Song of the Year honors went to Dan Navarro and Janiva Magness’ recording of “$20 Bill (for George Floyd) by the late singer-songwriter Tom Prasada-Rao. In accepting the award, Navarro (a singer-songwriter and voice actor perhaps best known for co-writing the hit song “We Belong”) noted that more than 100 artists recorded a version of Prasada-Rao’s song in 2020 “but because of the impact and the challenges of the pandemic, it never really had a proper release and we decided we would do something about that.“ Dedicating the award to Prasado-Rao, who died last year, Navarro said: “This is not just the song of the year; it’s the song of the century and the song of a lifetime.”

Here’s a link to view a video of Dan Navarro and Janiva Magness performing “$20 Bill (for George Floyd)”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeHdq817B7Y

Susan Werner’s Halfway to Houston was named Album of the Year. A prolific and versatile singer-songwriter who accompanies herself on both guitar and piano and is known for her sassy wit and classy Midwest charm, Werner was unable to be in Montreal to accept the award and sent a short video, while fellow singer-songwriter Dar Williams picked up the award on her behalf.

In addition to these FAI member-voted awards – which were open to recordings released between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024 – a number of special awards and honors were presented.

The People’s Voice Award recognizing an artist who embraces social and political commentary in his/her songs was presented to Gina Chavez, an Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter who has helped to amplify the voices of the marginalized.

The River Roads Festival received The Clearwater Award, honoring a festival that — like its Pete Seeger-founded namesake –- exhibits sound leadership in environmental stewardship and sustainable event production. A one-day event presented by Dar Williams and held in Easthampton, Massachusetts for the past two years, the next River Roads Festival is set for July 5 at Heuser Park in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Williams said that she was “so excited” to accept the award. She noted that, like Seeger was, she is a resident of New York’s Hudson Valley and recalled being on Conan O’Brien’s late-night TV talk show with him in 1998. Said Williams: “Music is an incredible force … The culture around the music can be a powerful vehicle for justice.”

The Rising tide Award, which is bestowed on an emerging artist/act of an age, went to OKAN, a female-led, Afro-Cuban roots and jazz duo.

Spirit of Folk Awards recognizing people and organizations actively engaged in the promotion and preservation of folk music were presented to Annie Capps, Innu Nikamu festival, Tom Power, and Alice Randall. Capps is a Michigan-based singer-songwriter and a longtime leader with Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM), who has served as both its board president and conference director. Innu Nikamu is a Quebec-based festival of Indigenous music and culture that has taken place for more than 30 years. Power, best known as the host of CBC Radio One’s Q program, is also a musician who performs and records with The Dardanelles, a Canadian folk band. Randall is a hit-making country music songwriter who has been a trailblazer in folk and country music. She’s also a college lecturer and the author of My Black Country, which she describes as both a memoir and a history.

“I owe my sanity to folk music,” said Randall in accepting the award. “In My Black Country, I tell the story of climbing out of the hell of being raped by holding on to the sound of John Prine singing “Angel From Montgomery.” Prine’s label, Oh Boy! Records, also released a collection of songs entitled My Black Country. Randall noted that her book “is about the Black folk, including Black folk musicians, who made country country.”

2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients included the folk-rock duo Indigo Girls (whose eponymous debut album won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording 35 years ago), the late Black Appalachian musician Lesley Riddle, and the global roots magazine Songlines. During the awards show, singer-songwriters Rose Cousins and Mary Bragg performed “Galileo,” one of the Indigo Girls’ hit songs, in tribute to the duo, while Black indigenous Canadian singer-songwriter Julian Taylor performed “Red River Blues” in tribute to Riddle.

Accepting the Legacy Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Riddle, who died in 1980 at age 75, Randall referred to him as a founder of country music and a practitioner of folk who collected and taught the Carter Family a lot of songs. “Tonight, Folk Alliance corrects an almost 100 year-old wrong” by recognizing him.

“We need folk music now more than ever,” said the Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers in a pre-recorded video. “This Folk Alliance is a group that honors diversity, equity, inclusion, and access for all. Folk music is the music of truth telling. Amy [Ray] and I are, especially in this time, particularly honored to accept this award.” Echoing her sentiments, Ray urged folks to “Please stand up with us and make your voices heard in these times … Day by day, song by song, we can make this world a better place.”

Accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Songlines, James Anderson-Hanney, its publisher, said: “I think we’re the last world music magazine on the planet.” The UK-based, glossy bimonthly that comes with CD is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary.Leading Quebecois folk ensemble Le Vent Du Nord, a 2023 Songlines award recipient, performed in honor of the magazine.

Five Inducted Into Folk Radio Hall of Fame

Eight years ago, Folk Alliance International established a Folk Radio Hall of Fame in order to recognize folk DJs and music directors for the vital role that they play by sharing the music with their listeners. Wanda Fischer, Longtime host of The Hudson River Sampler on WAMC Radio in Albany, New York and herself an inductee in the Hall of Fame, recognized this year’s inductees, while a video featuring visuals and information about them was also screened. The 2025 inductees include Taylor Caffery, Matthew Finch, Archie Fisher, MarySue Twohy, and Chuck Wentworth.

Taylor Caffery, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, has been the host Hootenanny Power of WRKF Public Radio in Baton Rouge, LA since it began airing in 1981. He’s also been recognized with WRKF’s Founder’s Award (2022) and with the Kari Estrin Founding President’s Award during the 2024 Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA) Conference.

Matthew Finch, who left our world unexpectedly in July 2024, was a beloved figure in New Mexico’s music scene, who devoted more than 20 years to KUNM in Albuquerque as its music director, and as a tireless advocate for local musicians. Through the programs Ear to the Ground and Studio 55, he created platforms for regional artists to share their music, showcasing live performances and celebrating the diversity of the state’s music community.

