Americana Honors & Awards
The 23rd Annual Americana Honors & Awards, which are set for Sept. 18 at Nashville’s fabled Ryman Auditorium, will be bookended by memorable performances.
Duane Betts will open the show by performing the Allman Brothers Band’s “Blue Sky,” which his father Dickie Betts wrote. The song appeared on the 1972 classic Eat a Peach, the band’s first album to make the top 10 on the Billboard 200. Dickie Betts died on April 18 at age 80.
Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell will close the show with “Return of the Grievous Angel,” the opening track on Gram Parsons‘ Grievous Angel, on which Harris was prominently featured. The album was released in January 1974, four months after Parsons’ death from an overdose. He was just 26.
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The Americana All-Star Band, led by Buddy Miller, will return to back the artists who are performing on Americana music’s biggest night. Other band members include Don Was (who is set to receive a lifetime achievement award), The McCrary Sisters, Bryan Owings, Jerry Pentecost, Jen Gunderman, Jim Hoke and Larry Campbell.
In addition to being top nominees this year, Sierra Ferrell, Noah Kahan and Brandy Clark are set to perform on the show.
Blind Boys of Alabama, Dave Alvin, Dwight Yoakam and Shelby Lynne, all of whom are set to receive lifetime achievement awards, will also perform.
Other performers set for the show include SistaStrings (who will perform with Clark) and Fantastic Negrito (who will perform in a tribute to the late Rev. Gary Davis, who will receive the Legacy Award in partnership with the National Museum of African American Music).
The program will be filmed for broadcast on PBS in the Austin City Limits time slot in November. The awards show is the centerpiece of the annual Americanafest, which returns for its 24th year Sept. 17-21.
The show is set to begin at 6:30 pm CT. Doors open at 5:30 pm CT.
Here are all the performers and presenters for the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards.
Performers
Blind Boys of Alabama
Brandy Clark (with SistaStrings)
Charles Wesley Godwin
Dave Alvin
Dwight Yoakam
Fantastic Negrito
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Jobi Riccio
Kaitlin Butts
Larkin Poe
The Milk Carton Kids
Noah Kahan
Sarah Jarosz
Shelby Lynne
Sierra Ferrell
Turnpike Troubadours
The War and Treaty
Waxahatchee with MJ Lenderman
Wyatt Flores
Presenters
Allison Moorer
Amy Helm
Amythyst Kiah
Gaby Moreno
Hiss Golden Messenger
Iron & Wine
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Joe Henry
Lukas Nelson
The Lone Bellow
Margo Price
The Milk Carton Kids
Nathaniel Rateliff
Shane Smith & Bennett Brown
Silvana Estrada
Susan Tedeschi
T Bone Burnett
Warren Zanes
The Americana Music Association has revealed this year’s slate of lifetime achievement honorees for the 23rd annual Americana Honors & Awards ceremony, to be held Sept. 18 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The ceremony serves as a key event during the annual Americanafest, slated for Sept. 17-21 in Nashville.
Dave Alvin, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Rev. Gary Davis, Shelby Lynne, Don Was and Dwight Yoakam are this year’s honorees.
Alvin is known for both his solo work as well as being part of the duo The Blasters alongside his brother Phil. Alvin won a Grammy in 2000 for his album Public Domain: Songs From the Wild Land.
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The Blind Boys of Alabama was established in Alabama in 1939 and in the ensuing decades came to redefine gospel music with their songs and performances. They are multi-Grammy winners and Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees, and found mainstream acclaim following the group’s role in the 1983 musical The Gospel at Colonus. They went on to perform and record with artists including Prince, Bonnie Raitt and Peter Gabriel.
South Carolina native Davis was a blues and gospel performer proficient on multiple instruments including harmonica. He became an essential part of the 1960s folk revival thanks to songs including “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” influencing artists including Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead.
Lynne made her debut project, Sunrise, in 1989 and has since traversed musical spaces including rock, country and pop. In the 1990s she saw songs such as “Things Are Tough All Over” reach the top 30 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Her album I Am Shelby Lynne earned Lynne a best new artist Grammy. She’s also won honors including the ACM Awards’ top new female vocalist. Lynne will release her album Consequences of the Crown on Aug. 16, via Monument Records.
Detroit native Was launched the band Was (Not Was) in the 1980s, then as a producer gained renown working with artists including Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones and Brian Wilson. Among Was’s Grammy honors is a trophy for producer of the year. In addition to his production work, he has served as president of the jazz label Blue Note Records since 2012. Was has also been the longtime bass player in the house band for the Americana Honors & Awards ceremony.
