Here’s a complete listing of the nominees in the American Roots Music Field, while select nominees in other categories of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com are mentioned in a paragraph following that:

Best Americana Album:

Big Money – Jon Baptiste
Bloom – Larkin Poe
Last Leaf On The Tree – Willie Nelson
So Long Little Miss Sunshine – Molly Tuttle
Middle – Jesse Welles

Best Americana Performance:

“Boom” – Sierra Hull
“Poison In My Well” – Maggie Rose & Grace Potter
“Godspeed” – Mavis Staples
“That’s Gonna Leave A Mark” – Molly Tuttle
“Horses” – Jesse Welles

Best American Roots Performance:

“Lonely Avenue” — Jon Batiste (featuring Randy Newman)
“Ancient Light” – I’m With Her
“Crimson And Clay” – Jason isbell
“Richmond On The James” – Alison Krauss & Union Station
“Beautiful Strangers” – Mavis Staples

Best American Roots Song:

“Ancient Light” – Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)

“Big Money” – Jon Baptiste, Mike Elizondo & Steve McEwan, songwriters (Jon Baptiste)                                                              “Foxes In The Snow” – Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)                                                                                                              “Middle” – Jesse Welles, songwriter (Jesse Welles)                                                                                                                                  “Spitfire” – Sierra Hull, songwriter (Sierra Hull)

Best Bluegrass Album:

Carter & Cleveland – Michael Cleveland & Jason Carter Carter                                                                                                           A Tip Toe High Wire – Sierra Hull                                                                                                                                                  Arcadia – Alison Krauss & Union Station
Outrun – The Steeldrivers                                                                                                                                                                Highway Prayers –- Billy Strings

Best Folk Album:

What Did The Blackbird Say To The Crow – Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson
Crown of Roses – Patty Griffin                                                                                                                                                              Wild And Clear And Blue – I’m With Her
Foxes In The Snow – Jason Isbell                                                                                                                                                      Under The Powerlines April 24-September 24 – Jesse Welles

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

Breakthrough – Joe Bonamassa                                                                                                                                                          Paper Doll – Samantha Fish
A Tribute To LJK – Eric Gales                                                                                                                                                        Preacher Kids – Robert Randolph                                                                                                                                                      Family – Southern Avenue

Best Traditional Blues Album:

Ain’t Done With The Blues – Buddy Guy
Room On The Porch – Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’                                                                                                                                      One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Stivey – Maria Muldaur                                                                                                Look Out Highway – Charlie Musselwhite                                                                                                                                      Young Fashioned Ways – Kenny White Shepherd & Bobby Rush

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

Live At Vaughan’s – Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet
For Fat Man – Preservation Brass & Preservation Hall Jazz Band                                                                                            Church Of New Orleans  – Kyle Roussel                                                                                                                                            Second Line Sunday – Trombone Shorty And New Breed Brass Band                                                                                               A Tribute To The King Of Zydeco – Various Artists

Also of note: Nominees for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album include Bella Fleck, Edgar Castaneda & Antonio Sanchez for BEATrio, while Sierra Hull’s “Lord, That’s A Long Way” is in the running for Best Instrumental Composition. Angelique Kidjo’s “Jerusalema” is among the nominees for Best Global Music Performance. The soundtrack for A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic, is nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, while Joni Mitchell Archives – Volume 4: The Asylum Years – 1976-1980 is among the nominees for Best Historical album. Alison Krauss & Union Station’s Arcadia is up for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Nominees for Best Country Solo Album include Chris Stapleton’s Bad As I Used To Be and Tyler Childers’ Nose On The Grindstone. Stapleton also snagged a nominations for Best Country Song for both “A Song To Sing” (with Miranda lambert) and “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame” (with George Strait), while Childers is also nominated for Best Country Song for “Bitin’ List” and with Margo Price for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Love Me Like You Used To Do.” In total, nominees were named in 95 categories on November 7 from among recordings released between August 31, 2024 – August 30, 2025.

Voting members of the Recording Academy (grammy.com), who represent all genres and creative disciplines, select the GRAMMY Award winners. These members include recording artists, songwriters, composers, producers, mixers, and engineers. 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.

The GRAMMY Awards show will be broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, February 1, 2026 on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+ from 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT. However, the winners in the American Roots Music Field and select others will be recognized prior to the telecast during the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at the Peacock Theater that will be streamed live on live.GRAMMY.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. ET.

Editor’s Note: Please excuse the formatting issues with the listing of nominees in some categories.