Archie Fisher hosted BBC Radio Scotland’s award-winning Traveling Folk program for 27 years – promoting artists and musicians of the folksong revival throughout the British Isles. A talented artist in his own right, he also hosted studio sessions and interviews with such notable American and Canadian artists as Joan Baez, Judy Collins, David Francey, and James Keelaghan. Queen Elizabeth II presented him with a MBE in 2006 for his services to music.

MarySue Twohy is a program director at SiriusXM, who currently manages The Village, its folk channel, among others. She conducts artist interviews and produces a wide array of radio programs. Formerly an artist herself, she moved into broadcasting by hosting a two-hour program 20 years ago and quickly rose to PD. She also served on the FAI board of directors for seven years and continues to serve on national music committees, and to participate in conference panels and as a songwriting contest judge.

Chuck Wentworth, who passed away last year, was a revered figure on the New England music scene – best known for his long-standing contributions as both a radio show host and a festival producer. He began hosting a folk radio show on WRIU-FM, the college radio station at the University of Rhode Island, while he was a student and Traditions aired for 38 years. He also served as the station’s folk and roots music director and expanded its folk programming from one show to five nights a week. Wentworth was also the founder and producer of the Rhythm & Roots Festival, a three-day music and dance festival in Rhode Island.

[Here’s a link to view the International Folk Music Awards Show, which also was livestreamed via YouTube and was available for viewing via Folk Alley and NPR Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVE29BZ6fBg

The International Folk Music Awards was just one part, albeit an important one, of the 37th annual Folk Alliance International Conference that extended from February 19-23 and drew nearly 2,500 attendees. In addition to more than 2,700 showcases featuring more than 700 acts (including 183 juried official showcases plus many more showcases extending into the early morning hours), the conference included a keynote conversation with Allison Russell and Ann Powers [see below], Black American Music and International Indigenous Music Summits, a one-day legal summit, 45 panel discussions and workshops, a number of affinity and peer group sessions, six film screenings and discussions, lobby jams, meetings of FAI’s regional affiliates, a town hall meeting on P2 Visas – Working Through Parity at the Canada/US Border, a popular Meet the Folk DJs session, morning yoga, an exhibit hall, agent-presenter speed networking sessions, and lots of other networking opportunities.

Artist & Activist Allison Russell Engages in Keynote Conversation with Music Journalist Anne Powers

Allison Russell — a widely acclaimed singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and activist –- returned to her hometown to engage in an hour-long keynote conversation with Anne Powers, a critic and correspondent for NPR Music. A soulful, Nashville, Tennessee-based, Montreal-born Scottish Grenadian Canadian, Russell is the recipient of more than a dozen awards. These include a Grammy Award for Best American Roots Music Performance for Eve Was Black,” a single off of her sophomore solo recording, Returner released in September 2023), Juno Awards for Contemporary Album of the Year (for her solo debut, Outside Child – 2022) and Music Video of the Year (for “Demons,” 2024), six UK Americana Music Awards, four Canadian Folk Music Awards, and two Americana Music Honors & Awards. In 2022, Folk Alliance International members voted Russell’s solo debut as Album of the Year and her as Artist of the Year. Outside Child was also named Contemporary album of the Year in the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards, while she was named Songwriter of the Year and New/Emerging Artist of the Year in recognition of the emotion-laden album featuring 11 original songs “about resilience and survival, transcendence and the redemptive power of art, community, connection, and chosen family.”

Russell has previously spoken of the abuse and trauma that she faced in her youth and the major role that music has played in helping her to overcome it .In her conversation with Powers, she recalled how, at age 15, while unhoused, she slept in the pews at a church just a few blocks from Le Sheraton Centre.

Asked about her latest album, 2023’s The Returner, she noted how she had been a challenged, broken yet brave girl. “”We come from long, broken lines of survivors. We’re all miracles. We’re all returners. We are all overcoming things.”

Much of her on-stage conversation with Powers focused on her recent portrayal of Persephone in Anais Mitchell’s award-winning Broadway musical, Hadestown. Russell noted that it was her first professional acting role and that she had not acted since performing in a Shakespearean play while in high school.

Sharing her reflections on Hadestown just days after she concluded her 50-week run as Persephone and in keeping with the “Illuminate” theme of the conference, she said: Persephone is Hades’ only source of light, of illumination in the underworld. She was the light in his life.”

Playing a mythic goddess in this time took on new connotations, she acknowledged, citing “the current fear-mongering administration in Washington” and “the bigotry and bias that can really harm communities.”

Referring to herself as “a geriatric millennial,” Russell said: “When I came up 24 years ago, there weren’t too many others who looked liked me.” Acknowledging that “our [folk] community is growing more diverse,” she spoke of being a curator during the 2021 Newport Folk Festival tasked with featuring Black and Black & queer women and their allies in the center of a 90-minute set focused on roots and revolution. ”What could be more beautiful than to be conscious, to be mindful [woke],” said Russell, noting that she’s “a queer woman who somehow married a white man with a guitar.”

Prior to embarking on her solo career, Russell was a co-founder of Our Native Daughters and Birds of Chicago and was part of Po’ Girl.

[Here’s a link to view a video recording of the keynote conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_ne2-baY8g.]

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.

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

Best American Roots Performance: “Eve Was Black” – Allison Russell

Best American Roots Song: “Cast Iron Skillet” – Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit)

Best Americana Album: Weathervanes – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Best Americana Performance: “Dear Insecurity” – Brandy Clark (featuring Brandi Carlile)

Best Bluegrass Album: City of Gold – Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

(Note: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway also won in this category last year for Crooked Tree.)

