Born Roy Alan Bookbinder in Queens, New York on October 5, 1943, he took up the guitar following a tour of duty in the U.S. Navy, after acquiring his first instrument in Italy and returning to New York. A student and friend of the Reverend Gary Davis, whom he met in 1966 and with whom he also toured during the late 1960s, Book Binder launched his career during the folk and blues revival in New York’s Greenwich Village, where he was a frequent participant in open mics hosted by Dave Van Ronk, The Mayor of MacDougal Street, In the early 1970s,Book Binder recorded Travelin’ Man, his first solo acoustic album on Adelphi Records, left his abode in the Village, and began rambling around the world. A real road warrior and contemporary itinerant bluesman, he traveled extensively across the U.S. in a motor home, while also playing festivals and other gigs around Canada, Europe and Australia. The Travelin’ Man and The Book, as he was alternately known, also joined Bonnie Raitt on an east coast tour and toured with Jorma Kaukonen (who recorded two of Book Binder’s songs – “The Preacher Picked the Guitar” and “Another Man Done A Full Go Round,” and invited him to teach guitar at his Fur Peace Ranch — which he did for some 20 years). During the late 1980s, Book Binder made nearly 30 appearances on Nashville Now with Ralph Emory on cable TV’s The Nashville Network (TNN).

A resident of St. Petersburg, Florida, Book Binder was a consummate entertainer known for his distinctive fingerpicking style and slide arrangements, along with his captivating storytelling. His engaging concert and festival performances were punctuated with humorous anecdotes and personal stories.

“I don’t play gigs in places where I wouldn’t go socially,” Book Binder once told thecountryblues.com. “I don’t play the bar blues scene. It’s not my thing. I am just a folk player. Until I started my own label, I didn’t know you could make money from selling records. I had recorded plenty of times, but I never got paid by the labels. So I started my own.”

Although Book Binder helped to keep old-time folk songs and the Piedmont blues tradition alive through the decades and had a vast repertoire, he also wrote and recorded his own songs. Beginning in the late 1990s, he released albums on his own independent label (Peg Leg Records) after having previously recorded for Adelphi, Blue Goose, Flying Fish, Kicking Mule, and Rounder Records.

Book Binder — who died just days after one of his acoustic blues and roots music contemporaries, John Hammond — leaves behind his second wife, Nancy, whom he married in 1999, his brothers Michael and Paul, and a vast repertoire of music and memories.

Young — who cited folksinger Pete Seeger and country blues artists Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin’ Hopkins among his influences — formed The Youngbloods in the 1960s along with Jerry Corbitt (guitar, vocals) Lowell “Banana” Levinger (guitar, keyboards) and Joe Bauer (drums). The group drew international fame for its recording of “Get Together,” which was used in a public service commercial by the National Council of Christians and Jews and became an anthem for the civil rights movement.

After The Youngbloods disbanded in 1972 following the November release of its final album, High on a Ridge Top, Young –- who was born Perry Miller on November 22, 1941 in Queens, New York and adopted his stage name in the early 1960s after leaving college to become a full-time musician — resumed a solo career. Then living in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, he released a number of critically acclaimed albums for Warner Brothers Records. Among them were Together (1972), Song for Juli (1973, which remained on the Billboard 200 for nearly a year), Light Shine (1974), Songbird (1975), On the Road (1976 live album), and Love on the Wing (1977). He signed with Elektra Records in 1978, releasing American Dreams that year and The Perfect Stranger (featuring collaborations with Carly Simon and Michael McDonald) in 1982. The Highway for Heroes, his 1987 recording for Cypress Records was not as commercially successful. He and his wife Connie launched their own label, Ridgetop Music, out of their own home in Inverness, California in 1993 — both to re-release his 1970s catalog on CD as well as some new music — Makin’ It Real (1993), Swept Away (1994, featuring solo slack-key acoustic songs), and Crazy Boy (1995 compilation album).

After a forest fire destroyed their house in October 1995, Young, his wife and their two children re-located to a coffee plantation in Hawaii that he had purchased years earlier. His son Cheyanne Young, godson Ethan Turner, and former Youngbloods partner Lowell “Banana” Levinger joined Young on the album Walk the Talk (2001). That was followed by Songs for Christmas (2002) and the Hawaii-influenced album Living In Paradise on Artemis Records (2004). Young and his family moved to Aiken, South Carolina – Connie’s hometown – in 2006.

A prolific songwriter – whose songs often focused on themes of environmental awareness, peace, unity and social justice – Young was also an activist who was committed to making the world a better place. Among other things, he joined such notable artists as Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bonnie Raitt, and James Taylor and Crosby, Stills & Nash in performing as part of a number of No Nukes concerts in the late 1970s organized by Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE). Other artists have also covered several of his songs. These include “Darkness, Darkness,” which Robert Plant recorded in 2002 and for which he received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance and “Sunlight,” which Three Dog Night included on its 1970 release Naturally. Both songs previously appeared on The Youngbloods third album, Elephant Mountain (1969), which was produced by Charlie Daniels.

