Cherryholmes family earns entertainer of the year honor

A tragedy inspired the family to become a bluegrass band.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The family group Cherryholmes won the top award -- entertainer of the year -- at the International Bluegrass Music Awards Thursday.
Jere and Sandy Cherryholmes were inspired to start a family band after attending a bluegrass festival to lift their spirits after their oldest daughter died in 1999. A self-titled debut last month landed at No. 3 on the Billboard bluegrass chart.
"We just want to thank the Lord for all of his blessings of talent and for the stamina and energy of youth," Jere Cherryholmes said. Daughters Cia, 21, and Molly, 13, and sons B.J., 17, and Skip, 15, round out the group.
Larry Sparks won male vocalist for the second consecutive year. He also received awards for top album and recorded event for his album "40," a reference to the length of his career.
"Well, we done it again, didn't we?" said Sparks, who performed "John Deere Tractor," a song about a young man who comes to the city and discovers, "I'm like a John Deere tractor in a half-acre field, trying to plow a furrow where the soil is made of steel."
Krauss and Tyminski
Alison Krauss and her band Union Station entered the evening with the most nominations -- 14 individually or collectively. Krauss and bandmate Dan Tyminski both won in recorded event of the year for their contribution to "40."
Rhonda Vincent broke her own record by taking home her sixth straight female vocalist award.
"This is like a homecoming, coming to the show and seeing all of our friends and our peers," Vincent said.
The Grascals, who recorded a bluegrass version of Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas," won emerging artist of the year. The group also won song of the year for "Me and John and Paul," a tune written by Harley Allen.
Voting
The awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association, the trade association for the bluegrass music industry.
Fiddle player Benny Martin and singer Red Allen were also inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor.
Martin who penned "Ice Cold Love" and the autobiographical "Me and My Fiddle," is most recognized for his fiddle playing. He died March 13, 2001.
Allen helped pioneer the "high lead" vocal harmony format in the 1950s. His signature songs include "Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" and "Whose Shoulder Will You Cry On." Allen died April 3, 1993.