Best Folk Album: Joni Mitchell At Newport (Live) – Joni Mitchell

Best Contemporary Blues Album: Blood Harmony – Larkin Poe

Best Traditional Blues Album: All My Love For You – Bobby Rush

Best Regional Roots Music Album: New Beginnings – Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. & The Legendary Ils Sont Partis Band and Live: Orpheum Theater Nola – Lost Bayou Ramblers & Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (Tie)

Winners in other categories of potential interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers included Bela Fleck for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (As We Speak) and Best Global Music Performance (“Pashto”); Blind Boys of Alabama for Best Roots Gospel Album (Echoes of the South); Chris Stapleton for Best Country Solo Performance (“White Horse”) and Best Country Song (“White Horse”) with co-writer Dan Wilson; Lainey Wilson for Best Country Album (Bell Bottom Country); Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves for Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“I Remember Everything”); and John Carter Cash, Tommy Emmanuel, Markus Illko, Janet Robin, and Roberto Luis Rodriguez, arrangers (The String Revolution featuring Tommy Emmanuel) for Best Arrangement , Instrumental or A Cappella (“Folsom Prison Blues”).

The Recording Academy 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.

Here’s a complete listing of the nominees in the American Roots Music Field:

Best Americana Album:

• Brandy Clark — Brandy Clark
• The Chicago Sessions — Rodney Crowell
• You’re The One — Rhiannon Giddens
• Weathervanes — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
• The Returner — Allison Russell

Best Americana Performance:

• “Friendship” — The Blind Boys of Alabama
• “Help Me Make It Through The Night” — Tyler Childers
• “Dear Insecurity” — Brandy Clark featuring Brandi Carlile
• “King of Oklahoma” — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
• “The Returner” — Allison Russell

Best American Roots Performance:

• “Butterfly” — Jon Batiste
• “Heaven Help Us All” — The Blind Boys of Alabama
• “Inventing The Wheel” — Madison Cunningham
• “You Louisiana Man” — Rhiannon Giddens
• “Eve Was Black” — Allison Russell

Best American Roots Song:

• “Blank Page” — Michael Trotter Jr. & Tanya Trotter, songwriters (The War and Treaty)
• “California Sober” — Aaron Allen, William Apostol & Jon Weisberger, songwriters (Billy Strings featuring Willie Nelson)
• “Cast Iron Skillet” — Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit)
• “Dear Insecurity” — Brandy Clark & Michael Pollack, songwriters (Brandy Clark featuring Brandi Carlile)
• “The Returner” — Drew Lindsay, JT Nero & Allison Russell, songwriters (Allison Russell)

Best Bluegrass Album:

• Radio John: Songs Of John Hartford — Sam Bush
• Lovin’ Of The Game — Michael Cleveland
• Mighty Poplar — Mighty Poplar
• Bluegrass — Willie Nelson
• Me/And Dad — Billy Strings
• City Of Gold — Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Best Folk Album:

• Traveling Wildfire — Dom Flemons
• I Only See the Moon — The Milk Carton Kids
• Joni Mitchell At Newport (Live) — Joni Mitchell
• Celebrants — Nickel Creek
• Jubilee — Old Crow Medicine Show
• Seven Psalms — Paul Simon
• Folkocracy — Rufus Wainwright

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

• Death Wish Blues — Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton
• Healing Time — Ruthie Foster
• Live In London — Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
• Blood Harmony — Larkin Poe
• LaVette! — Bettye LaVette

Best Traditional Blues Album:

• Ridin’ — Eric Bibb
• The Soul Side of Sipp — Mr. Sipp
• Life Don’t Miss Nobody — Tracy Nelson
• Teardrops For Magic Slim Live At Rosa’s Lounge — John Primer
• All My Love For You — Bobby Rush

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

• New Beginnings — Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. & The Legendary Ils Sont Partis Band
• Live At The 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers
• Live: Orpheum Theater Nola — Lost Bayou Ramblers & Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
• Made In New Orleans — New Breed Brass Band
• Too Much To Hold — New Orleans Nightcrawlers
• Live At The Maple Leaf — The Rumble Featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.

Also of Note: Among the nominees for Best New Artist are The War and Treaty. Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain & Edgar Meyer featuring Rakesh Chaurasia received nominations in three categories: Best Global Music Performance (for “Pashto”), Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (for As We Speak) and Best Instrumental Composition (for “Motion”). Tyler Childers’ “In Your Love,” Brandy Clark’s “Buried” and Chris Stapleton’s “White Horse” are among those in the running for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song (along with co-writers Geno Seale, Jessie Jo Dillon and Dan Wilson, respectively). Childers’ “In Your Love” also is vying for Best Music Video, while his Rustin’ In The Rain is among the nominees for Best Country Album. Clark’s Shucked is in the running for Best Musical Theater Album. “I Remember Everything” by Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves is in the running for both Best Country Song and Best Country Duo/Group Performance, while Bryan’s self-titled album vies for Best Country 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 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.

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.

As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com (click here), winners in the 2022 Americana Honors & Awards were recognized during an awards show in Nashville, Tennessee on September 14 that is a highlight of AMERICANAFEST, a six-day festival and conference celebrating American roots-inspired music that is hosted by the Americana Music Association. Outside Child by Allison Russell was named Album of the Year, while “Right On Time” performed by Brandi Carlile (and written by her, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth) won Song of the Year. Billy Strings was named Artist of the Year, while The War And Treaty was tapped as Duo/Group of the Year. Sierra Ferrell took home Emerging Act of the Year honors, while Larissa Maestro was named Instrumentalist of the Year.

