Rick Faris is helping make sure Owensboro maintains its deep bluegrass roots. He moved here earlier this year to open Kentucky Guitar Works at the Center for Lutherie, and on Thursday was named the Songwriter of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Industry Awards.
The IBMA awards were announced Thursday at a ceremony in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“I am so thankful to bluegrass. Bluegrass is good,” Faris said during his acceptance speech. “Every good thing is given, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. Bluegrass is a gift. The time we share loving on each other and singing music that we love is a huge gift from a loving creator. And although we always fall short from perfect love, we are siblings in our wonderful family. And I cannot thank you all enough for being my family.”
This marks Faris’s eighth IBMA award, most recently having been named the 2022 New Artist of the Year. He’s also a two-time GRAMMY-nominated artist.
As a young musician, Faris played alongside his three brothers and parents in the Faris Family Bluegrass Band. He later spent a total of 11 years with the globetrotting Special Consensus.
Faris signed with Dark Shadow Recording as a solo artist in September 2018, and he had near-instant, chart-topping success. He started the Rick Faris Band in 2021 and continued to garner recognition and awards.
Earlier this year, Faris moved from Kansas to Owensboro to open the Kentucky Guitar Works. He previously said the business will cover “A to Z” of the guitar-making process.
The business is located in the building formerly occupied by the International Bluegrass Music Museum at 207 Second Street. Faris and his company, Faris Guitar, will serve as the primary tenants. Faris will be crafting, selling, and teaching how to make guitars. Learn more about the business here.
