Recipients and Best of 2021 Nominees for the International Folk Music Awards Announced

Folk Alliance International(FAI) announced this year’s upcoming recipients and Best of 2021 nominees for the upcoming International Folk Music Awards.

Originally scheduled for February, the live show will be held on May 18 in Kansas City on the opening night of FAI’s annual conference and will be broadcast online.

Here are the recipients and Nominees

The Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Award recipients – presented each year to honor the cultural impact of legendary folk music figures: one Living, one Legacy, and one Business/Academic.

Flaco Jiménez
Nanci Griffith
Swallow Hill Music

The People’s Voice Award recipient – is presented to an individual who unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in their creative work and public careers. (Past recipients include Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Buffy Saint Marie, Ani Difranco, and Bruce Cockburn.)

Jason Mraz

Album of the Year nominees:

They’re Calling Me Home by Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
Wary + Strange by Amythyst Kiah
Un Canto por México, Vol. 2 by Natalia Lafourcade
Outside Child by Allison Russell
The Fray by John Smith

Song of the Year nominees (sponsored by Yamaha):
“On Solid Ground” by Reggie Harris
“Painted Blue” by Sarah Jarosz
“We Believe You” by Diana Jones
“Call Me A Fool” by Valerie June
“Changemakers” by Crys Matthews 

Artist of the Year nominees:
The Longest Johns
Kalani Pe’a
Allison Russell
Arooj Aftab
John Francis Flynn

Spirit of Folk Awards recipients – presented to honor and celebrate people and organizations actively involved in the promotion and preservation of folk music through their creative work, community building, and demonstrated leadership.

Eugene Rodriguez of Los Cenzontles – musician, educator, and documentary producer.
Lilli Lewis – composer, producer, performing artist, and Louisiana Red Hot Records Vice President and Head of A&R.
Gaelynn Lea – NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner, musician, and disability rights activist.
Erin Benjamin – Canadian Live Music Association President & CEO.
Amado Espinoza – Bolivian-American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and instrument maker.
Shain Shapiro – Sound Diplomacy founder.

Rising Tide Award recipient – celebrates a new generation (under 30) artist who inspires others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice.

Mali Obomsawin of the band Lula Wiles – journalist; and founder and Executive Director of the Bomazeen Land Trust non-profit

Clearwater Award recipient – presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production.

Planet Bluegrass

Winners are determined by the voting membership of FAI (with the ballot open until April 15). According to the release, Folk Alliance International (FAI) was founded in 1989 to connect folk music leaders aiming to sustain the community and genre. Today FAI is the leading international voice for folk music with a network of more than 3,000 members: a worldwide community of artists, agents, managers, labels, publicists, arts administrators, venues, festivals, and concert series presenters.

Nanci Griffith photo courtesy FAI