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 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

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.

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.

Besides its nomination for Best American Roots Music Performance for “Colors,” Black Pumas is also is nominated for two of the top Grammy Awards. The deluxe edition of the Austin, Texas-based psychedelic soul band’s eponymous debut album is among the nominees for Album of the Year, while “Colors” is up for Record of the Year. In addition to her nomination for Best American Roots Music Performance for “Short And Sweet,” singer-songwriter Brittany Howard, who formerly fronted Alabama Shakes, was nominated for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song (“Stay High”), Best Alternative Music Album (for her solo debut, Jaime) and Best R & B Performance (“Goat Head”).

Here’s a list of the nominees in the American Roots Music Field that were announced Nov. 24 during a first-ever livestream on Grammy.com:

Best American Roots Performance

• Colors (Black Pumas)
• Deep In Love (Bonny Light Horseman)
• Short And Sweet (Brittany Howard)
• I’ll Be Gone (Norah Jones & Mavis Staples)
• I Remember Everything (John Prine)

Best American Roots Song – a songwriter(s) award

• “Cabin” – Laura Rogers & Lydia Rogers, songwriters (The Secret Sisters)
• “Ceiling to the Floor” – Sierra Hull & Kai Welch, songwriters (Sierra Hull)
• ”Hometown” – Sarah Jarosz, songwriter (Sarah Jarosz)
• “I Remember Everything” – Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
• “Man Without A Soul” – Tom Overby & Lucinda Williams, songwriters (Lucinda Williams)

Best Americana Album

• Old Flowers (Courtney Marie Andrews)
• Terms Of Surrender (Hiss Golden Messenger)
• World On The Ground (Sarah Jarosz)
• El Dorado (Marcus King)
• Good Souls Better Angels (Lucinda Williams)

Best Bluegrass Album

• Man On Fire (Danny Barnes)
• To Live In Two Worlds, Vol. 1 (Thomas Jutz)
• North Carolina Songbook (Steep Canyon Rangers)
• Home (Billy Strings)
• The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Vol. 1 (Various Artists)

Best Traditional Blues Album

• All My Dues Are Paid (Frank Bey)
• You Make Me Feel (Don Bryant)
• That’s What I Heard (Robert Cray Band)
• Cypress Grove (Jimmy “Duck” Holmes)
• Rawer Than Raw (Bobby Rush)

Best Contemporary Blues Album

• Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? (Fantastic Negrito)
• Live At The Paramount (Ruthie Foster Big Band)
• The Juice (G. Love)
• Blackbirds (Bettye LaVette)
• Up And Rolling (North Mississippi Allstars)

Best Folk Album

• Bonny Light Horseman (Bonny Light Horseman)
• Thanks For The Dance (Leonard Cohen)
• Song For Our Daughter (Laura Marling)
• Saturn Return (The Secret Sisters)
• All The Good Times (Gillian Welch & David Rawlings)

52. Best Regional Roots Music Album

• My Relatives: Nikso’Kowaiks Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Fort Collins (Black Lodge Singers)
• Cameron Dupuy And The Cajun Troubadours (Cameron Dupuy And The Cajun Troubadours)
• Lovely Sunrise (Nā Wai ʽEhā)
• Atmosphere (New Orleans Nightcrawlers)
• A Tribute To Al Berard (Sweet Cecilia)

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 Americana Album, Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song — is in the running for Grammys for Best Song Written for Visual Media (“Carried Me With You” for Onward, co-written with Phil and Tim Hanseroth) and Best Country Song (“Crowded Table” for The Highwomen), co-written with bandmates Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna. Hemby is also nominated in that category with co-writers Luke Dick and Miranda Lambert for “Bluebird,” recorded by Lambert on Wildcard, which is among the nominees for Best Country Album. Other nominees that may be of particular interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers include Bela Fleck, whose Throw Down Your Heart: The Complete Africa Sessions” is nominated for Best Historical Album; Alastair Moock and Friends, whose Be A Pain: An Album for Young (and Old) Leaders is vying for Best Children’s Music Album; Grace Potter, whose “Daylight” is in the running for Best Rock Performance; and James Taylor, whose American Standard is up for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Nominees for Producer of the Year include Dave Cobb, who produced albums for Lori McKenna (The Balladeer), The Highwomen (The Highwomen), John Prine (I Remember Everything), Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit (Reunion), and William Prince (The Spark), among others. Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice is nominated in the Best Music Film category.