Although he experienced chronic Lyme disease and other health challenges in his later years, after taking a hiatus of a few years following the Lyme disease diagnosis in 2012, Young continued to perform and record until 2023. His last releases were Dreamers (2019) and Highway Troubadour (2020), both on BMG. Dreamers features topical songs on immigration and the #Me-too movement, among others, while Highway Troubadour is a solo acoustic live in-studio recording whose 11 tracks include two songs from Dreamers and reworked arrangements of a number of his classics. Although Young continued to perform live into 2023, Highway Troubadour was his final recording.

During his later years, Young also launched a podcast series called Tripping On My Roots featuring interviews, musical performances, collaborations with some of his musical peers, and lots of storytelling. He also released a series of videos called One Song at a time featuring him performing songs that spanned his entire career, while accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. Episodes of his podcast may be found on his website, jessecolinyoung.com.

Jesse Colin Young leaves behind family, friends, a legion of fans, and a vast catalog of songs and recordings.

Tyler Childers’ Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? was named Album of the Year, while Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” was named Song of the Year. Billy Strings is 2023’s Artist of the Year, while The War and Treaty is the year’s Duo/Group of the Year, and S.G. Goodman is its Emerging Act of the Year. Americana Music Association members also voted SistaStrings as Instrumentalist of the Year.

Tyler Childers (Album of the Year – Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?) is a 32-year-old singer-songwriter whose music blends neo-traditional country, bluegrass and folk. Although the crooner released his first album independently in 2011, it wasn’t until 2017 that he started to get international attention with the release of Purgatory, a breakout album that helped to prompt invites to perform at Bonnaroo, the Grand Ole Opry, Lollapalooza, Merlefest, and the Newport Folk Festival. His latest release is 2023’s Rustlin’ in the Rain. [Here’s a link to enjoy Tyler Childers’ official video for “In Your Love”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II-L8Hq0_i4.]

Bonnie Raitt (Song of the Year) is an acclaimed singer-songwriter and guitarist. A ten-time Grammy Award-winner, she has been performing and recording for more than 50 years. “Just Like That” is the title track of her 21st album — her first new release in more than six years. It also was the recipient of a coveted Grammy Award for Song of the Year, as well as Best American Roots Song in the 65th annual Grammy Awards presented by The Recording Academy earlier this year. [Here’s a link to view the official lyric video for Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skd0XR3twCA.]

The War and Treaty (Duo/Group of the Year), the husband and wife team of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, was named Duo/Group of the Year for a second consecutive year. The two, who are signed to Universal Music Group, have been performing together since 2014. Their musical repertoire features a mix of Americana, blues, country, folk, rock, and soul. The War and Treaty was previously named Artist of the Year in the 2020 International Folk Music Awards presented by Folk Alliance International and Emerging Artist of the Year in the 2019 Americana Honors and Awards. [Here’s a link to enjoy the official music video for The War and Treaty’s “Have You A Heart”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw9VYGlhQAQ.]

S.G. Goodman (Emerging Artist of the Year) is a Kentucky-born and based singer-songwriter who is signed to Verve Forecast Records. She performed at the Newport Folk Festival in 2021 and has released two albums that feature a mix of Americana, folk, country, and rock.

SistaStrings (Instrumentalist of the Year) is a duo comprised of sisters Monique (cello) and Chauntee Ross (violin), who have seen their musical fortunes rise since moving to Nashville from Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2011. As the daughters of two ministers, they grew up playing gospel and classical music in church, later expanding their musical horizons to include work on country, folk and hip-hop pr0jects. Last year, SistaStrings collaborated with Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey on his Righteous Babe album, Love Is the Only Thing – lending both their instrumental talents and vocal harmonies. They have also toured with both Allison Russell and Brandi Carlisle. [Here’s a link to enjoy the classic folk song “Shenandoah,” as performed by Peter Mulvey and SistaStrings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mLSPsKBXB0.]

Lifetime Achievement Honorees Also Recognized

Recognized as Lifetime Achievement, Trailblazer and Legacy Award honorees were The Avett Brothers, George Fontaine, Sr., Patty Griffin, Bettye LaVette, and Nickel Creek. The Avett Brothers are folk rocking’ North Carolina-based roots music icons and four-time Americana Award winners. George Fontaine, Sr. is co-founder and owner of New West Records, an indie label that has released nearly 500 albums – including many by Americana artists, as well as CDs and DVDS from the PBS television program Austin City Limits. Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter Patty Griffin is a two-time Grammy Award-winner and 2007 Americana Artist of the Year, who has released nearly a dozen albums and been an inspiration to many other artists – a number of whom have covered her songs. Bettye LaVette, the 2023 Legacy Award recipient, is a soulful singer- and interpreter of American song, whose musical career spans more than 60 years. Nickel Creek is a multiple Grammy Award-winning, innovative and virtuosic acoustic Americana, bluegrass and folk-rock band.

“This year’s Lifetime Achievement honorees represent the diverse sounds that contribute to the American roots music canon,” said Jed Hilly, the Americana Music Association’s executive director. “Our honorees have inspired this community individually and have collectively changed the landscape of the music industry.”

Musical performance highlights from the 22nd Annual Americana Honors & Awards show will be featured on a special episode of Austin City Limits that is set to air on PBS television stations on November 25.