In addition to the six awards that were voted on by members of the Americana Music Association, several lifetime achievement and other special awards were presented. Fairfield Four were the recipients of the Legacy of Americana Award, while lifetime achievement awards for performance and executive went to Chris Isaak and Al Bell, respectively. The folk-rocking Indigo Girls received the Spirit of Americana/ Free Speech in Music award, while the President’s Award went to the late country music great Don Williams.

Circle Network is included in many U.S. cable providers’ channel line-ups or via your TV’s digital antenna. Circle is also available on such streaming platforms as Peacock, the Roku Channel and XUMO. In addition, ACL Presents: The 21st Annual Americana Honors, a special episode of Austin City Limits featuring performance highlights, will air on PBS stations in early 2023. Check your local listings for dates and times.

AMERICANAFEST annually draws thousands of artists, fans and music industry professionals to Nashville. It features daytime panel discussions and seminars and evenings chock-full of showcases throughout the Music City. The Americana Music Association (americanamusic.org), which produces the event, is a professional not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American roots music around the world.

Outside Child by Allison Russell was named Album of the Year, while “Right On Time” performed by Brandi Carlile (and written by her, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth) won Song of the Year. Billy Strings was named Artist of the Year, while The War And Treaty was tapped as Duo/Group of the Year. Sierra Ferrell took home Emerging Act of the Year honors, while Larissa Maestro was named Instrumentalist of the Year.

The award for Album of the Year continued an impressive winning streak for Russell, a soulful Nashville-based, Montreal-born Scottish Grenadian Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, multi-instrumentalist, producer and activist who is also a co-founder of Our Native Daughters and Birds of Chicago and was part of Po Girl. Outside Child, her solo debut album, was named Album of the Year in the International Folk Music Awards presented by Folk Alliance International and Contemporary Roots Album of the Year during Canada’s 2022 JUNO Awards ceremonies in May and Contemporary Album of the Year in the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards earlier in the year. Russell also accepted the award for Artist of the Year in the International Folk Music Awards and was named English Songwriter of the Year and New/Emerging Artist in the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Wrought with emotion, Outside Child features 11 original songs “about resilience and survival, transcendence and the redemptive power of art, community, connection, and chosen family,” says Russell, who faced abuse and trauma during her youth that music has helped her to overcome.

Having her song “Right On Time” awarded Song of the Year was yet another in a string of Americana Honors and Awards for Carlile. A folk-rock and Americana singer-songwriter who was named Artist of the Year in 2019 and also is part of The Highwomen, an all-female group that was the big winner in the 2020 Americana Honors & Awards. Its self-titled debut release won Album of the Year, while one of its tracks (“Crowded Table”) took Song of the Year honors that year and The Highwomen was also named Duo/Group of the Year. Carlile herself was the big winner in the American Roots Music Field during the 61st annual Grammy Awards presented by the Recording Academy in 2020 at which her 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.

[Here’s a link to view the official video for Brandi Carlile’s “Right On Time.”]

Artist of the Year Billy Strings has been forging a reputation in recent years as one of the standout emerging artists across all musical genres. The genre-bending, bluegrass- and acoustic music-inspired artist — whose latest album, Renewal, also incorporates elements of classic rock, heavy metal, jam band and psychedelic music –- previously received a Grammy Award for his album Home, was named Pollstar’s Breakthrough Artist of the pandemic and the International Bluegrass Music Association’s New Artist of the Year and Guitar Player of the Year.

The War and Treaty, this year’s Duo/Group of the Year, is the husband and wife team of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter. The two have been performing together since 2014. Their musical repertoire features a mix of Americana, blues, country, folk, rock, and soul. The duo, who signed to Universal Music Group in Nashville earlier this year, was named Artist of the Year in the 2020 International Folk Music Awards and Emerging Artist of the Year in the 2019 Americana Honors and Awards.

Emerging Act of the Year Sierra Ferrell is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music is an eclectic blend of bluegrass, country, folk, gypsy jazz, and Latin stylings. Ferrell, who records for Rounder, is a West Virginia native who now calls Nashville home.

Instrumentalist of the Year Larissa Maestro is a Filipinx multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, producer, recording artist, and Star Trek-related podcast co-host. Born in Ames, Iowa and raised in Ithaca, New York, she is now based in Nashville.

In addition to the six awards that were voted on by members of the Americana Music Association, several lifetime achievement and other special awards were presented. Fairfield Four were the recipients of the Legacy of Americana Award, while lifetime achievement awards for performance and executive went to Chris Isaak and Al Bell, respectively. The folk-rocking Indigo Girls received the Spirit of Americana/ Free Speech in Music award, while the President’s Award went to the late country music great Don Williams.

For those who missed or want to view the Americana Honors & Awards show again, it will air on Circle Network on Wednesday, November 23 at 9 p.m. CT. In addition, ACL Presents: The 21st Annual Americana Honors, a special episode of Austin City Limits featuring performance highlights, will air on PBS stations in early 2023. Check your local listings for dates and times.

AMERICANAFEST annually draws thousands of artists, fans and music industry professionals to Nashville. Besides the annual honors and awards show, it features daytime panel discussions and seminars and evenings chock-full of showcases throughout the Music City. The Americana Music Association (americanamusic.org), which produces the event, is a professional not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American roots music around the world.

2021 Artist, album, and Song of the Year winners were selected by FAI’s voting membership from among groups of finalists based on U.S., Canadian, and international industry year-end lists, as well as folk radio airplay. As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com and recounted below, Lifetime Achievement and Spirit of Folk Awards were also presented, as were several other awards.