Yoakam has earned two Billboard Hot Country Songs chart-toppers, with the 1988 Buck Owens collaboration “Streets of Bakersfield,” and “I Sang Dixie,” as well as numerous top 5 hits such as “Fast As You” and “Guitars, Cadillacs.” Along the way, he forged a sound that melded elements of country, rock, bluegrass and the Bakersfield sound. He’s won two Grammy honors, including best country vocal performance, male (“Ain’t That Lonely Yet”) and best country collaboration with vocals (“Same Old Train”).
“This year’s Lifetime Achievement honorees represent multiple facets of American roots music. It is a privilege to recognize and celebrate the incredible careers of these artists. We look forward to another exceptional night at the Ryman Auditorium,” Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association and Foundation, said via a statement.Tickets for the Americana Honors & Awards will go on sale to silver passholders on June 26, with tickets going on sale for association members, festival passholders and the general public at a later date.
Tyler Childers and Sierra Ferrell are among the top nominees for the 23rd annual Americana Music Honors & Awards.
Ferrell released her new album Trail of Flowers last month, while in September 2023, Childers released his sixth studio album Rustin’ in the Rain, spearheaded by “In Your Love,” which earned Childers his Billboard Hot 100 debut.
This year’s nominees were revealed Tuesday (May 7) at the National Museum of African-American Music in Nashville. The nominations ceremony was hosted by Gina Miller, senior vp and general manager of MNRK Music Group and a member of the Americana Music Association‘s board of directors. The event also featured performances from SistaStrings, The War and Treaty, Megan McCormick with Amanda Fields and Ethan Ballinger, as well as Kaitlin Butts and Ferrell.
Other top nominees include the twice-nominated Brandy Clark, as well as Allison Russell, Charley Crockett, “Wondering Why” performers The Red Clay Strays, Stick Season hitmaker Noah Kahan and Wyatt Flores.
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The winners will be announced during the annual Americana Honors & Awards on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The awards show is the centerpiece of the annual Americanafest, which returns for its 24th year Sept. 17-21, 2024.
See the full list of nominations below:
Album of the year
Brandy Clark, Brandy Clark; produced by Brandi Carlile
The Past Is Still Alive, Hurray for the Riff Raff; produced by Brad Cook
Rustin’ In The Rain, Tyler Childers; Produced by Tyler Childers and The Food Stamps
Trail of Flowers, Sierra Ferrell; Produced by Eddie Spear and Gary Paczosa
Weathervanes, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit; Produced by Jason Isbell
Artist of the year
Tyler Childers
Charley Crockett
Sierra Ferrell
Noah Kahan
Allison Russell
Duo/group of the year
Black Pumas
Larkin Poe
The Milk Carton Kids
Turnpike Troubadours
The War And Treaty
Emerging act of the year
Kaitlin Butts
Wyatt Flores
Charles Wesley Godwin
The Red Clay Strays
Jobi Riccio
Instrumentalist of the year
Grace Bowers
Maddie Denton
Jamie Dick
Megan McCormick
Joshua Rilko
Song of the year
“American Dreaming,” Sierra Ferrell; Written by Melody Walker and Sierra Ferrell
“Dear Insecurity,” Brandy Clark; Written by Brandy Clark and Michael Pollack
“In Your Love,” Tyler Childers; Written by Geno Seale and Tyler Childers
“Jealous Moon,” Sarah Jarosz; Written by Daniel Tashian and Sarah Jarosz
“Right Back To It” – Waxahatchee; Written by Katie Crutchfield
Tyler Childers’ Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven was named album of the year at the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards, which were held Wednesday (Sept. 20) at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
The album consists of three discs, each containing different remixes of eight gospel music songs. The “Hallelujah” versions were recorded live in the studio; the “Jubilee” versions incorporate horn and string sections; and the “Joyful Noise” versions incorporate remixes and sampling. Three of the songs are public domain. Childers wrote the other five. The album reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and No. 8 on the Billboard 200. It was Childers’ first top 10 album on the Billboard 200.
Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” won song of the year, nearly eight months after it won in the same category at the 65th annual Grammy Awards. It’s the first song written by a solitary writer to win here since Jason Isbell’s “If We Were Vampires” five years ago.
Billy Strings won entertainer of the year for the second year in a row. He’s the first artist to win two years running since John Prine in 2017-18.
The War and Treaty won duo/group of the year last year for the second year in a row. They’re the first act to win two years running since the Avett Brothers in 2010-11. The husband-and-wife duo is up for vocal duo of the year at the upcoming CMA Awards.
S.G. Goodman won for best emerging act. Many previous winners have gone on to do very well, including The Avett Brothers (2007), Mumford & Sons (2011), Alabama Shakes (2012), Sturgill Simpson (2014) and Margo Price (2016), Amanda Shires (2017), Childers (2018), The War and Treaty (2019) and Black Pumas (2020).
