The Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the bluegrass music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".

Originally called the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Recording (Vocal or Instrumental), the award was first presented in 1989. In 1990 and 1991, the category was renamed Best Bluegrass Recording, and in 1990, the award was reserved for singles rather than albums. In 1992 the category was renamed Best Bluegrass Album.

In 1995 and 1997, producers of compilation albums were the only award recipients.

The inaugural recipient of the award was Bill Monroe, widely considered to be the founder of the genre. Alison Krauss has the most wins in the category, with six, including five with her band Union Station who are tied with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for second most wins. Jim Lauderdale, Nashville Bluegrass Band, and Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway are the only other acts to have won more than once, with two awards each. Del McCoury holds the record for most nominations, with ten, while Doyle Lawson, Noam Pickelny, Peter Rowan, and The Seldom Scene have the most nominations without a win, with four. In 2018, the first tie in the history of the category occurred, with the award being presented to both Rhonda Vincent and The Infamous Stringdusters. The current recipient of the award is Billy Strings, who won at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.

Recipients

right|upright|thumb|alt=A woman wearing a pink dress and playing a fiddle.|Six-time award winner [[Alison Krauss, performing in 2007]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=A man wearing a black shirt and playing a stringed instrument with his fingers. His eyes are closed, and he is standing behind microphone stands.|Five-time award winner [[Ricky Skaggs (along with Kentucky Thunder), performing in 2007]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=A woman with blond hair wearing large hoop earrings and red lipstick.|[[43rd Grammy Awards|2001 award winner Dolly Parton]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=A man wearing a blue dress shirt, standing behind a microphone stand and holding a guitar.|Two-time award winner [[Jim Lauderdale]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=An older man wearing a white cowboy hat and a black dress shirt, standing behind a microphone stand and holding a banjo.|[[45th Grammy Awards|2003 award winner Ralph Stanley]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=A man in a purple suit and a hat playing the dobro.|Four-time recipient [[Jerry Douglas has won as a member of both Union Station and The Earls of Leicester]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=A man wearing a blue dress shirt, standing behind a microphone stand and holding a guitar backed by his band.|Two-time winners The [[Del McCoury Band]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=A man wearing a suit and playing a banjo.|[[52nd Grammy Awards|2010 award winner Steve Martin]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=A blonde woman in a green dress singing and playing the mandolin.|[[Rhonda Vincent received the award in 2018 following five previous nominations]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=A man playing guitar.|2021, 2025, and 2026 recipient [[Billy Strings.]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=A man sat down playing banjo.|[[Béla Fleck won in 2022 following two prior nominations.]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=A bluegrass band.|Two-time winners [[Molly Tuttle|Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway.]]

1980s

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|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|1989 <br />

| The Valley Road

| Bruce Hornsby and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

|-

| At the Old Schoolhouse

| Johnson Mountain Boys

|-

| Heartbreak Hotel

| Doug Dillard Band

|-

| Live at the Opry

| Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys

|-

| Two Highways

| Alison Krauss & Union Station

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|1991 <br />

| I've Got That Old Feeling

| Alison Krauss

|-

| The Boys Are Back in Town

| Nashville Bluegrass Band

|-

| Grassroots to Bluegrass

| Mac Wiseman

|-

| Take It Home

| Hot Rize

|-

| Darlin' Boys

| The Dillards

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|1992 <br />

| Spring Training

| Carl Jackson and John Starling

|-

| Hillbilly Fever

| Osborne Brothers

|-

| Home of the Blues

| Nashville Bluegrass Band

|-

| Music Among Friends

| Jim & Jesse

|-

| Simple Pleasures

| Alison Brown

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|1993 <br />

| Every Time You Say Goodbye

| Alison Krauss & Union Station

|-

| Bluegrass Reunion

| David Grisman, Herb Pedersen, Red Allen, Jim Buchanan, James Kerwin and Jerry Garcia

