Also featured will be Buddy Miller, the show’s musical director, leading his Americana All-Star Band comprised of Don Was, The McCrary Sisters. Bryon Owings, Jerry Pentecost, Jen Gunderman, Jim Hoke, and Larry Campbell. Check your local TV listings or click on the link that follows (https://www.pbs.org/tv_schedules/), insert your zip code and search for “Americana” to find out when the show airs in your area.

Winners in the 2024 Americana Honors and Awards were recognized during an awards show in Nashville, Tennessee in September 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.

Sierra Ferrell’s Trail of Flowers (produced by Eddie Spear and Gary Paczosa) was named Album of the Year, while Ferrell was named Artist of the Year. The Duo/Group of the Year award was bestowed on Larkin Poe, while The Red Clay Strays were named Emerging Act of the Year and Grace Bowers was named Instrumentalist of the Year. “Dear Insecurity” by Brandy Clark& featuring Brandi Carlile (written by Clark and Michael Pollack) was named Song of the Year.

In addition to the six awards that were voted on by members of the Americana Music Association, Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Dave Alvin, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Rev. Gary Davis, Shelby Lynne, Don Was, and Dwight Yoakam

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.

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.

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).

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.

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

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.

Brandi Carlile, a folk-rock and Americana singer-songwriter who was named Artist of the Year for a second time during the awards show that was presented at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee last September 22, is among the artists whose performances were captured for this special episode. Also featured — in order of appearance — are performances by Fisk Jubilee Singers with Leon Timbo, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Joe Henry, Allison Russell, The Highwomen (Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hembry, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires) with Yola, Jason Isbell, Valerie June and Carla Thomas, Emerging Act Award-winner Charley Crockett, Amythyst Kiah, Buddy Miller (the show’s musical director), and The Mavericks. The Fisk Jubilee Singers, The Mavericks and “Queen of Memphis Soul” Carla Thomas were recognized as Lifetime Achievement Award honorees last September.

The Americana Honors & Awards show is a centerpiece of the annual AmericanaFest, a multi-day celebration of American roots-inspired music put on by the Americana Music Association each fall. A combination festival and conference, it is 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.

Here’s a link to an article about the Americana Honors & Awards that was posted on AcousticMusicScene.com on September 23, 2021.

Here are the nominees in the America Roots Music Field as announced via a livestream on November 23. Winners in these categories will likely be announced just prior to the star-studded Grammy Awards show that airs on CBS television stations across The United States. Check your local TV listings.

Best American Roots Performance:

• “Cry” – Jon Batiste
• “Love and Regret” – Billy Strings
• “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” – The Blind Boys Of Alabama & Béla Fleck
• “Same Devil” – Brandy Clark Featuring Brandi Carlile
• “Nightflyer” – Allison Russell

Best American Roots Song:

• “Avalon” – Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson & Francesco Turrisi, songwriters (Rhiannon Giddens With Francesco Turrisi)
• “Call Me A Fool” – Valerie June, songwriter (Valerie June Featuring Carla Thomas)
• “Cry” – Jon Batiste & Steve McEwan, songwriters (Jon Batiste)
• “Diamond Studded Shoes” – Dan Auerbach, Natalie Hemby, Aaron Lee Tasjan & Yola, songwriters (Yola)
• “Nightflyer” – Jeremy Lindsay & Allison Russell, songwriters (Allison Russell)

Best Americana Album:

• Downhill from Everywhere – Jackson Browne
• Leftover Feelings – John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band
• Native Sons – Los Lobos
• Outside Child – Allison Russell
• Stand for Myself – Yola

Best Bluegrass Album:

• Renewal – Billy Strings
• My Bluegrass Heart – Béla Fleck
• A Tribute to Bill Monroe – The Infamous Stringdusters
• Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions) – Sturgill Simpson
• Music is What I See – Rhonda Vincent

Best Traditional Blues Album:

• 100 Years of Blues – Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite
• Traveler’s Blues – Blues Traveler
• I Be Trying – Cedric Burnside
• Be Ready When I Call You – Guy Davis
• Take Me Back – Kim Wilson