AmericanaFest, which began Sept. 22 and continues through Sept. 25, is a festival and conference filled with daytime panel discussions and seminars and evenings chock-full of artist showcases at venues throughout the Music City. Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is a professional not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American roots music around the world. Visit americanamusic.org for more information.

CornMaiz is a nouveau old-time family string band whose debut album includes original numbers and traditional, old-time tunes from East Kentucky. The band features clawhammer banjo. Bass, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and three-part harmonies, while its live performances also include traditional Appalachian dance styles.

Bonnie Raitt is an acclaimed singer, songwriter and guitarist. A ten-time Grammy Award winner, she has been performing and recording for more than 50 years. ”Just Like That” is the title track of her 21st album, her first new release in more than six years. It recently won the coveted Grammy Award for Song of the Year. [Here’s a link to view the official lyric video for Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That:”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skd0XR3twCA]

The February 2023 top albums, songs and artists charts are based on 12, 209 airplays reported on 422 playlists submitted by 120 different folk DJs. The number of reported spins is shown below in parentheses.

Folk Alliance International (folk.org) is a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion.

Top Albums of February 2023

1. Fresh-Picked Kentucky Music by CornMaiz Stringband (76)
2. Reckonings by Eric Kilburn (66)
3. Outpourings by Craig Bickhardt (65)
4. Filament by Buddy Mondlock (61)
5. Love Hope Trust by Roger Street Friedman (60)
6. York’s Lament and Other Stories by Reggie Garrett (56)
7. Handled With Care by Jason Lang (54)
8. Beyond the Great Pause by Doug Cox and Linda McRae (50)
9. Upstate Crossroads by Tim Ball (47)
9. Valley of Stars by Ben Bedford (47)
11. Landmarks by Helene Cronin (41)
12. Snow White Memories by Irene Kelley (40)
12. Me / and / Dad by Billy Strings (40)
14. Missouri Folklore: Songs and Stories From Home by My Politic (39)
15. March of the Mollusk by Benny Bleu (37)
16. Radio John: Songs of John Hartford by Sam Bush (33)
16. How Can I Say This? by Annie Capps (33)
16. Crooked Tree by Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway (33)
19. The Old Man and the C Chord by Chris Coole (32)
20. Songs You Didn’t Know I Wrote About You by Emily White (31)
20. Rhizomes by The Squirrel Hillbillies (31)
22. One Step Away by Casey Penn (29)
22. Tribute to a Songpoet: Songs of Eric Andersen by Various Artists (29)
24. Boomerang Town by Jaimee Harris (28)
24. Just Like That by Bonnie Raitt (28)
26. Lifeline by Laura Zucker (26)
27. A Murder of Songs by Grant Peeples (25)
28. Lay Your Darkness Down by Mark Erelli (24)
28. Lost Voices by Tim Stafford and Thomm Jutz (24)
28. Skylight Intervention by Tom Glynn (24)
31. Traditional by Dave Rudolf (22)
32. Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown by Seth Avett (21)
33. Riveter by Sami Braman (20)
34. 1964 by Pat Guadagno (19)
35. Timeless Space by The Heart Collectors (18)
35. Together Through the Dark by Slaid Cleaves (18)
35. Down a Gravel Road by Ron Fetner (18)
35. The Light at the End of the Line by Janis Ian (18)
35. Traveler’s Rest by The Foreign Landers (18)
35. Further On: The Songs of Billy Conway by Various Artists (18)
41. Tell ‘Em You Were Gold by Pharis and Jason Romero (17)
41. Living in a Song by Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley (17)
41. Traveling Wildfire by Dom Flemons (17)
41. The Empress by The McDades (17)
41. Workin’ on a World by Iris Dement (17)
46. Ever-Changing by The Ruta Beggars (15)
46. Leap! by John McCutcheon (15)
48. White Trash Revelry by Adeem the Artist (14)
48. Don’t Look Down by The Burnt Pines (14)
48. So Many Wows by Lucie Blue Tremblay (14)
48. Bunchgrass by Wylie and the Wild West (14)

Top Songs of February 2023

1. “Just Like That” by Bonnie Raitt (22)
2. “The Wheel Meets the Road” by Eric Kilburn (16)
3. “Breaking the Bread” by Craig Bickhardt (14)
3. “So Far Away” by Reggie Garrett (14)
5. “Jubilee” by CornMaiz Stringband (13)
5. “Ghosts of Sugarland” by Roger Street Friedman (13)
5. “Rollin in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” by CornMaiz Stringband
(13)
8. “Filament” by Buddy Mondlock (12)
8. “Solsbury Hill” by CornMaiz Stringband (12)
8. “Beyond the Great Pause” by Doug Cox and Linda McRae (12)
8. “Strangers” by Nickel Creek (12)
12. “Stagecoach Mary” by Reggie Garrett (11)
12. “Bath County Boy” by CornMaiz Stringband (11)
14. “If Holes Were Coins” by Craig Bickhardt (10)
14. “Unchained” by Jesse Lynn Madera (10)
14. “Groundhog Day” by Fred Arcoleo (10)
14. “Jackson Petty” by Buddy Mondlock (10)
14. “Radio” by Emily White (10)
14. “Murmurations” by Ben Bedford (10)
14. “Crooked Tree” by Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway (10)
14. “Senses of Your Love” by Jason Lang (10)
14. “Valentine’s Day” by The Real Sarahs (10)
14. “I Gave My Love a Valentine” by Randall Kromm (10)
14. “Ready for the Times to Get Better” by Doug Cox and Linda McRae (10)
14. “The Welcome Song” by Jan Aldridge Clark (10)
14. “What a Life” by My Politic (10)
14. “Lucky” by Eric Kilburn (10)

