Gulf Coast Musicians Earn Three Josie Music Awards
Webb Dalton earned two awards while The Krickets won group honors
Gulf Shores, Ala. — (OBA) — Gulf Coast musicians Webb Dalton and The Krickets earned three honors at the Josie Music Awards in Nashville. Dalton received two awards for his traditional country music, and The Krickets won the Group of the Year Folk/Americana award. Both acts are well known to audiences along the Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast.
The 12th annual ceremony was held Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, at the Grand Ole Opry House. Dalton won Song of the Year in the Traditional/Classic Country Male category for “Back When We Were Young.” His self-titled project, “Webb Dalton,” earned Traditional/Classic Country Album of the Year.
Dalton will be performing at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at The Hangout in Gulf Shores. He and The Krickets will also perform at the 42nd annual Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival, Nov. 5–15, at venues along the Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast.
The latest victories make Dalton a five-time Josie Music Award winner. They also extend a four-year streak of honors from an awards program that recognizes independent artists, songwriters, performers, and music industry professionals.
Dalton’s five awards are:
- 2023 — Artist of the Year
- 2024 — Songwriter of the Year
- 2025 — Song of the Year for “Don’t Forget, Remember Me”
- 2026 — Song of the Year for “Back When We Were Young”
- 2026 — Album of the Year for “Webb Dalton”
“Back When We Were Young” was written by Dalton, Bo Roberts, and Johnny Holland. The honor gave Dalton back-to-back Song of the Year awards. His self-written “Don’t Forget, Remember Me” won the award in 2025.
Both winning songs appear on Dalton’s latest album, released through Hickory Withe Records. The album contains nine songs and has been recognized as a cohesive body of work, complementing the individual award earned by its title track.
Dalton competed against 18 other nominees in the Traditional/Classic Country Male Song of the Year category. The field included Waylon Hanel, Dennis Ledbetter, Sean Poole, Drake Hyde, Faron Hamblin, and Cody Glenn Cox.
He competed against seven other artists for Album of the Year. The other nominees were Jack Phillips, Dennis Ledbetter, Ruth Manning, Waylon Hanel, Lee Newton, Preston McCabe, and Dave Stamey.
“Young” climbed from No. 70 to No. 8 on the Cashbox Top 100 Independent Country Chart in September.
“Startin’ to Feel That Way,” another song from the album, rose from No. 92 to No. 7 on the Cashbox chart in February. The two releases gave Dalton consecutive Top 10 independent-country singles.
Dalton has spent more than four decades performing and writing country music. Throughout his career, he has shared stages with George Strait, George Jones, Randy Travis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich, T. Graham Brown, and other established performers.
The Krickets won Group of the Year in the Folk/Americana category. The trio was selected from an 11-group field that included Aaron Ball Band, The Erly, Shiny Shiny Black, Rocky LeRoe, Downtown Nowhere, and Andrew Moore and Hooch.
The Gulf Coast group comprises Emily Stuckey Sellers, Lauren Spring, and Rachel Grubb. Their music blends Americana with folk harmonies, and each member contributes vocals and plays multiple instruments.
The musicians first came together to perform at a breast cancer benefit. They continue to support The Cricket Fund, which provides cancer assistance to uninsured patients.
The Krickets released their latest album, “If You Only Knew,” in October 2025. The album was recorded in Muscle Shoals and produced, mixed, and engineered by Austin Motlow.
The group’s earlier recordings include “Spanish Moss Sirens,” “Redbird,” and “These Games.” The Krickets are also two-time winners of the Independent Music Awards Song of the Year in the Folk and Alt-Country categories.
This year’s Josie Music Awards ceremony was filmed at the Grand Ole Opry House. A broadcast date has not yet been announced.
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