Lawrence Azerrad and Jeff Tweedy, art directors for Wilco’s Ode To Joy, are in the running for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. Brittany Howard’s aforementioned album, Jaime, is among the nominees for Best Engineered Album – non-classical (Brian Everett, engineer and mastering engineer) as are Sierra Hull’s 25 Trips (Shani Gandhi and Gary Paczosa, engineers; Adam Grover, mastering engineer) and Katie Pruitt’s Expectations (Gary Paczosa and Mike Robinson, engineers, Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer).

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

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

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

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

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

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit’s The Nashville Sound was named Best Americana Album, while “If We Were Vampires,” one of its original songs penned by Isbell, won the Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song. Isbell’s previous recording, Something More Than Fine, won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album in 2016 and sported that year’s Best American Roots Song, ”24 Frames.” Also a six-time Americana Awards winner, the former Drive-By Trucker was previously named Artist of the Year and won Album and Song of the Year honors during the Americana Music Association’s 15th Annual Americana Honors & Awards Show in 2016. Last October, Isbell – who hails from Alabama and currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee – was named to be the official artist-in-residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Singer-songwriter Aimee Mann’s Mental Illness won Best Folk Album. Her first new studio recording in five years, it marks a return for Mann to a slower and more acoustic sound – with the focus on acoustic guitar, piano, and, of course, her voice — after she rocked out more on her previous album, 2012’s Charmed. That recording had harkened back more toward her days as the lead vocalist for rockers ‘Til Tuesday in the late 1980s.

The Infamous Stringdusters feature Andy Hall (dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), and Travis Book (double bass). Although the band has received a number of International Bluegrass Music Awards over the years, this marked its first Grammy win – having previously been among the nominees for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 2011. Released on Compass Records last January, Laws of Gravity is The Infamous Stringdusters’ seventh studio album and was recorded while the band was on tour.

Rhonda Vincent & The Rage have won a bevy of awards overs the years from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA). Hailed as the queen of bluegrass music, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rhonda Vincent is an eight-time IBMA vocalist of the Year and multi-time SPBGMA Entertainer and Female Vocalist of the Year. Her bandmates include Hunter Berry (fiddle), Brent Burke (dobro). Mickey Harris (bass & vocals), Aaron McDaris (banjo), and Josh Williams (guitar & vocals).

Other Grammy Award winners in the American Roots Music Field include:

Best American Roots Performance: “Killer Diller Blues” (Alabama Shakes)

Best Traditional Blues Album: Blue & Lonesome (The Rolling Stones)

Best Contemporary Blues Album: TajMo (Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’)

Best Regional Roots Album: Kalenda (Lost Bayou Ramblers)

Outside of the American Roots Music Field, Chris Stapleton, a country music artist who has also garnered considerable folk and roots radio airplay, received Gammy Awards for both Best Country Song (“Broken Halos,” written with Mike Henderson0, Best Country album (From A Room; Volume 1) and Best Country Solo Performance (“Either Way”). A Kentucky-born singer-songwriter who formerly fronted The SteelDrivers, Stapleton has penned a number of songs that have topped the country music charts.

Americana Music Association, Folk Alliance International Hosted Pre-Grammy Events

On Saturday, Jan. 27, prior to the Grammy Awards, both the Americana Music Association and Folk Alliance International hosted celebratory events at popular NYC live music venues City Winery and Joe’s Pub, respectively. An Americanafest Pre-Grammy Salute to Emmylou Harris — who will be honored by The Recording Academy with a Lifetime Achievement Award later this year — was presented by the Americana Music Association and featured performances by Brandi Carlile, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Harris, Jack Ingram, Keb’ Mo’, and The Secret Sisters, among others. Hailing from northern Alabama, The Secret Sisters (Lydia and Laura Rogers) were among this year’s nominees for Best Folk Album and also shared their sisterly harmonies at Joe’s Pub during the afternoon, where Folk Alliance International honored past and present nominees in that category and other roots artists. Among the other artists at Joe’s Pub were Ashley Campbell (Glen’s daughter), Olivia Chaney of Ofa Rex (also a Best Folk album nominee), Rose Cousins (an award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and the afternoon’s emcee), Michael Daves, bluesman Guy Davis (whose collaboration with Fabrizio Poggi on Sonny and Brownie’s Last Train earned a nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album), Anais Mitchell, and Dar Williams.