The Americana Music Association also presented its lifetime achievement, trailblazer and legacy award honorees. The recipients were Grammy-winning artists Patty Griffin and Nickel Creek; Grammy-nominated artists The Avett Brothers and Bettye LaVette; and George Fontaine Sr., co-founder and owner of New West Records.
The program is the marquee event of AmericanaFest, which returned for its 23nd year on Sept. 19 and runs through Sept. 23.
Here’s the full list of nominees for the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards, with winners marked:
Album of the year
Big Time, Angel Olsen; Produced by Angel Olsen and Jonathan Wilson
WINNER: Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, Tyler Childers; Produced by Tyler Childers
El Bueno y el Malo, Hermanos Gutiérrez; Produced by Dan Auerbach
The Man from Waco, Charley Crockett; Produced by Bruce Robison
Strays, Margo Price; Produced by Margo Price and Jonathan Wilson
Song of the year
“Change of Heart,” Margo Price; Written by Jeremy Ivey, Margo Price
“I’m Just a Clown,” Charley Crockett; Written by Charley Crockett
WINNER: “Just Like That,” Bonnie Raitt; Written by Bonnie Raitt
“Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan; Written by Zach Bryan
“You’re Not Alone,” Allison Russell featuring Brandi Carlile; Written by Allison Russell
Artist of the year
Charley Crockett
Sierra Ferrell
Margo Price
Allison Russell
WINNER: Billy Strings
Duo/group of the year
49 Winchester
Caamp
Nickel Creek
Plains
WINNER: The War and Treaty
Emerging act of the year
Adeem the Artist
WINNER: S.G. Goodman
William Prince
Thee Sacred Souls
Sunny War
Instrumentalist of the year
Isa Burke
Allison de Groot
Jeff Picker
WINNER: SistaStrings (Chauntee and Monique Ross)
Kyle Tuttle
Margo Price, Allison Russell, Bonnie Raitt and The War and Treaty are among the artists set to perform at the 22nd annual Americana Honors & Awards, to be held at the fabled Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Sept. 20.
All are nominees this year. Price is vying for artist of the year, album of the year and song of the year. Russell is up for artist of the year and song of the year. Raitt is competing for song of the year for “Just Like That,” for which she won a Grammy for song of the year in March. The War and Treaty is up for duo/group of the year, which they won last year.
Other nominees who are set to perform on the show include Angel Olsen, Brandi Carlile, Hermanos Gutiérrez, Nickel Creek, Adeem the Artist, Sunny War and William Prince. The latter three artists are nominated for best emerging act.
The Avett Brothers, Bettye LaVette, Patty Griffin and Nickel Creek, all of whom are set to receive honorary awards on the show, will also perform. (The fifth recipient of an honorary award this year is George Fontaine Sr., co-founder and owner of New West Records.)
Presenters include CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason, comedian Sarah Silverman and performers Jessi Colter, Lyle Lovett and William Bell.
Buddy Miller will again serve as musical director for the Americana All-Star Band, featuring Brady Blade, Catherine Popper, Fred Eltringham, Jen Gunderman, Jim Hoke, Larry Campbell and The McCrary Sisters.
The 2023 Honors & Awards show will stream live via Circle Network’s YouTube channel and Americana Music Association’s Facebook page Wednesday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 CT, while live audio simulcasts of the show will be available via SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country and on Nashville area terrestrial radio stations WRLT (100.1 FM), WSM (650 AM) and WMOT (89.5 FM).
Additionally, the program will be broadcast in the Austin City Limits time slot in November.
Tickets to the Americana Honors & Awards are on sale now. Tickets range from $90 (obstructed view) to $225.
The ceremony is the hallmark event for the 23rd annual AMERICANAFEST, held across 48 venues throughout Nashville during the week of Sept. 19-23. For more information on the association or to purchase passes to AMERICANAFEST, go here.
Here’s a complete list of performers and presenters for the 2023 Americana Honors and Awards.
Performers
49 Winchester
Adeem the Artist
Allison Russell
Angel Olsen
The Avett Brothers
Bettye LaVette
Bonnie Raitt
Brandi Carlile
Brandy Clark
Hermanos Gutiérrez
Logan Ledger
Margo Price
Marty Stuart
The Milk Carton Kids
Nickel Creek
Noah Kahan
Patty Griffin
Rufus Wainwright
S.G. Goodman
Sunny War
The War And Treaty
William Prince
Presenters
Anthony Mason
Dom Flemons
Jessi Colter
Jim Lauderdale
Jonathan Taplin
Lyle Lovett
Pete Muller
Sarah Silverman
Shovels & Rope
Silas House
Steve Jordan
Teddy Thompson
Warren Zanes
William Bell
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