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2010 Kerrville New Folk WinnerJon is one of the winners of Kerrville New Folk 2010.
The Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition
One of the high points of the festival since 1972 has been the annual New Folk Competition. Thirty-two finalists are selected from a field of 800 entries to share two of their original songs in an afternoon appearance on the stage of the Threadgill Theater. From these 32 finalists, six winners are selected by a small group of well-established performing songwriters. In addition to cash and other tangible prizes, the six winners are invited to the main stage to perform a 20-minute set.
A win at Kerrville carries considerable prestige in the singer-songwriter community. This is in part due to the peer-professional judging and the festival’s long history of recognizing emerging artists who have later gone on to wider success. There have also been examples of notable performers who have appeared as finalists in the competition without ever earning a win. Artists who have performed in the competition include:
* Steve Earle (1978)
* John Gorka (1984)
* Nanci Griffith (1978)
* Tish Hinojosa (1979)
* Robert Earl Keen (1983)
* Lyle Lovett (1980, 1982)
* Ellis Paul (1994)
* Slaid Cleaves (1992)
* Cosy Sheridan (1992)
* Johnsmith (1990)
* Anne Feeney (1989)
* James McMurtry (1987)
* Pierce Pettis (1987)
* Buddy Mondlock (1987)
* David Wilcox(1988).
List of Past Performers
* David M. Bailey
* Mary Chapin Carpenter
* Judy Collins
* Ronny Cox
* Nanci Griffith
* Janis Ian
* Robert Earl Keen
* Willie Nelson
* Tom Paxton
* Peter Paul & Mary
* Stan Rogers (after performing in the 1983 festival Rogers perished while aboard Air Canada Flight 797)
* Michelle Shocked
* Michael Peter Smith
* The Belleville Outfit
* Lucinda Williams
May 30, 2010