A co-founder of Our Native Daughters and Birds of Chicago, and formerly part of Po’ Girl, Russell was recognized for her debut solo album, Outside Child. The album was also recently named Contemporary Roots Album of the Year in the Juno Awards and Contemporary Album of the Year in 2022 Canadian Folk Music wards, while she was named English Songwriter of the Year and New/Emerging Artist of the Year in recognition of it. Outside Child also was nominated for a Grammy for Best Americana album and is among the Americana Honors & Awards nominees for album of the year. Wrought with emotion, its 11 original songs are “about resilience and survival, transcendence and the redemptive power of art, community, connection, and chosen family,” says Russell, who faced abuse and trauma during her youth that music has helped her to overcome.

Here’s a link to view the official video for “Nightflyer, one of the tracks on Russell’s award-winning debut album Outside Child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNJgwj8d9eo.

Social Justice Songwriter Crys Matthews’ “Changemakers” Named “Song of the Year” for 2021

“Changemakers,” the title track of Crys Matthews’ 2021 release, the fourth most-played album of the year on folk radio according to the FAI Folk Charts, was named Song of the Year.

Frequently described as a social justice songwriter, Matthews is a prolific lyricist, composer and multi-instrumentalist whose music blends Americana, blues, bluegrass, folk, funk, and jazz, along with socially conscious themes. Joined by Heather Mae on harmony vocals, she performed “Changemakers” during the International Folk Music Awards Show. Here’s a link to view that performance: https://youtu.be/zVSvYScUtnU?t=6856. And here’s one to view a World One Video recording of the song by JB Nuttle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZbJk-WXaSw.

As the daughter of an A.M.E. preacher, in a small town in southeastern North Carolina, Matthews, who is now based in Nashville, grew up singing in her family’s church and witnessed the power of music from an early age. She won the 2017 NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition and also was named the winner of the People’s Music Network’s Social Justice Songs Showcase during that year’s Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference.

“Thank you all so much for all of your love and support in helping to make “Changemakers” the International Folk Music Awards’ Song of the Year,” said Matthews. I could not be more humbled, pleased and overjoyed in having such an important song recognized in that way and that would have never happened if it were not for you – and that’s everyone from the fans who fell in love with that album and listened to it nonstop to, especially, the folk DJs who made sure that that song was in their rotation from the moment it came out well into now and just never let up and just kept showing the album in general so much love, especially “Changemakers,” the title track. I’m so grateful to all of you… This little Aries right here is humbled and in an absolute puddle of love and joy because of all of you.I am so filled with gratitude.”

Jason Mraz, Planet Bluegrass and Mali Obomsawin Honored

Jason Mraz, a multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter known for his positivity and commitment to conservation, ending world hunger, human rights, and LGBTQIA+ issues, received The People’s Voice Award, which is presented to an individual who unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in his/her/their creative work and public careers. Mraz took part in a nonprofit rescue mission in Ghana to liberate children sold into slavery, performed in Myanmar to raise awareness about human trafficking, participated in Farm Aid, visited Antartica to help raise awareness about the environment and climate change, and was present at Standing Rock. His own foundation supports multiple organizations addressing issues to which he is committed and, in 2020, Mraz donated all profits from his Look for the Good album to Black Lives Matter and other groups working toward equality and justice.

Mraz could not be in Kansas City and expressed thanks for the honor via a pre-recorded video. “I was a little shy at first, thinking I’m too young for this award, that I haven’t done or said enough,” he stated. “Then I realized those thoughts and feelings never go away, that nagging thought that I haven’t done enough. But it’s that nagging thought that is indication that we still have energy to give and want to and will,” Mraz continued. “In my few years lapping the planet, I found solace in seeing political and geographic borders dissolve when the lights go down and a concert begins – a clear reminder that we are all just humans connected by stories and/or the energy and vibe of a song… It’s always good to inspire in a song because you never know who’s listening… Thank you for this acknowledgement. It really means a lot.”

Steve Szymanski, vice president and co-founder of Lyons, Colorado-based Planet Bluegrass accepted the Clearwater Award, which is presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production. For more than 30 years, the organization that produces Telluride Bluegrass, Rockygrass Festivals, and Rocky MTN Folks Festival has embraced a “Leave No Trace” ethic and demonstrated environmental leadership by engaging in strategic community-level plans and programs to center the idea of stewardship. Planet Bluegrass is a certified public benefit corporation— a legal entity recognized formally as committed to business practices that are sustainable and beneficial to society and the environment. At each of its respective festivals, Planet Bluegrass incentivizes reuse over recycling. This includes a reusable plate program, annually monitoring and reporting on waste diversion of more than 60% (twice that of the U.S. national average), employing solar power to offset more than 10 tons of CO2 emissions annually, providing composting and compostable bottles, offering free filtered water on site, and donating leftover festival food to local community organizations.

Mali Obomsawin accepted the Rising Tide Award via a pre-recorded video. The award was established in 2021 to celebrate a new generation (under 30) artist who inspires others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice. An award-winning Smithsonian Folkways Recordings artist from Odanak Wabanaki First Nation, Obamsawin is a member of the band Lula Wiles, as well as a journalist and the founder and executive director of the Bomazeen Land Trust.

Flaco Jiménez, Nanci Griffith and Swallow Hill Music Recognized for Lifetime Achievement

The Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented annually to honor the cultural impact of legendary folk music figures: one Living, one Legacy, and one Business/Academic. This year’s honorees are Conjunto accordionist Flaco Jiménez; the late singer-songwriter and interpreter Nanci Griffith; and folk music organization Swallow Hill Music.