|-

| Larry Cordle, Glen Duncan & Lonesome Standard Time

| Larry Cordle, Glen Duncan and Lonesome Standard Time

|-

| Scene 20: 20th Anniversary Concert

| The Seldom Scene

|-

| Slide Rule

| Jerry Douglas

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|1994 <br />

| Waitin' for the Hard Times to Go

| Nashville Bluegrass Band

|-

| Blue Diamond

| Johnson Mountain Boys

|-

| Stuart Duncan

| Stuart Duncan

|-

| Saturday Night & Sunday Morning

| Ralph Stanley

|-

| Tony Rice Plays and Sings Bluegrass

| Tony Rice

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|1995 <br />

| The Great Dobro Sessions

| Various Artists

|-

| A Deeper Shade of Blue

| Del McCoury

|-

| Flashback

| J. D. Crowe and the New South

|-

| Like We Used to Be

| The Seldom Scene

|-

| When the Roses Bloom in Dixieland

| Osborne Brothers

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|1996 <br />

| Unleashed

| Nashville Bluegrass Band

|-

| Beyond the City

| The Cox Family

|-

| Fiddle and a Song

| Byron Berline

|-

| Moonlighter

| Claire Lynch

|-

| $35 and a Dream

| Rose Maddox

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|1997 <br />

| True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe

| Various Artists

|-

| Bluegrass Boy

| Peter Rowan

|-

| The Cold Hard Facts

| Del McCoury Band

|-

| Red on Blonde

| Tim O'Brien

|-

| The Stanley Tradition: Tribute to a Bluegrass Legacy

| Various Artists

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|1998 <br />

| So Long So Wrong

| Alison Krauss & Union Station

|-

| Age of Innocence

| Kate MacKenzie

|-

| Sales Tax Toddle

| Richard Greene and The Grass Is Greener

|-

| Short Life of Trouble

| Ralph Stanley

|-

| Silver and Gold

| Claire Lynch

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|1999 <br />

| Bluegrass Rules!

| and Kentucky Thunder

|-

| American Beauty

| Nashville Bluegrass Band

|-

| Clinch Mountain Country

| Ralph Stanley and Friends

|-

| Home Sweet Home

| Doc Watson and Merle Watson

|-

| Songs from the Homeplace

| Jim & Jesse

|-

|}

2000s

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|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2000 <br />

| Ancient Tones

| Ancient Tones

|-

| Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza

| David Grisman, Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush, Jesse McReynolds, and Frank Wakefield

|-

| The Bluegrass Sessions

| Béla Fleck

|-

| I Feel Like Singing Today

| Jim Lauderdale, Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys

|-

| The Mountain

| Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2001 <br />

| The Grass Is Blue

| Dolly Parton

|-

| Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe

| Ricky Skaggs and Friends

|-

| Fair Weather

| Alison Brown

|-

| Murder on Music Row

| Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time

|-

| Nickel Creek

| Nickel Creek

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2002 <br />

| New Favorite

| Alison Krauss & Union Station

|-

| Clinch Mountain Sweethearts

| Ralph Stanley and Friends

|-

| History of the Future

| Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder

|-

| Little Sparrow

| Dolly Parton

|-

| Mountain Soul

| Patty Loveless

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2003 <br />

| Lost in the Lonesome Pines

| Clinch Mountain Boys, Jim Lauderdale, and Ralph Stanley

|-

| The Hard Game of Love

| Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver

|-

| Jelly on My Tofu

| Roland White Band

|-

| Ralph Stanley

| Ralph Stanley

|-

| Stanley Blues

| Ralph Stanley II

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2004 <br />

| Live

| Alison Krauss & Union Station

|-

| Christmas on the Mountain: A Bluegrass Christmas

| Various Artists

|-

| It's Just the Night

| Del McCoury Band

|-

| Live at the Charleston Music Hall

| Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder

|-

| One Step Ahead

| Rhonda Vincent

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2005 <br />

| Brand New Strings

| and Kentucky Thunder

|-

| The Bluegrass Sessions

| Lynn Anderson

|-

| Carrying On

| Ralph Stanley II

|-

| A Tribute to Jimmy Martin: "The King of Bluegrass"