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

• Delta Kream – The Black Keys featuring Eric Deaton & Kenny Brown
• Royal Tea – Joe Bonamassa
• Uncivil War – Shemekia Copeland
• Fire It Up – Steve Cropper
• 662 – Christine “Kingfish” Ingram

Best Folk Album:

• One Night Lonely [Live] – Mary Chapin Carpenter
• Long Violent History – Tyler Childers
• Wednesday [Extended Edition] – Madison Cunningham
• Theyr’e Calling Me Home – Rhiannon Giddens with FranciscoTurrisi
• Blue Heron Suite – Sarah Jarosz

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

• In New Orleans! – Sean Ardoin and Kreole Rock and Soul
• Bloodstains & Teardrops – Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
• My People – Cha Wa
• Corey Ledet Zydeco – Corey Ledet Zydeco
• Kau Ka Pe’a – Kalani Pe’a

Also of note: Folk-rock and Americana singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile — who was the big winner in the American Roots Music Field during the 61st annual Grammy Awards in February 2019, with Grammy Awards for Best American Album, Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song — is in the running for Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Right On Time,” while “A Beautiful Noise,” a co-write with Ruby Amanfu, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry & Hailey Whitters that she recorded with Keys is also up for Song of the Year. Black Pumas are in the running for Best Rock Performance (“Know You Better” – Live from Capitol Studio A) and Best Rock Album (Capitol Cuts – Live from Studio A). Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967), produced by Patrick Milligan & Joni Mitchell, is among the nominees for Best Historical Album, while Girl From The North Country (Simon Hale, Conor McPherson, Dean Sharenow, and Bob Dylan) is in the running for Best Musical Theater Album. Chris Stapleton is among the nominees for Best Country Solo Performance (“You Should Probably Leave”), Best Country Album (Starting Over) and Best Country Song (“Cold” a co-write with Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, and Derek Mixon). Jason Isbell is also in the running for Best Country Solo Performance (“All I Do is Drive’), while Sturgill Simpson’s The Ballad of Dodd & Juanita is among the nominees 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.

Sturgill Simpson’s Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 (The Butcher Shoppe Sessions), his first bluegrass project, was named Album of the Year. It’s one of two albums that he released in 2020 featuring bluegrass interpretations of songs from his early solo recordings, as well as with his former band Sunday Valley. To date, Simpson, a Kentucky-bred and Nashville-based singer-songwriter who is often compared to outlaw country artists, has released seven solo albums — including The Ballad of Dodd and Juliana just last month. He was previously honored as Emerging Artist of the Year in 2014, while his “Turtles All the Way Down” was named Song of the Year in the 2015 Americana Honors & Awards. A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, his third studio album, received a Grammy Award for Best Country Album in 2017, while Simpson was named International Artist of the Year in the UK Americana Awards that year.

Fiona Prine, widow of the late John Prine and president of Oh Boy Records, accepted the award for Song of the Year on behalf of the late internationally acclaimed and revered singer-songwriter, who died in April 2020 at the age of 73 from complications of the coronavirus (COVID-19) Prine was recognized for “I Remember Everything,” a co-write with Pat McLaughlin, which was the last original song that he recorded. Earlier this year, Prine, who toured and plied his craft for nearly 50 years, posthumously received a Grammy for Best American Roots Performance for “I Remember Everything” and shared the Grammy for Best American Roots Song with McLaughlin. Carlile performed the song during the Grammy Awards Show telecast in his honor and was joined by Margo Price and Amanda Shires (with whom she is part of The Highwomen, the all-female group that dominated last year’s awards) in doing so during the Americana Honors & Awards show.

