Here’s a link to listen to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s “When We Were Close”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF141kKZ-nc

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. In addition to publishing the weekly Americana Airplay Chart, it hosts an annual AmericanaFest in Nashville, Tennessee each September, of which its Americana Honors & Awards is a highlight. Visit americanamusic.org for more information.

1 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit/Weathervanes
2 Charley Crockett/The Man From Waco
3 Lukas Nelson + POTR/Sticks and Stones
4 The Band of Heathens/Simple Things
5 Margo Price/Strays
6 Lucinda Williams/Stories From a Rock N Roll Heart
7 Turnpike Troubadours/A Cat in the Rain
8 Rodney Crowell/The Chicago Sessions
9 Slaid Cleaves/Together Through the Dark
10 Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway/City of Gold
11 Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives/Altitude
12 The Wood Brothers/Heart is the Hero
13 Josh Ritter/Spectral Lines
14 Devon Gilfillian/Love You Anyway
15 Hiss Golden Messenger/Jump for Joy
16 Tyler Childers/Rustin’ in the Rain
17 Plains/I Walked With You a Ways
18 Sunny War/Anarchist Gospel
19 The Revivalists/Pour It Out Into the Night
20 The Teskey Brothers/The Winding Way
21 Nikki Lane/Denim & Diamonds
22 Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors/Strangers No More
23 Sunny Sweeney/Married Alone
24 Charley Crockett/Live from the Ryman
25 Brent Cobb/Southern Star
26 The Shootouts/Stampede
27 Rhiannon Giddens/You’re the One
28 Eilen Jewell/Get Behind the Wheel
29 Nickel Creek/Celebrants
30 Black Pumas/Chronicles of a Diamond
31 Billy Strings/Me/And/Dad
32 Old Crow Medicine Show/Jubilee
33 Deer Tick/Emotional Contracts
34 Brandy Clark/Brandy Clark
35 Chris Stapleton/Higher
36 Eddie 9V/Capricorn
37 Allison Russell/The Returner
38 Grace Potter/Mother Road
39 The Lone Bellow/Love Songs for Losers (Deluxe Edition)
40 Flatland Cavalry/Songs to Keep You Warm – EP
41 Brennen Leigh/Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin’ Yet
42 Iris Dement/Workin’ on a World
43 Parker Millsap/Wilderness Within You
44 The Lone Bellow/Love Songs for Losers
45 Colter Wall/Little Songs
46 Melissa Carper/Ramblin’ Soul
47 Jaime Wyatt/Feel Good
48 Emily Nenni/On the Ranch
49 Pony Bradshaw/North Georgia Rounder
50 The War and Treaty/Lover’s Game
51 Various Artists/More Than a Whisper: Celebrating the Music of Nanci Griffith
52 Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley/Living in a Song
53 Son Volt/Day of the Doug
54 Margo Cilker/Valley of Heart’s Delight
55 The Arcs/Electrophonic Chronic
56 Tyler Childers/Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
57 Shakey Graves/Movie of the Week
58 Kyle Nix & the 38’s/After the Flood
59 Natalie Merchant/Keep Up Your Courage
60 Abraham Alexander/Sea/Sons
61 Trampled by Turtles/Alpenglow
62 Tommy Emmanuel/Accomplice Two
63 Jobi Riccio/Whiplash
64 Wilder Woods/Fever
65 Caamp/Lavender Days
66 Ryan Bingham/Watch Out for the Wolf – EP
67 Randy Rogers Band/Homecoming
68 Bonnie Raitt/Just Like That…
69 Bahamas/Bootcut
70 Jaimee Harris/Boomerang Town
71 Vince Herman/Enjoy the Ride
72 Miko Marks & the Resurrectors/Feel Like Going Home
73 Duane Betts/Wild & Precious Life
74 Zach Bryan/American Heartbreak
75 Lucero/Should’ve Learned by Now
76 Gov’t Mule/Peace… like a River
77 Gabe Lee/The Hometown Kid
78 Brit Taylor/Kentucky Blue
79 Carter Simpson/Gold
80 Willie Nelson/Bluegrass
81 Bruce Cockburn/0 Sun 0 Moon
82 Sam Bush/Radio John: Songs of John Hartford
83 Charles Wesley Godwin/Family Ties
84 Dom Flemons/Traveling Wildfire
85 Joshua Ray Walker/What Is It Even?
86 Robbie Fulks/Bluegrass Vacation
87 Jason Carter/Lowdown Hoedown
88 Zach Bryan/Zach Bryan
89 Will Hoge/Wings on My Shoes
90 Darrell Scott String Band/Old Cane Back Rocker
91 JD Clayton/Long Way From Home
92 Amy Grant/If All Goes South
93 The Great Divide/Providence
94 Seth Avett/Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown
95 Adeem the Artist/White Trash Revelry
96 William Prince/Stand in the Joy
97 Various Artists/One Night in Texas: the Next Waltz’s Tribute to the Red Headed Stranger
98 Lori McKenna/1988
99 The Watson Twins/Holler
100 Tedeschi Trucks Band/I Am the Moon: IV. Farewell

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.

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.