| Various Artists

|-

| Twenty Year Blues

| Nashville Bluegrass Band

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2006 <br />

| The Company We Keep

| Del McCoury Band

|-

| Cherryholmes

| Cherryholmes

|-

| The Grascals

| The Grascals

|-

| Marbletown

| Blue Highway

|-

| Ragin' Live

| Rhonda Vincent and The Rage

|-

|}

2010s

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|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2010 <br />

| The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo

|

|-

| Almost Live

| Bryan Sutton and Friends

|-

| Buckaroo Blue Grass

| Michael Martin Murphey

|-

| Could We Get Any Closer?

| Jim Lauderdale

|-

| Destination Life

| Rhonda Vincent

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2011 <br />

| Mountain Soul II

|

|-

| Circles Around Me

| Sam Bush

|-

| Family Circle

| Del McCoury Band

|-

| Legacy

| Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band

|-

| Reckless

| The SteelDrivers

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=6, style="text-align:center;"|2012

| Paper Airplane

| Alison Krauss & Union Station

|-

| A Mother's Prayer

| Ralph Stanley

|-

| Old Memories: The Songs of Bill Monroe

| Del McCoury Band

|-

| Rare Bird Alert

| and the Steep Canyon Rangers

|-

| Reason and Rhyme: Bluegrass Songs by Robert Hunter and Jim Lauderdale

| Jim Lauderdale

|-

| Sleep with One Eye Open

| Chris Thile and Michael Daves

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2013 <br />

| Nobody Knows You

| Steep Canyon Rangers

|-

| Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail

| Noam Pikelny

|-

| The Gospel Side of...

| Dailey & Vincent

|-

| Life Finds a Way

| The Grascals

|-

| Scratch Gravel Road

| The Special Consensus

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2014

| The Streets of Baltimore

| Del McCoury Band

|-

| Brothers of the Highway

| Dailey & Vincent

|-

| It's Just a Road

| The Boxcars

|-

| This World Oft Can Be

| Della Mae

|-

| Three Chords and the Truth

| James King

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2015 <br />

| The Earls of Leicester

| The Earls of Leicester

|-

| Cold Spell

| Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen

|-

| Into My Own

| Bryan Sutton

|-

| Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe

| Noam Pikelny

|-

| Only Me

| Rhonda Vincent

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2016

| The Muscle Shoals Recordings

| The SteelDrivers

|-

| Before the Sun Goes Down

| Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley

|-

| In Session

| Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver

|-

| Man of Constant Sorrow

| Ralph Stanley and Friends

|-

| Pocket Full of Keys

| Dale Ann Bradley

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2017 <br />

| Coming Home

| O'Connor Band with Mark O'Connor

|-

| Burden Bearer

| Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

|-

| The Hazel and Alice Sessions

| Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands

|-

| North by South

| Claire Lynch

|-

| Original Traditional

| Blue Highway

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2018 <br />

| All the Rage

| Rhonda Vincent and the Rage

|-

| Fiddler's Dream

| Michael Cleveland

|-

| Laws of Gravity

| The Infamous Stringdusters

|-

| Original

| Bobby Osborne

|-

| Universal Favorite

| Noam Pikelny

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2019 <br />

| The Travelin' McCourys

| The Travelin' McCourys

|-

| II

| Sister Sadie

|-

| North of Despair

| Wood & Wire

|-

| Portraits in Fiddles

| Mike Barnett

|-

| Rivers and Roads

| The Special Consensus

|-

|}

2020s

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|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2020