Nanci Griffith, whose music straddled the line between folk and country, a style that she affectionately called “folkabilly,” died on August 13, 2021 at age 68. She was best known for her colorful, narrative tales of small town life that she sang in her warm, crystalline pure voice with a Texas twang. Many of her songs were covered and recorded by other notable artists. An early Kerrville New Folk Winner and a 1995 inductee into the Austin Music Hall of Fame, Griffith was honored by the Americana Music Association with its Lifetime Americana Trailblazer Award in 2008 and received a BBC Radio 2 Folk Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. She released her 18th and last studio album, Intersection, in 2012. Griffith’s1993 Elektra release Other Voices, Other Rooms – featuring interpretations of 17 songs by other songwriters who had inspired her – won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

[Here’s a link to listen to Griffith’s poignant recording of “Love at the Five and Dime”:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgGG61nQX0w.]

Swallow Hill Music is a Denver, Colorado-based nonprofit music organization that provides music education, outreach, programming, and concerts for more than 138,000 people annually. Focused on diverse music traditions on stage and in the classroom, Swallow Hill’s organizational values promote inclusiveness. Its school offers music education to all ages, while Swallow Hill also hosts open stages and jams that are open to members and non-members alike. Its community and school outreach programs (including assemblies, field trips and in-school and after-school enrichment activities) have reached thousands of students in the Denver metro area.

Six Individuals Receive Spirit of Folk Awards

Spirit of Folk Awards honor and celebrate people and organizations actively involved in the promotion and preservation of folk music through their creative work, community building, and demonstrated leadership. Recipients included Eugene Rodriguez (musician, educator, documentary producer, and founder of Los Cenzontles — both as a band and as a nonprofit music academy and community space for Latinx artists, youth, and families in the San Francisco Bay area); Lilli Lewis (composer, producer, performing artist, and vice president & head of A &R for Louisiana Red Hot Records); Gaelyn Lea (musician, disability rights activist, co-founder and vice president of RAMPD – Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities, 2016 NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner, and an in-demand speaker); Erin Benjamin (president & CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association, and formerly a singer-songwriter, label owner, and the first executive director of Folk Music Ontario); Amado Espinoza (Bolivian-American multi-instrumentalist, composer and instrument maker, and co-founder of Resonation Music and Arts — using educational programming to inspire curiosity and respect for world cultures through music, dance, and storytelling); and Shain Shapiro (Sound Diplomacy founder and CEO, whose work has influenced more than 75 cities and countries to invest in music and culture).

In addition to the awards, Angela Page (host of Folk Plus on hydro-powered WJFF 90.5 FM Radio Catskill in Jeffersonville, New York since the early 1990s) and Dr. Jonathan Overby (a DJ and Wisconsin Public Radio host who is also an internationally recognized ethnomusicologist and scholar) were inducted into the Folk DJ Hall of Fame.

Folk Alliance International (folk.org) is a Kansas City, Missouri-based nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion. Founded in 1989 to connect folk music leaders aiming to sustain the community and genre, it is currently led by Aengus Finnan, who steps down as its executive director next month. “It’s been the personal and professional honor of my life to serve this community and this organization,” he said during the awards show. Finnan, himself, was honored the previous week with the SERFA Founders’ Award during the annual Southeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Editor’s Note: As a Folk Alliance International board member, it was my pleasure to join my friend and board colleague Rosalyn Dennett, executive director of Folk Music Ontario, in presenting the Spirit of Folk Awards to Amado Espinoza and Gaelynn Lea.

A soulful Nashville, Tennessee-based, Montreal-born Scottish Grenadian Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and activist, Allison Russell is also a co-founder of Our Native Daughters and Birds of Chicago and was part of Po’ Girl. Outside Child is her debut solo album and was also recently chosen as Contemporary Album of the Year in the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards, while she was named English Songwriter of the Year and New/Emerging Artist of the Year in recognition of it.

Wrought with emotion, Outside Child features 11 original songs “about resilience and survival, transcendence and the redemptive power of art, community, connection, and chosen family,” says Russell, who faced abuse and trauma during her youth that music has helped her to overcome. She is also among the nominees for both Album and Artist of the year in the International Folk Music Awards to be presented by Folk Alliance International on May 18 in Kansas City, Missouri on the opening night of its annual conference.

Maria Dunn is a Scotland-born, Edmonton, Alberta-based singer-songwriter who describes herself as a storyteller through song and accompanies herself on both guitar and accordion. She writes melodic, often socially aware, songs about ordinary people, while her music fuses Celtic folk with elements of bluegrass and country.

Joyful Banner Blazing is Dunn’s first release in four years and her seventh in a career spanning more than 20 years. Produced by Sharon Johnson of the Juno Award-winning band The McDades (as were her six previous independent releases), Joyful Banner Blazing celebrates resilience, grace, gratitude, solidarity, joy, and the love that fires our actions to make the world a better place. Thrice nominated for Junos, Dunn won an Edmonton Music Prize for her previous album, 2016’s Gathering. Her songs have been recorded Niamh Parsons and The Outside Track, among others, while one of them (“God Bless Us Everyone”) appears in the Rise Again songbook.

A complete list of Juno Awards winners can be found, along with additional information, on line at junoawards.ca.

Flaco Jiménez, Nanci Griffith and Swallow Hill Music to be Recognized for Lifetime Achievement

The Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented annually to honor the cultural impact of legendary folk music figures: one Living, one Legacy, and one Business/Academic. This year’s honorees are Conjunto accordionist Flaco Jiménez; the late singer-songwriter and interpreter Nanci Griffith; and folk music organization Swallow Hill Music.