Americanafest is a six-day festival and conference celebrating American roots-inspired music that is put on by the Americana Music Association. Early registration is currently available for the next one that is set for Sept. 11-16 in Nashville and will feature educational panels and seminars, showcases at venues around the music city, and the annual Americana Honors & Awards Show. Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is a professional trade association whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American roots music throughout the world. For more information, visit www.americanamusic.org.

Folk Alliance International (www.folk.org) is a Kansas City, MO-based nonprofit organization that seeks to nurture, engage and empower the international folk music community – traditional and contemporary, amateur and professional – through education, advocacy and performance. It’s 30th annual conference is slated for Feb. 14-18, in Kansas City, MO, and will feature presentations by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Richard Thompson, the Louis Jay Meyers Music Camp, the International Folk Music Awards, the third annual Kansas City Folk Festival, artist showcases, workshops, panel discussions, film screenings, an exhibit hall, and more.

Several artists are nominated for two awards in the American Roots Music Field. Among the nominees for both Best Americana Roots Song and Best Americana Album are the late Gregg Allman (for “My Only True Friend” and Southern Blood, respectively), Jason Isbell (for “If We Were Vampires” and The Nashville Sound, respectively), and The Mavericks (for “I Wish You Well” and Brand New Day, respectively). Besides being nominated for Best American Roots Performance, Alison Krauss (“I Never Cared For You”) and the late Leonard Cohen (“Steer Your Way”) also are nominated for awards outside of the American Roots Music Field. Krauss is among those vying for Best Country Solo Performance (for “Losing You”), while Cohen is in the running for Best Rock Performance (for “You Want It Darker”).

Here’s a list of the Grammy Award nominees in the American Roots Music Field:

Best American Roots Performance:

• “Killer Diller Blues” – Alabama Shakes
• “Let My Mother Live” – Blind Boys Of Alabama
• “Arkansas Farmboy” – Glen Campbell
• “Steer Your Way” – Leonard Cohen
• “I Never Cared For You” – Alison Krauss

Best American Roots Song:

• “Cumberland Gap” – David Rawlings & Gillian Welch, songwriters (David Rawlings)
• “I Wish You Well” – Raul Malo & Alan Miller, songwriters (The Mavericks)
• “If We Were Vampires” – Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit)
• “It Ain’t Over Yet” – Rodney Crowell, songwriter (Rodney Crowell featuring Rosanne Cash & John Paul White)
• “My Only True Friend” – Gregg Allman & Scott Sharrard, songwriters (Gregg Allman)

Best Americana Album:

• Southern Blood – Gregg Allman
• Shine On Rainy Day – Brent Cobb
• Beast Epic – Iron & Wine
• The Nashville Sound – Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit
• Brand New Day – The Mavericks

Best Bluegrass Album:

• Fiddler’s Dream – Michael Cleveland
• Laws Of Gravity – The Infamous Stringdusters
• Original – Bobby Osborne
• Universal Favorite – Noam Pikelny
• All The Rage – In Concert Volume One [Live] – Rhonda Vincent And The Rage

Best Traditional Blues Album:

• Migration Blues – Eric Bibb
• Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio – Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio
• Roll And Tumble – R.L. Boyce
• Sonny & Brownie’s Last Train – Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi
• Blue & Lonesome – The Rolling Stones

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

• Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm – Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm
• Recorded Live In Lafayette – Sonny Landreth
• TajMo – Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’
• Got Soul – Robert Randolph & The Family Band
• Live From The Fox Oakland – Tedeschi Trucks Band

Best Folk Album:

• Mental Illness – Aimee Mann
• Semper Femina – Laura Marling
• The Queen Of Hearts – Offa Rex
• You Don’t Own Me Anymore – The Secret Sisters
• The Laughing Apple – Yusuf / Cat Stevens

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

• Top Of The Mountain – Dwayne Dopsie And The Zydeco Hellraisers
• Ho’okena 3.0 – Ho’okena
• Kalenda – Lost Bayou Ramblers
• Miyo Kekisepa, Make A Stand [Live] – Northern Cree
• Pua Kiele – Josh Tatofi

Also of note: The Jerry Douglas Band is among the nominees for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for its debut studio release What If, as is the guitar duo of Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge for Mount Royal. Douglas is a 14-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Country Music Association Musician of the Year. A founding member of The Infamous Stringdusters, Eldridge also is a member of Punch Brothers and is in the house band on A Prairie Home Companion. Folk-rockers Bob Dylan and Sarah McLachlan are among the five artists whose recent recordings (Triplicate and Wonderland, respectively) are in the running for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

A complete list of nominees in all categories appears online at www.grammy.com.