Top Artists of February 2023

1. CornMaiz Stringband (76)
2. Craig Bickhardt (68)
3. Eric Kilburn (66)
4. Buddy Mondlock (64)
5. Roger Street Friedman (61)
6. Reggie Garrett (58)
7. Jason Lang (54)
8. Ben Bedford (51)
9. Doug Cox and Linda McRae (50)
10. Tim Ball (47)
11. Billy Strings (45)
12. Helene Cronin (41)
13. Irene Kelley (40)
14. My Politic (39)
14. Benny Bleu (39)
16. Bob Dylan (36)
17. Sam Bush (34)
17. Bonnie Raitt (34)
19. Willie Nelson (33)
19. Annie Capps (33)
19. Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway (33)
22. Chris Coole (32)
22. Lucy Kaplansky (32)
22. Janis Ian (32)
25. John McCutcheon (31)
25. The Squirrel Hillbillies (31)
25. Emily White (31)
28. Jaimee Harris (30)
28. Laura Zucker (30)
30. Casey Penn (29)
31. Dom Flemons (28)
31. Mark Erelli (28)
33. Eric Andersen (27)
33. Iris Dement (27)
35. Pete Seeger (26)
35. Tim Stafford and Thomm Jutz (26)
35. Grant Peeples (26)
35. Kate Macleod (26)
39. John Gorka (25)
39. David Crosby (25)

A list of winners in the Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field follows, while the complete list of Grammy Award recipients may be found at grammy.com.

Best Folk Album: Revealer – Madison Cunningham

Best American Roots Performance: “Stompin’ Ground” – Aaron Neville With The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Best American Roots Song: “Just Like That” – Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

Best Americana Album: In These Silent Days – Brandi Carlile

Best Bluegrass Album: Crooked Tree – Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Best Traditional Blues Album: Get On Board – Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder

Best Contemporary Blues Album: Brother Johnny – Edgar Winter

Best Regional Roots Music Album: Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – Ranky Tanky

Best Americana Performance: “Made Up Mind” – Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt also was the winner of the coveted Song of the Year award for “Just Like That” in the general field, while Brandi Carlile was recognized for Best Rock Performance for “Broken Homes” and Best Rock Song (“Broken Homes”) along with her co-writers Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth. Also of possible interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers: Willie Nelson received Grammy Awards for Best Country Solo Performance (“Live Forever”) and Best Country Album (A Beautiful Time), while Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) was named Best Historical Album.

The Recording Academy (grammy.com) represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Recording Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards.

Janis Ian, Molly Tuttle, Aoife O’Donovan, and Anais Mitchell Named 2023 International Folk Music Award Winners

A few nights prior to the Grammy Awards, Molly Tuttle & The Golden Highway’s Crooked Tree was named Album of the Year in the International Folk Music Awards presented by Folk Alliance International on the opening night of its annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition to winning the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass album, Tuttle was among the nominees for Best New Artist.

Although she did not win any of the three Grammy Awards for which she was nominated, Aoife O’Donovan – who also is part of the trio I’m With Her (with Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz) and formerly co-founded and fronted the string band Crooked Still – shared the International Folk Music Awards’ Song of the Year honors with Anais Mitchell. O’Donovan was recognized for “B61,” while Mitchell, who created the hit Broadway musical Hadestown, was recognized for “Bright Star.”

Here’s a link to view the official video for Aoife O’Donovan’s “B61” and a link to view the official video for Anais Mitchell’s “Bright Star.”

Janis Ian was named Artist of the Year. The singer-songwriter best known for her early hits “Society’s Child” and “At 17,” also was a recipient of an Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Award (Living) — along with the late Josh White (Legacy) and Oh Boy Records (Business/Academic). Ian was present in Kansas City to accept the award and share some remarks, while Josh White, Jr. accepted the award on behalf of his father – the most popular and influential Black folk singer of the 1930s and 1940s. Fiona Prine and her son accepted the award on behalf of their late husband/father John Prine, the revered, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and label co-founder. Following their remarks, Iris DeMent (who previously sang with Prine) and The Milk Carton Boys performed a couple of Prine’s songs.

In addition to the album, song and artist of the year awards that were voted on by FAI members, a number of other International Folk Music Awards were presented.

Singer-Songwriter Alisa Amador, a winner of NPR Music’s prestigious Tiny Desk Contest, was the recipient of the Rising Tide Award that was launched in 2021 to celebrate a new generation (under 30) artist who inspires others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through his/her creative work, community role, and public voice.

The Clearwater Award recognizing a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production was presented to the Shambala Festival — a four-day contemporary performing arts festival in Northamptonshire, England.