Griffith, whose music straddled the line between folk and country, a style that she affectionately called “folkabilly,” died on August 13, 2021 at age 68. She was best known for her colorful, narrative tales of small town life that she sang in her warm, crystalline pure voice with a Texas twang. Many of her songs were covered and recorded by other notable artists. An early Kerrville New Folk Winner and a 1995 inductee into the Austin Music Hall of Fame, Griffith was honored by the Americana Music Association with its Lifetime Americana Trailblazer Award in 2008 and received a BBC Radio 2 Folk Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. She released her 18th and last studio album, Intersection, in 2012. Griffith’s1993 Elektra release Other Voices, Other Rooms – featuring interpretations of 17 songs by other songwriters who had inspired her – won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Here’s a link to listen to Griffith’s poignant recording of “Love at the Five and Dime.”

Swallow Hill Music is a Denver, Colorado-based nonprofit music organization that provides music education, outreach, programming, and concerts for more than 138,000 people annually. Focused on diverse music traditions on stage and in the classroom, Swallow Hill’s organizational values promote inclusiveness. Its school offers music education to all ages, while Swallow Hill also hosts open stages and jams that are open to members and non-members alike. Its community and school outreach programs (including assemblies, field trips and in-school and after-school enrichment activities) have reached thousands of students in the Denver metro area.

Jason Mraz, Planet Bluegrass and Mali Obomsawin to be Honored

Jason Mraz, the multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter known for his positivity and commitment to conservation, ending world hunger, human rights, and LGBTQIA+ issues, will receive The People’s Voice Award, which is presented to an individual who unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in his/her/their creative work and public careers. Mraz took part in a nonprofit rescue mission in Ghana to liberate children sold into slavery, performed in Myanmar to raise awareness about human trafficking, Participated in Farm Aid, visited Antartica to help raise awareness about the environment and climate change, and was present at Standing Rock. His own foundation supports multiple organizations addressing issues to which he is committed and, in 2020, Mraz donated all profits from his Look for the Good album to Black Lives Matter and other groups working toward equality and justice.

Colorado-based Planet Bluegrass will receive the Clearwater Award, which is presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production. For more than 30 years, the organization that produces Telluride Bluegrass, RockyGrass , and Rocky MTN Folks Festival has embraced a “Leave No Trace” ethic and demonstrated environmental leadership by engaging in strategic community-level plans and programs to center the idea of stewardship. Planet Bluegrass is a certified public benefit corporation— a legal entity recognized formally as committed to business practices that are sustainable and beneficial to society and the environment. At each of its respective festivals, Planet Bluegrass incentivizes reuse over recycling. This includes a reusable plate program, annually monitoring and reporting on waste diversion of more than 60% (twice that of the U.S. national average), employing solar power to offset more than 10 tons of CO2 emissions annually, providing composting and compostable bottles, offering free filtered water on site, and donating leftover festival food to local community organizations.

Mali Obomsawin will receive the Rising Tide Award that was established in 2021 to celebrate a new generation (under 30) artist who inspires others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice. An award-winning Smithsonian Folkways Recordings artist from Odanak Wabanaki First Nation, Obamsawin is a member of the band Lula Wiles, as well as a journalist and the founder and executive director of the Bomazeen Land Trust.

FAI Members to Determine Album, Song and Artist of the Year Award Recipients From Among 15 Finalists

A listing of the finalists for the 2021 album, song, and artist of the year awards based on US, Canadian, and international industry year-end lists, as well as folk DJ airplay, follows. Winners are determined by the voting membership of FAI (with the ballot open until April 15).

Album of the Year

They’re Calling Me Home by Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
Wary + Strange by Amythyst Kiah
Un Canto por México, Vol. 2 by Natalia Lafourcade
Outside Child by Allison Russell
The Fray by John Smith

Song of the Year

“On Solid Ground” by Reggie Harris
“Painted Blue” by Sarah Jarosz
“We Believe You” by Diana Jones
“Call Me A Fool” by Valerie June
“Changemakers” by Crys Matthews

Artist of the Year

The Longest Johns
Kalani Pe’a
Allison Russell
Arooj Aftab
John Francis Flynn

Six Spirit of Folk Awards to be Presented

Spirit of Folk Awards honor and celebrate people and organizations actively involved in the promotion and preservation of folk music through their creative work, community building, and demonstrated leadership. The 2022 recipients will include Eugene Rodriguez (musician, educator, documentary producer, and founder of Los Cenzontles — both as a band and as a nonprofit music academy and community space for Latinx artists, youth, and families in the San Francisco Bay area); Lilli Lewis (composer, producer, performing artist, and vice president & head of A &R for Louisiana Red Hot Records); Gaelyn Lea (musician, disability rights activist, co-founder and vice president of RAMPD – Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities, 2016 NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner, and an in-demand speaker); Erin Benjamin (president & CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association, and formerly a singer-songwriter, label owner, and the first executive director of Folk Music Ontario); Amado Espinoza (Bolivian-American multi-instrumentalist, composer and instrument maker, and co-founder of Resonation Music and Arts — using educational programming to inspire curiosity and respect for world cultures through music, dance, and storytelling); and Shain Shapiro (Sound Diplomacy founder and CEO, whose work has influenced more than 75 cities and countries to invest in music and culture).

Folk Alliance International is a Kansas City, Missouri-based nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion. For more information on the organization, its annual conference, Artists in Residence program, online programming, and the International Folk Music Awards, visit folk.org. Click here to view a recording of the April 7 awards announcement.

Russell was named English Songwriter of the Year and New/Emerging Artist of the Year in recognition of her debut solo album, Outside Child, which was chosen as Contemporary Album of the Year. A soulful Nashville-based, Montreal-born Scottish Grenadian Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and activist, she is also a co-founder of Our Native Daughters and Birds of Chicago and was part of Po’ Girl.

