses" Steep Canyon Rangers

"By the Mark" Dailey & Vincent

Help Is on the Way Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

Salt of the Earth Ricky Skaggs & the Whites

Where No One Stands Alone Paul Williams & the Victory Trio

Instrumental Album Live at the Linda David Grier

Sound of the Slide Guitar Andy Hall

Stepping Out Jason Davis

The Past Is Present Jason Barie

When at Last Russ Barenberg

Recorded Event Christmas Grass, Vol. 3 3 Fox Drive, Sonya Isaacs, John Cowan, Sarah Jarosz, Larry Sparks, Russell Moore and Charlie Daniels

Everett Lilly & Everybody and Their Brother Everett Lilly, Bea Lilly, Charles Lilly, Daniel Lilly, Mark Lilly, Marty Stuart, Rhonda Vincent, Billy Walker, Ronnie McCoury, Rob McCoury, David Ball, Charlie Cushman, Larry Stephenson, Joe Spivey, Eddie Stubbs, Jason Carter, Dickey Lee, Freddy Weller, Mike Bub, Rad Lewis, Andy May, Darrin Vincent, Marcia Campbell, Clay Rigdon, Eric Blankenship and Bill Wolfenbarger

Salt of the Earth Ricky Skaggs & the Whites

Standard Songs for Average People John Prine and Mac Wiseman

We Are Family Jeff & Sheri Easter, the Lewis Family & the Easter Brothers

Emerging Artist Cadillac Sky Dailey & Vincent Grasstowne Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass The SteelDrivers

Instrumental Performers

Banjo Kristen Scott Benson J.D. Crowe Jim Mills Earl Scruggs Ron Stewart

Bass Barry Bales Mike Bub Missy Raines Darrin Vincent Marshall Wilborn

Fiddle Hunter Berry Jason Carter Michael Cleveland Stuart Duncan Ron Stewart

Dobro Mike Auldridge Jerry Douglas Rob Ickes Randy Kohrs Phil Leadbetter

Guitar Cody Kilby Tony Rice Tim Stafford Bryan Sutton Josh Williams

Mandolin Sam Bush Sierra Hull Doyle Lawson Ronnie McCoury Adam Steffey   Bluegrass Broadcaster Kyle Cantrell, XM Satellite Radio Katy Daley, WAMU's bluegrasscountry.org Terry Herd, Bluegrass Radio Network    

Bluegrass Event Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival (Ancramdale, N.Y.) River City Bluegrass Festival (Portland, Ore.) 29th annual Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival (Thomas Point Beach, Maine)

Bluegrass Print Media Person Stephanie P. Ledgin, freelance writer and author Craig Shelburne, CMT.com Chris Stuart, freelance writer, Bluegrass Unlimited

Best Graphic Design for Recorded Project Designer: G. Carr and S. Holman What The, Pete Wernick & Flexigrass

Designer: Smay Vision Graphic Design The Stanley Brothers: The Definitive Collection (1947-1966) , the Stanley Brothers

Designer: Loren Witcher Punch, the Punch Brothers

Best Liner Notes for Recorded Project Writers: Frank and Marty Godbey Bluegrass Holiday, J.D. Crowe

Writer: Gary Reid The Stanley Brothers: The Definitive Collection (1947-1966) , the Stanley Brothers

Writer: Ron Thomason Good News, the Charlie Sizemore Band

• Stanley Brothers
• Sierra Hull
• Sam Bush
• Bryan Sutton
• Jerry Douglas

Rhonda Vincent
Photo: Rounder Records

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Rhonda Vincent, a Missouri-born singer and mandolin player, and the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack emerged as top winners at the 12th annual International Bluegrass Music Awards.

Honors were handed out Thursday night at the Kentucky Center for the Arts during a ceremony hosted by country artist Steve Wariner. Vincent and her band, the Rage, were named Entertainer of the Year — the first time the group has claimed the top prize — and Vincent won her second consecutive trophy for Female Vocalist of the Year. Mike Cleveland, the Rage's popular fiddler, was named Top Fiddle Player.