The People’s Voice Award was bestowed upon Leyla McCalla for unabashedly embracing social and political commentary in her creative work and career. The New Orleans-based artist, who grew up as part of a Haitian family in New York, is a multi-instrumentalist and composer. Besides being a solo artist, she has been a member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Our Native Daughters.

A recording of the International Folk Music Awards show appears on Folk Alliance International’s YouTube channel. Here’s a direct link to it.

Founded in 1999, Folk Alliance International (folk.org) is a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion.

Editor’s Note: As a Folk Alliance International board member (2014-2023), it was my pleasure to present a Spirit of Folk Award to Steve Edge, a veteran folk DJ on CITR and longtime concert & festival presenter in Vancouver, Canada. Other Spirit of Folk Award recipients included Amy Reitnouer Jacobs (the executive director of The Bluegrass Situation and a former FAI board president), Marcy Marxer (a multi-Grammy Award nominee and recipient, along with her partner Cathy Fink), Adrian Sabogal (a musician, producer, researcher, and founder of Marimbea – an organization dedicated to the well-being of the Afro-Colombian communities from Colombia’s South Pacific coast), and Pat Mitchell Worley (the longtime co-host of the syndicated roots radio show Beale Street Caravan, as well as the president and CEO of the Memphis-based Soulsville Foundation that seeks to perpetuate the soul of Stax Records).

O’Donovan received the most nominations in the American Roots Music Field. The GRAMMY award-winning singer-songwriters in the running for three 2023 GRAMMY Awards: Best Folk Album for Age of Apathy, Best American Roots Performance for “Prodigal Daughter” featuring Allison Russell, and Best American Roots Song for “Prodigal Daughter,” a co-write with Tim O’Brien. Age of Apathy, produced by GRAMMY award winner Joe Henry (Bonnie Raitt, Rhiannon Middens) is the third solo release by O’Donovan, who also is part of the trio I’m With Her (with bandmates Sara Watkins and Sara Jarosz) and formerly co-founded and fronted the string band Crooked Still.

[Click here to view a video of Aoife O’Donovan and Allison Russell performing “Prodigal Daughter,” a nominee for Best American Roots Performance and Song, during the 2021 Newport Folk Festival.]

Here’s a complete listing of the nominees in the nine categories that comprise the American Roots Music Field:

Best Americana Album:

In These Silent Days — Brandi Carlile

Things Happen That Way — Dr. John

Good To Be… — Keb’ Mo’

Raise the Roof — Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Just Like That… — Bonnie Raitt

Best Americana Performance:

“Silver Moon [A Tribute To Michael Nesmith]” — Eric Alexandrakis

“There You Go Again” — Asleep At The Wheel Featuring Lyle Lovett

“The Message” — Blind Boys Of Alabama Featuring Black Violin

“You And Me On The Rock” — Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius

“Made Up Mind” — Bonnie Raitt

Best American Roots Performance:

“Someday It’ll All Make Sense (Bluegrass Version)” — Bill Anderson Featuring Dolly Parton

“Life According to Raechel” — Madison Cunningham

“Oh Betty” — Fantastic Negrito

“Stompin’ Ground” — Aaron Neville With the Dirty Dozen Brass Band

“Prodigal Daughter” — Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell

Best American Roots Song: (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

“Bright Star” — Anaïs Mitchell, songwriter (Anaïs Mitchell)

“Forever” — Sheryl Crow & Jeff Trott, songwriters (Sheryl Crow)

“High And Lonesome” — T Bone Burnett & Robert Plant, songwriters (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)

“Just Like That” — Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

“Prodigal Daughter” — Tim O’Brien & Aoife O’Donovan, songwriters (Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell)

“You And Me On The Rock” — Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius)

Best Bluegrass Album:

Toward the Fray — The Infamous Stringdusters

Almost Proud — The Del McCoury Band

Calling You From My Mountain — Peter Rowan

Crooked Tree — Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Get Yourself Outside — Yonder Mountain String Band

Best Traditional Blues Album:

Heavy Load Blues — Gov’t Mule

The Blues Don’t Lie — Buddy Guy

Get On Board — Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder

The Sun Is Shining Down — John Mayall

Mississippi Son — Charlie Musselwhite

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

Done Come Too Far — Shemekia Copeland

Crown — Eric Gales

Bloodline Maintenance — Ben Harper

Set Sail — North Mississippi Allstars

Brother Johnny — Edgar Winter

Best Folk Album:

Spellbound — Judy Collins

Revealer — Madison Cunningham

The Light At The End Of The Line — Janis Ian

Age of Apathy — Aoife O’Donovan

Hell On Church Street — Punch Brothers

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

Full Circle — Sean Ardoin And Kreole Rock And Soul Featuring LSU Golden Band From Tigerland

Natalie Noelani — Natalie Ai Kamauu

Halau Hula Keali’i O Nalani – Live At The Getty Center — Halau Hula Keali’i O Nalani

Lucky Man — Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas

Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — Ranky Tanky

Folk Alliance International created a Spotify playlist that includes tracks by each of the artists nominated in the American Roots Music Field. Click here to view it.