Wrought with emotion, Outside Child features 11 original songs “about resilience and survival, transcendence and the redemptive power of art, community, connection, and chosen family,” says Russell, who faced abuse and trauma during her youth that music has helped her to overcome. She showcased her talents and also served as the weekend closing curator at the 63rd annual Newport Folk Festival.

Here’s a link to view Russell’s short 2021 highlights video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QzDTi2GWjI and one to view the official video for her song “Nightflyer,” the first single off Outside Child.

Dind-Lavoie is a Quebecois multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. As its name suggests, his album Archives is an anthology of archival recordings – in this case field recordings of French-Canadian traditional songs of the 1940s and 1950s, which he accompanies and embellishes with an array of acoustic instruments and sound effects. Recorded last April, Archives also received the 2021 aux prix GAMIQ for Traditional Album of the Year and du prix Aldor creation 2021 du Festival Trad de Montreal.

With Archives, Dind-Lavoie sought to “highlight [and pay tribute to] the quality of these performers, as well as the work of the folklorists who, in a time when there was almost nothing archived, went out into the field to collect these songs, which had to represent a colossal amount of work. In a Facebook post, he referred to his wins as “pretty surreal” and noted that the Oliver Schroer Award recognizing musical innovation especially warms his heart. “What a great idea of a category and a great tribute to this great musician, wrote Dind-Lavoie who, himself, expressed thanks to Corne de brume, Louis Morneau and Marie Pierre Lecault “and to all those shadow singers/musicians who find themselves unknowingly on this album and have to wonder what’s going on from the stars: Benoit Benoit, Joseph Larade, Alphonse Morneau, the Brideau family, Jeanne Savoie, Madeleine Lemieux, Azade Benoit, Eddy Arsenault, Edouard Sanschagran, Henry Poitras.”

Here’s a video link to see Dind-Lavoie accompany a 1957 archival recording of singer Joseph Larade on piano.

The Canadian Folk Music Awards were established in 2005 to bring greater exposure to the breadth and depth of Canadian folk music, celebrating and promoting it in all its forms. More than 100 jurors, located across Canada and representing all of its official provinces, territories and languages determine the recipients in each category. While the awards were presented virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s leading folk music event – including awards concerts and nominee showcases – adopted a hybrid model this year featuring both live and pre-recorded performances that were presented both to an audience at The Guild, a 160-seat venue in Charlottetown, PEI, and via livestream. Chelsey June of the husband-and-wife duo Twin Flames and Benoit Bourque co-hosted the event. While some honorees accepted their awards in-person, others did so via video.

A complete list of 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards winners follows, while more information may be found online at folkawards.ca.

Children’s Album of the Year / Album jeunesse de l’année

• Heart Parade by/par Splash ‘N Boots (Ontario)

Contemporary Album of the Year / Album contemporain de l’année

• Outside Child by/par Allison Russell (Quebec)

Contemporary Singer of the Year / Chanteur contemporain de l’année

• Rob Lutes for/pour Come Around (Quebec)

English Songwriter(s) / Auteur compositeur(s) Anglophone

• Allison Russell for/pour Outside Child (Quebec)

Ensemble of the Year / Groupe de l’année

• Elliott Brood for/pour Keeper (Ontario)

French Songwriter(s) of the Year / Auteur-compositeur(s) francophone de l’année

• Reney Ray for/pour À l’ouest du réel (Quebec)

Global Roots Album of the year/ Album traditions du monde de l’année
(Note: This replaces the World Album of the Year.)

• Wutiko by/par Elage Diouf (Quebec)

Indigenous Songwriter(s) of the Year / Auteur compositeur(s) autochtone de l’année

• Chelsey June & Jaaji for/pour Omen (Quebec)

Instrumental Group of the Year / Groupe instrumental de l’année

• Frank Evans & Ben Plotnick for/pour Madison Archives (Ontario)

Instrumental Solo artist of the Year / Instrumentiste solo de l’année

• Cédric Dind-Lavoie for/pour Archives (Quebec)

New/Emerging Artist(s) of the Year / Artiste(s) de la relève de l’année

• Allison Russell for/pour Outside Child (Quebec)

Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award / Prix Innovation musicale Oliver Schroer

• Cédric Dind-Lavoie for/pour Archives (Quebec)

Producer(s) of the Year / Réalisateur(s) de l’année

• Cédric Dind-Lavoie, Corne de brume for/pour Archives (Quebec)

Single of the Year / Monoplage de l’année

• “Gospel First Nation” by/par William Prince (Manitoba)

Solo Artist of the Year / Artiste solo de l’année

• Alicia Toner for/pour Joan (Prince Edward Island)

Traditional Album of the Year / Album traditionnel de l’année

• Kitchen Days by/par Braden Gates (Alberta)

Traditional Singer of the Year / Chanteur traditionnel de l’année

• Ewelina Ferenc (of Polky) for/pour Songs From Home (Ontario)

Vocal Group of the Year / Groupe vocal de l’année

• Twin Flames for/pour Omen (Quebec)

Young Performer(s) of the Year / Jeune artiste(s) de l’année

• Isabella Samson for/pour If It’s Not Forever (Nova Scotia)

As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com, the Slaight Music Unsung Hero Award was presented to Genevieve Nadeau. A leading figure in Quebec’s trad music and song scene, Nadeau manages the Quebecois folk group Le Vent du Nord, co-founded and runs La Compagnie due Nord – producing hundreds of concerts annually around the world, and produces CDs and music videos, helped launch the Festival Chants de Vielles, serves on the board of Folquebec, and has been a cultural ambassador for Quebecois music.

The Canadian Folk Music Awards also paid tribute to Grit and Judith Laskin, stalwarts of the Canadian folk music scene and founding board members of the CFMAs.