Vincent picked up a third trophy for Recorded Event of the Year. She was a part of Carry Me Back to the Fold: A Tribute to Women in Bluegrass. Mark Newton coordinated the project, which enlisted 17 women.

Vincent has been in and out of bluegrass over the course of her career. She left a family band in 1985 for a brief stint with country singer and Grand Ole Opry star Jim Ed Brown, and she issued two country albums on Giant Records in the mid '90s. Vincent marked her return to bluegrass with the release last year of Back Home Again, followed this year by The Storm Still Rages.

Dan Tyminski, a member of Alison Krauss & Union Station, has been in the spotlight since recording "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" for the "O Brother" movie. He was named Male Vocalist of the Year. "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," written by the late Dick Burnett, arranged by Carter Stanley and recorded by the Soggy Bottom Boys, featuring Tyminski, was the IBMA Song of the Year. The "O Brother" soundtrack was Album of the Year.

An accomplished guitarist, Tyminski also picked up an award for Instrumental Album of the Year. He was part of a large cast of pickers featured on the album Knee Deep in Bluegrass: The Acutab Sessions, as was Barry Bales, also a member of both Union Station and the Soggy Bottom Boys.

"I'll Fly Away," recorded for the movie by Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch, won Gospel Recorded Song of the Year. Union Station member Jerry Douglas, who appears several times on the soundtrack, was named Dobro player of the year — his 7th victory in the category — and film directors the Coen Brothers and O Brother album producer T Bone Burnett shared a Distinguished Achievement award.

Two major streaks fell. Nickel Creek's Chris Thile was named Mandolin Player of the Year, ending an eight-year run by Ronnie McCoury. And Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, known for their tight, gospel-based harmonies, were named Vocal Group of the Year; IIIrd Tyme Out had won the award seven times in a row.

Nickel Creek, last year's Emerging Artist of the Year, were named Instrumental Group of the Year. The group has had major exposure on CMT through their own videos, with Dolly Parton and as part of a long-form special on emerging artists.

The Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show, formed in 1993 by native Texan Shiflett, were named Emerging Artist of the Year. The group recorded its second album, In Full Color, live around a vintage ribbon microphone.

Jim Mills, from Ricky Skaggs' band, was named Top Banjo Player for the third year in a row. Missy Raines was honored as Top Bassist for the fourth consecutive year. Raines' performing and recording partner, Jim Hurst, captured honors as Top Guitarist for the first time.

The Carter Family — A.P., Sara and Maybelle — were inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Honor. The group's repertoire — including songs such as "Keep on the Sunny Side" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" — has been a rich source of bluegrass material.

Distinguished achievement awards also went to musician, songwriter and magazine publisher Alice Gerrard; the Gibson Company; the late John Hartford; and photographer Les Leverett.

A number of other special awards were presented. Eddie Stubbs of WSM-AM (650) and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville was named Broadcast Personality of the Year. Richard Smith, author of "Can't You Hear Me Callin': The Life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass" was honored as Print Media Personality of the Year. Jon Weisberger's notes for a John Duffey anthology, Always in Style, were judged Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project. Sue Meyer's design for a Doc Watson retrospective, The Doc Watson Guitar Instrumental Collection, 1964-1998, won Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project. And Huck Finn's Country & Bluegrass Jubilee 2001 in Victorville, California, produced by Don Tucker, was honored as Bluegrass Event of the Year.

The World of Bluegrass 2001 continues through Sunday at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville with the annual Bluegrass Fan Fest. Vincent & the Rage, Lawson & Quicksilver, Shiflett & the Big Country Show, IIIrd Tyme Out and Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder are among the many acts lined up to play.

• Rhonda Vincent
• Dan Tyminski
• Nickel Creek