Among the nominees in the 2023 GRAMMY Awards’ general categories are:

Record of the Year:

“You and Me on the Rock” — Brandi Carlile featuring Lucius

Album of the Year:

In These Silent Days — Brandi Carlile

Song of the Year:

“Just Like That” — Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

Best New Artist:

Molly Tuttle

Best Rock Performance:

“Wild Child” — The Black Keys

“Broken Horses” — Brandi Carlile

Best Rock Song:

“Broken Horses” — Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)

Best Rock Album:

Dropout Boogie — The Black Keys

The Boy Named If — Elvis Costello & the Imposters

Best Alternative Music Performance:

“Certainty” — Big Thief

Best Alternative Music Album:

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You — Big Thief

Best Country Solo Performance:

“Something in the Orange” — Zach Bryan
“Circles Around This Town”—Maren Morris

“Live Forever” — Willie Nelson

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

“Going Where the Lonely Go” — Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

Best Country Song:

“I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” — Lori McKenna and Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

“I’ll Love You Till The Day I Die” — Rodney Crowell and Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Willie Nelson)

Best Country Album:

A Beautiful Time — Willie Nelson

Best Roots Gospel Album:

The Willie Nelson Family — Willie Nelson

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package:

Black Pumas (Collector’s Edition Box Set) — Jenna Krackenberger, Anna McCaleb and Preacher, art directors (Black Pumas)

Best Album Notes:

Life’s Work: A Retrospective — Ted Olson, album notes writer (Doc Watson)

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) — Bob Mehr, album notes writer (Wilco)

Best Historical Album:

Life’s Work: A Retrospective — Scott Billington, Ted Olson and Mason Williams, compilation producers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Doc Watson)

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) — Cheryl Pawelski and Jeff Tweedy, compilation producers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Wilco)

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical:

Chloë and the Next 20th Century — Dave Cerminara and Jonathan Wilson, engineers; Adam Ayan, mastering engineer (Father John Misty)

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical:

Dan Auerbach

Born in Buffalo, New York in September 1937, Siebel taught himself guitar as a teenager and cited Hank Snow and Hank Williams among his inspirations. He later moved to New York City, where he was part of the Greenwich Village folk scene during the 1960s-early 1970s.

Although Siebel recorded a couple of albums (Woodsmoke and Oranges and Jack Knife Gypsy) for Elektra Records in 1970-1971, his songs received more attention when others covered them. Among the notable artists who have recorded his songs are David Bromberg, Willy DeVille, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Leo Kottke, Iain Matthews, Mary McCaslin, Bonnie Raitt, Rick Roberts, Linda Ronstadt, The Seldom Scene, Rosalie Sorrels, Happy Traum, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Kate Wolf. “Louise” was his signature song and has been performed and recorded by a number of artists over the years. “Spanish Johnny,” his expanded take on a poem by Willa Cather, was recorded by both Bromberg and Raitt. Most recently, The Flatlanders covered Siebel’s “The Ballad of Honest Sam” on Treasure of Love, its 2021 release.

(Here’s a link to listen to Bonnie Raitt’s recording of Siebel’s song “Louise.”)

Bromberg frequently accompanied Siebel during his live performances – including a June 9, 1978 concert at McCabe’s in Los Angeles, California that was recorded and released as a live album in 1981. Paul Siebel Live — featuring a mix of his own original songs and covers of country and blues classics — came out on Rag Baby Records, Country Joe McDonald’s label, and was Siebel’s last recording. Although he had stopped performing many years earlier, Elektra released a compilation CD in 2004 that features all 21 of the songs Siebel recorded on his two studio albums for the label.

Here’s a link to view a video of Paul Siebel performing during the Greenwich Village Folk Festival in 1993.

Musical performances will be interspersed with reflections and remembrances from those who knew Prine and some previously unseen filmed footage of him in the virtual tribute produced by his family and Oh Boy! Records. Among the notables slated to appear, according to Rolling Stone, are Dan Auerbach, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Stephen Colbert, Peter Cooper, Iris DeMent, Vince Gill, Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, Bill Murray, Margo Price, Bonnie Raitt, The Secret Sisters, Amanda Shires, Sturgill Simpson, Todd Snider, Billy Bob Thornton, and Sara Watkins – as well as Prine’s band.

Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine, which takes its name from a song that appears on his 1991 release The Missing Years, also aims to raise funds for several charitable organizations: the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Make The Road New York (a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice) and Alive Hospice, whose grief center provides free counseling to anyone in Middle Tennessee who has had a family member die of COVID-19.

As previously noted on AcousticMusicScene.com, Prine was known for his well crafted, observant, often humorous story songs featuring indelible characters and vivid imagery. In addition to recording his songs on his own albums — 15 of which made the Billboard 200 chart — many of them have been performed and recorded by a number of other artists. He won Grammy Awards for his albums The Missing Years (1991) and Fair and Square (2005). The Recording Academy honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, while he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. He also was named Artist of the Year by the Americana Music Association in 2017 and received PEN New England’s Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence Award in 2016.

Prine’s The Tree of Forgiveness (2018) was named Album of the Year in the 2019 Americana Honors & Awards presented by the Americana Music Association, reached #5 on the Billboard 200 chart, and was the most-played album on folk radio during 2018 and again in April 2020. It was Prine’s first (and last) collection of new material since Fair and Square.

Prine released his self-titled debut album in 1971. It features such classic songs as “Sam Stone” “Hello In There,” and “Paradise,” which also were the first three songs he ever performed live on stage. While a 23-year-old mailman in 1970, Prine sang his songs every Thursday night for a couple of months at The Fifth Peg, a Chicago folk club. Then-young journalist Roger Ebert stopped in for a set one night and wrote a glowing review for the Chicago Sun Times that essentially launched Prine’s career, according to his official bio. Credit Kris Kristofferson as well. He and Prine became good friends and toured extensively together over the years. Kristofferson introduced Prine to New York folk fans in 1971 by inviting him on stage during his own gig at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village.

[Winners of the Americana Music Association’s member-voted awards, shown above (l.-r.): John Prine, Brandi Carlile, I’m With Her, The War and Treaty, and Chris Eldridge. Composite image courtesy of the Americana Music Association ]

Singer-Songwriter John Prine was the big winner in The 2019 Americana Honors & Awards that were presented on Wednesday, September 11 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. His 2019 release, The Tree of Forgiveness, was named Album of the Year, while “Summer’s End” was voted Song of the Year.

An internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter, Prine has been touring and plying his craft for nearly 50 years. The Tree of Forgiveness is his first collection of new material since his Grammy-winning 2005 release, Fair and Square. It was the most-played album on folk radio during 2018 and also featured the year’s top song (“Knockin’ On You Screen Door”), according to charts compiled from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion forum for DJs and others in all folk-based music on the radio. Prine also was nominated for three Grammy Awards in the American Roots Music field last year — including Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song (for both “Knockin’ On Your Screen Door” and “Summer’s End).”

Produced by Dave Cobb, Prine’s The Tree of Forgiveness bested two other Cobb –produced albums – Amanda Shires’ To the Sunset and Lori McKenna’s The Tree – as well as British newcomer Yola’s Walk Through Fire, produced by Dan Auerbach.

“Summer’s End, –which Prine co-wrote with Pat McLaughlin– took top song honors over “By Degrees” by Mark Erelli, “Mockingbird” by Ruston Kelly, and “People Get Old” by Lori McKenna (who also was among the artists featured on Erelli’s song).

Artist of the Year honors went to Brandi Carlile, a folk-rock and Americana singer-songwriter, who also was the big winner in the American Roots Music Field during the 61st annual Grammy Awards presented by the Recording Academy in February at which her eighth album, By The Way, I Forgive You, was named Best Americana Album, while one of its tracks (“The Joke”) was named both Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song. Carlile also is part of a newly-formed group called The Highwomen.

I’m With Her — the up-and-coming female Americana-folk trio comprised of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins –- was voted Duo/Group of the Year. Named as Emerging Act of the Year was The War and Treaty, the husband-and-wife duo of Michael and Tanya Trotter, who initially wowed folks when they filled in for Buddy Miller (who produced their album, Healing Tide) during the 2017 Americana Music Festival & Conference at Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom. In accepting the award on 9-11, the duo paid tribute to everyone suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The custom-designed award for Instrumentalist of the Year was presented to Chris Eldridge, a guitarist and member of Punch Brothers, who also was a founding member of the bluegrass group The Infamous Stringdusters.

The recipients of the new Legacy of Americana Award, presented in partnership with the National Museum of African-American Music that is slated to open next year in Nashville, were Rhiannon Giddens and the late Frank Johnson. Giddens, honored for her “unstinting devotion to African-American folk tradition” currently performs solo as a powerhouse vocalist and as part of Our Native Daughters, a group of four female African-American artists that was among the nominees for Duo/Group of the Year. Formerly a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, Giddens also accepted the award for Jackson. In doing so, she referred to him as “an inextricable part of American music [whose] legacy I carry and will, God willing, pass on in my time.”

AMERICANAFEST, which began Sept. 10, continues through Sept. 15. Filled with daytime panel discussions and seminars and evenings chock-full of artist showcases at venues throughout the Music City, the annual event attracts several thousand artists, music industry professionals and fans.

Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is a professional not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American roots music around the world. For more information, visit www.americanamusic.org.

The November charts are based on 13,430 airplays reported on 524 playlists submitted by 137 different DJs. The number of reported spins is shown below in parentheses. The top albums and songs charts are compiled under the auspices of Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org), a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion. The monthly top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission.

A three-CD retrospective collection, Appleseed’s 21st Anniversary Roots & Branches, features socially conscious contemporary, folk and roots music by a wide array of established and lesser-known musicians who have recorded for Appleseed Recordings. Founded by activist attorney Jim Musselman, the Pennsylvania-based independent label is dedicated to “sowing the seeds of social justice through music and exploring the roots and branches of folk and world music,” and it contributes a percentage of its profits to environmental, human rights, and other progressive organizations.

