Strings of Green take first at the 2026 SPBGMA International Band Championship – photo © Roger Black
The loss of power in Nashville did not stop the final round of the 2026 International Band Championship as part of the SPBGMA National Convention at the Sheraton Music City Airport. The finalists competed without amplification, and our correspondent Roger Black tells us that there were still a good many people in attendance, waiting for the roads to be cleared before attempting to drive on snowy, icy roads.
SPBGMA moved the event from the main ballroom out into the outer room, which could provide enough natural light to see what was going on. It was a smaller, but still very enthusiastic audience, with Daryl Mosley singing and playing sans microphones while the votes were tallied.
And the results were:
- Strings of Green from Beckley, WV
- Headin’ Home Bluegrass from Bloomingdale, GA
- Rounders Station from Somerset, KY
- Travis Watts and Mountain Blessings from Mount Airy, NC
- The Alaskan Sunnyside Sisters from Fairbanks, Alaska
Congratulations and well done all!
Many thanks to Hollace Oakes, fiddler with Travis Watts and Mountain Blessings, and her family, who recorded the entire final round, which we share below.