| Tall Fiddler

| Michael Cleveland

|-

| If You Can't Stand the Heat

| Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

|-

| Live in Prague, Czech Republic

| Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

|-

| Royal Traveller

| Missy Raines

|-

| Toil, Tears & Trouble

| The Po'Ramblin' Boys

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2021 <br />

| Home

| Billy Strings

|-

| The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Vol. 1

| Various Artists

|-

| Man on Fire

| Danny Barnes

|-

| North Carolina Songbook

| Steep Canyon Rangers

|-

| To Live In Two Worlds, Vol. 1

| Thomm Jutz

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2022 <br />

| My Bluegrass Heart

| Béla Fleck

|-

| Cuttin' Grass Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions)

| Sturgill Simpson

|-

| Music Is What I See

| Rhonda Vincent

|-

| Renewal

| Billy Strings

|-

| A Tribute To Bill Monroe

| The Infamous Stringdusters

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2023 <br />

| Crooked Tree

| Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

|-

| Almost Proud

| Del McCoury Band

|-

| Calling You from My Mountain

| Peter Rowan

|-

| Get Yourself Outside

| Yonder Mountain String Band

|-

| Toward the Fray

| The Infamous Stringdusters

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=6, style="text-align:center;"|2024 <br />

| City of Gold

| Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

|-

| Bluegrass

| Willie Nelson

|-

| Lovin' of the Game

| Michael Cleveland

|-

| Me/And/Dad

| Billy Strings

|-

| Mighty Poplar

| Mighty Poplar

|-

| Radio John: Songs of John Hartford

| Sam Bush

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=6, style="text-align:center;"|2025 <br />

| Live Vol. 1

| Billy Strings

|-

| Earl Jam

| Tony Trischka

|-

| I Built a World

| Bronwyn Keith-Hynes

|-

| Live from the Ryman

| Dan Tyminski

|-

| No Fear

| Sister Sadie

|-

| Songs of Love and Life

| The Del McCoury Band

|-

|-style="background:#FAEB86;"

! rowspan=5, style="text-align:center;"|2026 <br />

| Highway Prayers

| Billy Strings

|-

| Arcadia

| Alison Krauss & Union Station

|-

| Carter & Cleveland

| Michael Cleveland and Jason Carter

|-

| Outrun

| The SteelDrivers

|-

| A Tip Toe High Wire

| Sierra Hull

|-

|}

<sup></sup> Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.<br />

<sup></sup> Awards were presented to Jerry Douglas and Tut Taylor as the producers of the album.<br />

<sup></sup> An award was presented to Todd Phillips as the producer of the album.

Artists with multiple wins

;6 wins

  • Alison Krauss

;5 wins

  • Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
  • Union Station

;3 wins

  • Billy Strings

;2 wins

  • Jim Lauderdale
  • Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
  • Nashville Bluegrass Band

Artists with multiple nominations

;10 nominations

  • Del McCoury
  • Del McCoury Band

;9 nominations

  • Ralph Stanley
  • Ricky Skaggs

;8 nominations

;* Dan Tyminski

;7 nominations

;6 nominations

  • Jim Lauderdale
  • Union Station

;5 nominations

  • Jerry Douglas

;4 nominations

  • Doyle Lawson
  • Noam Pikelny
  • Peter Rowan
  • The Seldom Scene
  • Billy Strings

;3 nominations

  • Béla Fleck
  • Bobby Osborne
  • Cherryholmes
  • Claire Lynch
  • David Grisman
  • Jesse McReynolds
  • Michael Cleveland
  • Sam Bush
  • Steep Canyon Rangers
  • The Grascals
  • The Infamous Stringdusters

;2 nominations

  • Alison Brown
  • Bill Monroe
  • Blue Highway
  • Bryan Sutton
  • Clinch Mountain Boys
  • Dailey & Vincent
  • Dolly Parton
  • Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen
  • J. D. Crowe and the New South
  • Jim & Jesse
  • Johnson Mountain Boys
  • Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time
  • Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
  • Osborne Brothers
  • Patty Loveless
  • Steve Martin
  • The Special Consensus
  • The SteelDrivers
  • Tony Trischka

Notes

See also

  • International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame
  • List of Grammy Award categories

References

;General

  • Note: User must select the "American Roots" category as the genre under the search feature.

;Specific