The collection’s 57 tracks include a few previously unreleased songs by Donovan, John Wesley Harding, Tom Morello, Tim Robbins, Bruce Springsteen, Jesse Winchester, and more. Among the other featured artists are Eric Andersen, Joan Baez, Billy Bragg, David Bromberg, Jackson Browne, Aoife Clancy, Johnny Clegg, Judy Collins, Ani DiFranco, Lila Downs, Jonathan Edwards, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Dick Gaughan, John Gorka, Emmylou Harris, Kim & Reggie Harris, Levon Helm, Anne Hills, Rev. Robert B. Jones, Sharon Katz & the Peace Train, Dolores Keane, The Kennedys, Roger McGuinn, Natalie Merchant, Tom Paxton, Joel Rafael Band, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Rush, Tom Russell, Tommy Sands, Pete Seeger and his siblings Mike and Peggy, Al Stewart, John Stewart, and Sweet Honey in the Rock.

“Courage for the Morning” is the first single off Woven Waters, the sophomore release by Tellico. The Asheville, NC-based four-piece band also had November’s second most-played album on folk radio and topped the month’s Top Artists chart. Its sound blends Southern Appalachian folk, Americana, bluegrass, old time, and blues – a musical mix that the band’s Facebook page calls Appalachiacana. Noted Irish musician John Doyle produced the band’s new album.

Top Albums of November 2018

1. Appleseed’s 21st Anniversary: Roots and Branches by Various Artists (100)
2. Woven Waters by Tellico (93)
3. Pickup Cowboy by Jonathan Byrd and the Pickup Cowboys (66)
4. Horrible World by Kathy Kallick Band (63)
5. More Blood, More Tracks: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 14 by Bob Dylan (60)
6. A Startle of Wings by Noah Zacharin (57)
7. Royal Traveller by Missy Raines (47)
8. Family Recipe by Michael Jerling (42)
9. Last Day on This Earth by David Roth (41)
9. Don’t Apologize by Beth Snapp (41)
9. Reflections by Andy and Judy (41)
12. Vintage by John Flynn (40)
12. Little Beast by Lucy Wainwright Roche (40)
14. Grenades by Kaia Kater (38)
15. Where Do I Come From by Maggie Roche (36)
16. Some People I Know by The Brother Brothers (34)
17. Stardust Lodge by Grain Thief (33)
17. Home for the Harvest by Craig Bickhardt (33)
17. She Remembers Everything by Rosanne Cash (33)
20. Damn Sure Blue by Kate Campbell (32)
20. Live at the CMA Theater in the Country Music Hall of Fame by The Earls of Leicester (32)
22. Secularia by Eliza Gilkyson (31)
23. Thanksgiving by Rachel Baiman (30)
23. The Hillbenders by The Hillbenders (30)
23. Invisible Forces by The Whispering Tree (30)
23. Rize Up by Roy Zimmerman (30)
23. Pretty Bird by Kathy Mattea (30)
23. A Good Dog Is Lost: A Collection of Ron Hynes Songs by Ken Tizzard (30)
29. Everyday Street by Lucy Kaplansky (28)
29. Wings by Zoe Speaks (28)
31. Vote by Mike Laureanno (26)
31. Songs of the Plains by Colter Wall (26)
31. Rise by Lucky Nows (26)
34. Roses in November by Tret Fure (25)
34. Shout and Shine by Fink, Marxer & Gleaves (25)
36. Dance in the Street by Donna the Buffalo (23)
37. Music of Our People by Darol Anger and Emy Phelps (22)
37. The Bloom of Youth by Childsplay (22)
39. Dead Reckoning by Jellyman’s Daughter (21)
39. The Longest Night of the Year Volume One by Various Artists (21)
39. King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller by Various Artists (21)
39. Austinology – Alleys of Austin by Michael Martin Murphey (21)
43. Triumph by Kate Callahan (20)
43. Keep the Flame Alive by Spook Handy (20)
43. Down the Road Wherever by Mark Knopfler (20)
43. March Through Storms by House of Hamill (20)
43. The Man I’m Supposed to Be by Rod Abernethy (20)
43. Reckless Abandon by Susan Shann (20)
43. Welcome to the Ether by Wes Collins (20)
50. Sentimental Season by Randall Kromm (19)
50. The Man With Everything by Matt Campbell (19)
52. Live From Chester by D.B. Rielly (18)
52. Stubborn in My Blood by Tia McGraff (18)
54. The Hermit’s Spyglass by Ben Bedford (17)
54. River’s Rising by Nancy Cassidy (17)
54. Rifles and Rosary Beads by Mary Gauthier (17)
57. Stages by Storyhill (16)
57. Supposed to Fly by David Graff (16)
57. Nature by Paul Kelly (16)
57. Bright Hills by Appalucians (16)
57. No One Travels Alone by Jon Brooks (16)
57. Didn’t He Ramble: Songs of Charlie Poole by David Davis and the Warrior River Boys (16)
57. Make Your Own Luck by Mustard’s Retreat (16)
64. Sing the Winter Away by Naming the Twins (15)
64. The Broken Heart of Everything by David Francey (15)
64. Wilderness Years by Jory Nash (15)
64. Further Down the Line by Scott Cook (15)
64. Barry Abernathy and Darrell Webb Present Appalachian Road Show by Barry Abernathy and Darrell Webb (15)
64. See You Around by I’m With Her (15)
64. It’s All About the Song by Tim Hildebrandt (15)
64. Let It Pass by Stray Birds (15)
64. The River and the Light by Martha Scanlan (15)

Top Songs OF November 2018