Known for his well crafted, observant, often humorous story songs featuring indelible characters and vivid imagery, Prine was a 2003 Americana Lifetime Achievement honoree for songwriting. He was named Artist of the Year in 2020 and was the big winner in 2019’s Americana Honors & Awards. His 2019 release, The Tree of Forgiveness, was named Album of the Year, while “Summer’s End” was voted Song of the Year. Prine, who previously won Grammy Awards for two of his albums, also was honored by The Recording Academy with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

Black Pumas, an Austin, Texas-based psychedelic soul band, was named Group/Duo of the Year after having been voted Emerging Act of the Year in 2020. Actor Kiefer Sutherland accepted the award on the band’s behalf since its members were unable to attend. Charley Crockett, an Americana, blues and neo-country singer-songwriter from south Texas, who has released ten albums since 2015, accepted the Emerging Act of the Year Award, while Kristin Weber, a Nashville-based fiddler who has been touring worldwide and recording for 14 years, was honored as Instrumentalist of the Year.

Recognized as Lifetime Achievement Award honorees were the Fisk Jubilee Singers (Legacy of Americana Award), The Mavericks (Trailblazer Award), Keb Mo’ (Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance), Trina Shoemaker (Lifetime Achievement Award for Producer/Engineer), and ‘Queen of Memphis Soul’ Carla Thomas (Inspiration Award).

Musical highlights from the 20th 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 in February 2022.

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.

Prine, an internationally acclaimed and revered singer-songwriter who toured and plied his craft for nearly 50 year, posthumously received a Grammy for Best American Roots Performance for “I Remember Everything” and shared the Grammy for it as Best American Roots Song with co-writer Pat McLaughlin. Americana and folk-rock singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile performed the song during the telecast in honor of Prine, who died last April 7 at the age of 73 from complications of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Here’s a link to view Brandi Carlile’s performance:

https://www.grammy.com/grammys/videos/brandi-carlile-honors-john-prine-i-remember-everything%E2%80%AF-%E2%80%AF2021-grammy-awards-show

“John Prine is a hero and one of the most important and significant songwriters of our time,” said Carlile, who was, herself, the big winner in the American Roots Music Field during the 61st annual Grammy Awards in February 2019, with Grammy Awards for Best American Album, Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song. “I feel so lucky to have called him a friend. It was an absolute honor of my life to pay tribute to him on the Grammy Stage. His songs will live forever.”

“My sons and I thank The Recording Academy for recognizing John’s final recording. Brandi’s beautiful performance was perfect,” said Fiona Prine, his widow. “We miss John but are grateful too for the incredible legacy he left us – songs to enjoy and to learn about his capacity to love unconditionally.”

Named as Best Americana Album was World on the Ground by Sarah Jarosz, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (mandolin, claw hammer banjo and guitar) who previously won Grammy Awards for Best Folk Album and Best American Roots Music Performance in 2017, was an occasional guest host on Garrison Keillllor’s A Prairie Home Companion, and also has performed with Sara Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan in the trio I’m With Her.

All The Good Times by Gillian Welch & David Rawlings won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. The Nashville-based acoustic roots artists — whose music fuses elements of Appalachian, old time, classic country, bluegrass and Americana — are also recipients of the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting (2015), while she was named Artist of the Year (2012) in its Americana Music Honors & Awards.

The Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album went to Billy Strings for Home. He was previously named Guitar Player of the Year in the 2019 International Bluegrass Music Awards.

Blues Hall of Famer Bobby Rush’s Rawer Than Raw, was chosen as Best Traditional Blues Album — an honor the 87-year-old bluesman previously won for Porcupine Meat in 2017 — while the award for Best Contemporary Blues Album went to Fantastic Negrito for Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? The singer-songwriter also won the award in 2017 for The Last Days of Oakland.

New Orleans Nightcrawlers’ Atmosphere was named Best Regional Roots Album. It’s the first Grammy Award for the brass band.

Other Grammy Award winners that may be of particular interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers include:

Best Country Song: “Crowded Table,” written by Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hembry and Lori McKenna for The Highwomen – a group featuring Carlile, Hembry, Amanda Shires and Maren Morris that burst on the country-American scene during the 2019 Newport Folk Festival and was the big winner in the 2020 American Awards & Honors — taking home awards for Album, Song (“Crowded Table”) and Duo/Group of the Year.

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: American Standard by James Taylor

Best Music Film: Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice