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).

Based in Bryson City, North Carolina, Frank and Allie Lee are a harmony-driven old-time and folk music duo who perform traditional and trad-style songs and tunes from the rural south — featuring banjos, guitars, fiddle and harmonica, along with their harmony vocals. An old time aesthetic permeates their music, while blues, bluegrass and spiritual songs also are part of their repertoire and recordings. The Lees also are part of the noted stringband The Freight Hoppers, host a bi-annual old time music retreat called Banjo-Fiddle Frolic in the Great Smoky Mountains near their home, and have led banjo workshops throughout the U.S. and abroad. Treat A Stranger Right, the duo’s new album, was officially released on Feb. 7.

Here’s a link to view an official video for Frank and Allie Lee’s rendition of “Lost John”: https://www.mountainwaterfilms.com/post/lost-john-music-video-by-frank-and-allie-lee

The Haden Triplets (Petra, Rachel and Tanya) come from a musically inclined family. The daughters of the late Charlie Haden, a noted jazz double-bassist, they were born in New York and raised in Los Angeles but also spent time during their childhoods visiting him in Springfield, Missouri.

Although they’ve shown a penchant for Americana roots music on their recordings as a trio, between them, the sisters also have played with such jazz and rock artists as Beck, The Decemberists, Bill Frissell (the acclaimed guitarists who graces three tracks on Family Songbook), Foo Fighters, Green Day, Jimmy Eat World, Mike Watt, and Weezer. The Haden Triplets also portrayed The Fates on Tony Award-winning singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell’s folk-opera album Hadestown.

Here’s a link to a lyric video for The Haden Triplets rendition of “Wayfaring Stranger”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgyLsizqnx4.

The February 2020 Top Albums, Songs and Artists charts are based on 13,600 airplays reported on 491 playlists submitted by 125 different DJs. The number of reported spins is shown below in parentheses.

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

The monthly top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission.

Top Albums of February 2020

1. Treat a Stranger Right by Frank and Allie Lee (77)
1. The Family Songbook by The Haden Triplets (77)
3. The Far Si: The Si Kahn Funny Song Sing-Along Songbook by Matt Watroba (72)
4. Alicia Viani by Alicia Viani (63)
5. Next Time We Meet by Terry Kitchen (62)
6. Good Good Man by Vance Gilbert (59)
7. Treasures in My Chest by Andrew McKnight (56)
8. Lacher Prise by Michael Doucet (49)
9. Hello Stranger by Eliza Meyer (48)
10. Recollections/Revolutions by Windborne (47)
10. Making Life Sweet by The Early Risers (47)
12. Collection 2008-2018 by Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus (46)
13. Old Tin by Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones (43)
14. Circadian by Letitia Vansant (42)
15. Embracing the Journey by Kathleen Healy (41)
15. Lp5 by John Moreland (41)
17. Daytime Highs and Overnight Lows by Eric Brace and Last Train Home (40)
17. The Storyteller’s Suitcase by Ellis Paul (40)
19. Love and Fire by Annette Wasilik (37)
20. Rearrange My Heart by Che Apalache (36)
20. Legacy by Michael Johnathon (36)
22. The Kingston Trio by The Kingston Trio (34)
22. Bad Wife by Grant Peeples (34)
24. The Light We Bring by Trout Steak Revival (33)
25. Slow Steady Heart by Claudia Schmidt (32)
26. No Holds Barred by The Flyin’ A’s (31)
27. Songs of Our Native Daughters by Our Native Daughters (28)
28. All Mine by Sarah Morris (27)
28. Heartland Again by Tim Grimm (27)
28. Bravado by Rose Cousins (27)
28. Stony Run by Ken and Brad Kolodner (27)
28. Straight to Marrow by Clint Alphin (27)
33. Visions by Alice Howe (26)
33. Oklahoma by Keb’ Mo (26)
33. String Tides by Mark Grobner (26)
36. Let Love Go On by Mark Dvorak (25)
36. Chasing the Sun by Bobtown (25)
38. Wildwood by Katie Dahl (24)
38. Sky Tonight by Anne Marie Menta (24)
40. Coyote by Catherine Maclellan (23)
41. Rise and Fly by The Barefoot Movement (22)
41. Assiniboine and the Red by The Small Glories (22)
41. Tall Fiddler by Michael Cleveland (22)
44. Medicine for Living by Alexa Rose (21)
44. Eddy and the Abstract Truth by Eddy Lawrence (21)
46. Winter Stories by Judy Collins and Jonas Fjeld (20)
46. In This Town You’re Owned by Robert Vincent (20)
48. Honest by Ordinary Elephant (19)
48. From Liberty Street by Mapache (19)
48. Best of the Rest by Si Kahn (19)
48. Lines and Spaces by Heather Pierson (19)
52. Bones and Gravity by Lizanne Knott (18)
53. Fair Play to You All by Tommy Sands (17)
53. Going to the Well by Linda McRae (17)
53. Bright Lights, Long Drives, First Words by Nora Jane Struthers (17)
53. Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne by Amy Speace (17)
57. The Hard Stuff by Susan Gibson (16)
57. We’ll Never Know Unless We Try by Darling West (16)
57. Today Again by Fred Arcoleo (16)
57. If I Catch My Dream Song of Hope for a Better World by Bett Padgett
(16)
61. When They Fall by Annie and Rod Capps (15)
61. Wonderful Fairytale by Bill Jones (15)
61. Heroes and Sparrows by Kevin Brown (15)
61. Modern Old-Time Sounds for the Bluegrass and Folksong Jamboree by The Lonesome Ace Stringband (15)
61. Home by Billy Strings (15)
61. Bitter Ballads and Cynical Prayers by Chris Moyse (15)
67. Up Against the Sky by Dave Gunning (14)
67. The Moon Is an Ashtray by Miss Tess (14)
67. Just Words by Lynne Hanson (14)
67. Early Bright by Seamus Egan (14)
67. Mortal Flames by John Dennis (14)

Top Songs of February 2020

(Here’s a link to listen to Detroit. Michigan-based singer-songwriter and folk DJ Matt Watroba’s rendition of “You Can’t Say @#$% on the Air” by Si Kahn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1DVDT9T73Q&list=OLAK5uy_nfTXUgurZGh98auNIcjeJVNgkQ3n_avTw&index=2&t=0s)

1. “You Can’t Say @#$% on the Air” by Matt Watroba (26)
2. “Wildwood Flower” by The Haden Triplets (17)
2. “Pie & Whiskey” by Vance Gilbert (17)
4. “Party on the Roof” by Terry Kitchen (14)
4. “You Can’t Put My Fire Out” by Letitia Vansant (14)
4. “Two to Tango” by Kathleen Healy (14)
7. “Good Man” by Alicia Viani (12)
7. “Legacy” by Michael Johnathon (12)
7. “Another Great Day Above Ground” by Vance Gilbert (12)
10. “Scotch and Soda” by The Kingston Trio (11)
11. “When My Fever Breaks” by John Moreland (10)
11. “Unsustainable” by Grant Peeples (10)
11. “Lazy Farmer” by Frank and Allie Lee (10)
11. “Lonesome for You” by Alicia Viani (10)
11. “You Can Walk Up There” by Darryl Purpose (10)
11. “Who Will You Love” by The Haden Triplets (10)
11. “Arrows in the Dark” by Trout Steak Revival (10)
11. “Norwegian Wood” by Terry Kitchen (10)
11. “Hello Stranger” by Eliza Meyer (10)
11. “Tom Dooley” by The Kingston Trio (10)
21. “Wayfaring Stranger” by The Haden Triplets (9)
21. “Walt’s Waltz” by Matt Watroba (9)
21. “You Are My Flower” by Frank and Allie Lee (9)
21. “The Agreement” by Rose Cousins (9)
21. “Bless Your Heart” by Clint Alphin (9)
21. “Lamplight” by Alicia Viani (9)
21. “Walking on a Mardi Gras Day” by Michael Doucet (9)
21. “The Sailor and the Soldier” by Frank and Allie Lee (9)
21. “This Changes Everything” by The Early Risers (9)
21. “Harder Dreams” by John Moreland (9)
21. “Water, Water” by Michael Doucet (9)
21. “The Dreamer” by Che Apalache (9)

Top Artists of February 2020

1. The Kingston Trio (81)
2. The Haden Triplets (77)
2. Frank and Allie Lee (77)
4. Matt Watroba (72)
5. Terry Kitchen (65)
5. David Olney (65)
7. Alicia Viani (63)
8. Vance Gilbert (59)
9. Andrew McKnight (57)
10. Windborne (54)
11. Ellis Paul (51)
12. Michael Doucet (49)
13. Eliza Meyer (48)
13. Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus (48)
15. The Early Risers (47)
16. Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones (45)
17. Letitia Vansant (42)
17. Tim Grimm (42)
19. Kathleen Healy (41)
19. John Moreland (41)
21. Eric Brace and Last Train Home (40)
22. Annette Wasilik (38)
22. Michael Johnathon (38)
24. Trout Steak Revival (37)
25. Ladysmith Black Mambazo (36)
25. Che Apalache (36)
25. Claudia Schmidt (36)
28. Si Kahn (35)
29. John McCutcheon (34)
29. Grant Peeples (34)
29. Bob Dylan (34)
32. The Flyin’ A’s (32)
33. Willie Nelson (31)
34. Rose Cousins (30)
34. John Prine (30)
34. Mark Dvorak (30)
37. Our Native Daughters (29)
37. The Wailin’ Jennys (29)
39. Ken and Brad Kolodner (28)
39. Keb’ Mo (28)
39. Nanci Griffith (28)
39. Susan Werner (28)

Sara Bareilles, a singer-songwriter and actress, won the Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance for “Saint Honesty,” a song co-written with Lori McKenna, that appears on Amidst the Chaos, Bareilles’ sixth studio album. Bareilles may be best known for having starred in and written songs for the Broadway musical Waitress.

Also in the running for Best American Roots Performance was the female trio I’m With Her, who took home the award for Best American Roots Song. Comprised of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins — each of whom is a talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in her own right — the harmonic trio was recognized for “Call My Name,” which they co-wrote.

To listen to “Call My Name,” click on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRZWhfuI6dQ

Keb’ Mo’ — an American blues musician, singer-songwriter and previous Grammy Award winner – won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album for Oklahoma.

Singer-Songwriter Patty Griffin, who was not in attendance, won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for her self-titled release. Griffin previously won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Gospel Album in 2011 for Downtown Church.

Michael Cleveland, a Southern Indiana fiddler, won Best Bluegrass Album of the Year for Tall Fiddler. His previous release, Fiddler’s Dream, was nominated in the same category in 2017. During the weekend, the Louisville (Kentucky) Federation of Musicians Cleveland also honored Cleveland as its 2020 Musician of the Year. The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) has named him as its Fiddle Player of the Year 12 times, while Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper has been hailed as its Instrumental Group of the Year six times.

Here’s a link to a recording of Michael Cleveland performing “Tall Fiddler”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcwx6AifG7Q

The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues album went to Delbert McClinton & Self-Made Men for Tall, Dark & Handsome, while Gary Clark Jr.’s This Land was named Best Contemporary Blues Album.

Charleston, South Carolina-based quintet Ranky Tanky — known for its jazz-inspired arrangements of the traditional Gullah music originated by the descendants of enslaved Africans of the southeastern Sea Islands and South Carolina’s Lowcountry — was recognized for Best Regional roots Album for Good Time.

On Saturday afternoon, Jan. 25, the Blues Foundation, Folk Alliance International and International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) co-hosted a celebration of nominees in the American Roots Music Field that featured performances by a number of them.

Among the other Grammy Award winners that may be of particular interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers:

– On the eve of the sixth anniversary of American folk music icon Pete Seeger’s death, Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection (Jeff Place and Robert Santelli, compilation producers) was named Best Historical Album.

– The Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album went to Hadestown (Anais Mitchell & Todd Sickafoose, producers; Anais Mitchell, composer & lyricist). Hadestown also was the big winner during the recent Tony Awards.

– Angelique Kidjo, a New York-based Beninese singer-songwriter, won the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album for Celia.

Although nominated for four Grammy Awards — Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for “Faraway Look” and Best Americana Album for Walk Through Fire, as well as Best New Artist – Yola, a 35 year-old rootsy British singer-songwriter, was shut out.

Yola, a 35 year-old rootsy British singer-songwriter who also was nominated for Best New Artist, received nods for Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for “Faraway Look” and Best Americana Album for Walk Through Fire. Her critically acclaimed debut solo album, released in February, was produced by Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach (who is among the nominees for Producer of the Year). Yola showcased her talents at the Newport and Philadelphia Folk Festivals, SXSW, AmericanaFest, and Farm Aid, as well as such notable venues as the Hollywood Bowl during 2019.

Here are links to view the official video for “Yola’s “Faraway Look” and her performance of he song during the 2019 UK Americana Awards at which she was named UK Artist of the Year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWTwuQ3LeH4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0IZBHegbA4

I’m With Her is a female trio comprised of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins – each of whom is a talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in her own right. The harmonic trio is nominated for both Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for ‘Call My Name,” which they co-wrote.

To listen to “Call My Name,” click on the following link:https://youtube.com/watch?v=gRZWhfuI6dQ“> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRZWhfuI6dQ

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

Best American Roots Performance

Saint Honesty, Sara Bareilles
Father Mountain, Calexico and Iron & Wine
I’m On My Way, Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
Call My Name, I’m With Her
Faraway Look, Yola

Best American Roots Song

“Black Myself,” Amythyst Kiah, songwriter (Our Native Daughters)
“Call My Name,” Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)
“Crossing to Jerusalem,” Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, songwriters (Rosanne Cash)
“Faraway Look,” Dan Auerbach, Yola Carter & Pat McLaughlin, songwriters (Yola)
“I Don’t Wanna Ride the Rails No More,” Vince Gill, songwriter (Vince Gill)

Best Americana Album
.
Years to Burn, Calexico and Iron & Wine
Who Are You Now, Madison Cunningham
Oklahoma, Keb’ Mo’
Tales of America, J.S. Ondara
Walk Through Fire, Yola

Best Bluegrass Album
.
Tall Fiddler, Michael Cleveland
Live in Prague, Czech Republic, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Toil, Tears & Trouble, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Royal Traveller, Missy Raines
If You Can’t Stand The Heat, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

Best Traditional Blues Album

Kingfish, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Tall, Dark & Handsome, Delbert McClinton & Self-Made Men
Sitting On Top of the Blues, Bobby Rush
Baby, Please Come Home, Jimmie Vaughan
Spectacular Class, Jontavious Willis

Best Contemporary Blues Album

This Land, Gary Clark Jr.
Venom & Faith, Larkin Poe
Brighter Days, Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Somebody Save Me, Sugaray Rayford
Keep On, Southern Avenue

Best Folk Album

My Finest Work Yet, Andrew Bird
Rearrange My Heart, Che Apalache
Patty Griffin, Patty Griffin
Evening Machines, Gregory Alan Isakov
Front Porch, Joy Williams

Best Regional Roots Music Album

Kalawai’anui, Amy Hānaiali’i
When It’s Cold – Cree Round Dance Songs, Northern Cree
Good Time, Ranky Tanky
Recorded Live at the 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Rebirth Brass Band
Hawaiian Lullaby, (Various Artists)

Also of note: Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection is among the nominees for both Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album (Jeff Place and Robert Santelli, compilation producers). Among the five nominees for Best Musical Theater Album is Hadestown (Anais Mitchell & odd Sickafoose, producers; Anais Mitchell, composer & lyricist), while David Crosby – Remember My Name is in the running for Best Music – Film.

With two nods each, Lori McKenna, John Prine, The War and Treaty, and Yola lead the list of nominees. Both McKenna and Prine received nominations for Album of the Year (The Tree and The Tree of Forgiveness, respectively – both produced by Dave Cobb) and Song of the Year (McKenna’s “People Get Old” and Prine and Pat McLaughlan’s “Summer’s End”). McKenna also is among the artists featured on Mark Erelli’s “By Degrees,” which also is in the running for Song of the Year. The War and Treaty is vying for both Duo/Group of the Year and Emerging Act of the Year, while Yola is up for Album of the Year (for the Dan Auerbach-produced Walk Through Fire) and Emerging Act of the Year. In addition, Rhiannon Giddens is nominated for Artist of the Year and with her musical partners in Our Native Daughters for Duo/Group of the Year.

Here is a listing of the nominees in the six American Music Association member-voted awards categories:

Album of the Year

To the Sunset – Amanda Shires (produced by Dave Cobb)
The Tree – Lori McKenna (produced by Dave Cobb)
The Tree of Forgiveness – John Prine (produced by Dave Cobb)
Walk Through Fire – Yola (produced by Dan Auerbach)

Brandi Carlile
Rhiannon Giddens
Kacey Musgraves
Mavis Staples

Duo/Group of the Year

I’m With Her
Our Native Daughters
Tedeschi Trucks Band
The War and Treaty

Emerging Act of the Year

Jade Bird
J.S. Ondara
Erin Rae
The War and Treaty
Yola

Instrumentalist of the Year

Chris Eldridge
Eamon McLoughlin
Chris Powell
Michael Rinne

Song of the Year

“By Degrees” – Mark Erelli, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Lori McKenna, Anais Mitchell & Josh Ritter (written by Erelli)
“Mockingbird” – Ruston Kelly
“People Get Old” – Lori McKenna
“Summer’s End – John Prine (written by Prine and Pat McLaughlin)

Lifetime Achievement Awards to be Presented to Elvis Costello, Delbert McClinton and Maria Muldaur

“We are beyond humbled to honor this group of incredibly venerable musicians,” said Jed Hilly, the association’s executive director, in announcing the Lifetime Achievement Awards recipients last month. “All of these artists are luminaries in their own right and have helped to build a perennial foundation for Americana music to prosper as an art form today.”

Among the artists slated to perform during the 18th annual Americana Honors & Awards Show are Brandi Carlile, Elvis Costello, Mark Erelli, Rhiannon Giddens, I’m With Her, Delbert McClinton, Lori McKenna, Maria Muldaur, John Prine, J.S. Ondara, Erin Rae, Amanda Shires, Mavis Staples (who also will be recognized by the AMA for a career that has spanned nearly seven decades), The War and Treaty, and Yola.

Extending from Sept. 10-15, AMERICANAFEST is expected to draw several thousand artists, music industry professionals and fans for plenty of learning and networking opportunities during days filled with panel discussions and seminars and evenings chock-full of artist showcases at venues throughout he 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. For more information, visit www.americanamusic.org.

“What began as a way to fill a tough booking weekend in 1998 has become the single–biggest way that we help develop new talent and celebrate the Boston-Cambridge area’s amazing music scene,” said Matt Smith, managing director of Club Passim and founder of the semi-annual Campfire Festival. Another edition takes place over the Memorial Day Weekend.

Originally called the Cutting Edge of the Campfire, the festival combined the idea of artists sitting around the campfire playing music with our commitment to bringing new talent to Club Passim’s attentive listening audience, according to Smith. Among the artists who played the festival prior to becoming more established in folk and roots music circles are Lake Street Dive, Anais Mitchell, Ryan Montbleu, Josh Ritter, and Regina Spektor.

“Today, Campfire. is as much about the community as it is about the music,” said Smith, noting the communitarian spirit that the event has helped to foster among artists and audiences alike. Although solo and band sets are sprinkled throughout the course of each day and night of the festival, in-the-round performances featuring several songwriters swapping tunes have become a highlight of the event. These songwriter rounds can lead to spontaneous collaborations, friendships and gig-sharing among artists who previously didn’t know each other, while also providing unique musical moments for audiences and exposing them to a few different artists in a short span of time. Smith also noted that singer-songwriters Deb Talan and Steve Tannen of The Weepies met at a Campfire.

Among the notable artists who will be performing during he 2018 Labor Day Weekend edition of Campfire. Festival, for which tickets are $10/day or $25 for a weekend pass, are Lisa Bastoni, Daniel Champagne, Yann Falquet (from the Quebecois trad folk group Genticorum), Ian Fitzgerald, Jefferson Hamer, Alice Howe, Jim Infantino, Kate Klim, Rose Polenzani, Hayley Sabella, Ashley Storrow, Dietrich Strause, Lloyd Thayer, and Jim Trick. Closing out the musical festivities on Monday night will be The Singer and The Songwriter, an indie jazz-folk duo from Los Angeles.

The full line-up appears below and also can be found, along with links to artist pages, online at
https://www.passim.org/live-music/club-passim/campfire-festival/. To watch the musical festivities at Campfire online, visit https://www.concertwindow.com/clubpassim.

Although it didn’t adopt its current name until incorporating as a nonprofit in 1994, Club Passim has its roots in what was then Club 47, a folk club that opened its doors at another Cambridge location in 1958 before moving to its current location on Palmer Street five years later and changing its name to Club Passim in 1969. It has been a cornerstone of the arts community of New England for more than half a century. Club Passim is one of the few “listening rooms” in the greater Boston-Cambridge area. It’s a place where audiences and artists can interact with one another in an intimate setting. More than 400 shows are presented each year, featuring artists from a broad range of musical genres. A musical Mecca for the folk and singer-songwriter scene since its early days, Club Passim retains a folk aesthetic. Among the folk luminaries who have graced its stage are Joan Baez, Shawn Colvin, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Tom Rush, and Suzanne Vega.

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.

A platform for luminaries and rising stars, the annual conference is the world’s largest gathering of the folk music industry and community. Folk Alliance International’s Official Showcases are jury-selected nightly mini-concerts featuring emerging artists and touring legends from around the world. The performances are 30 minutes in length and are held concurrently on ten full-production stages throughout the host hotel over three nights.

More than 800 artists/acts applied for the opportunity to perform for hundreds of festival and venue bookers, agents, managers, labels, media, and music industry representatives. The curated showcases feature artists representing a diverse array of folk genres including Appalachian, Americana, bluegrass, blues, Cajun, Celtic, global roots, Indie-folk, indigenous, Latin, old time, traditional, singer-songwriter, spoken word, and every imaginable fusion.

Breakthrough artists from previous conferences include The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Darlingside, David Francey, John Fullbright, Kaia Kater, Lake Street Dive, The Milk Carton Kids, Nickel Creek, The Stray Birds, Valerie June, The Waifs, and The Wailin’ Jennys. Past showcase performances have also included guest appearances by Judy Collins, Béla Fleck, Rita Coolidge, Ron Sexsmith, Archie Fisher, Peggy Seeger, and more.

Bringing together musicians, educators, and music industry professionals from around the world, the Folk Alliance International Conference is known for its community atmosphere, business and networking opportunities, and as a hotspot for discovering new talent.

The 2018 conference will feature presentations by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Richard Thompson, the Louis Jay Meyers Music Camp, the International Folk Music Awards, and the third annual Kansas City Folk Festival. Celebrating 30 years of community and song, the conference will YEARS OF COMMUNITY AND SONG, honor the first three decades of the organization’s growth and activity, as well as the broader story of folk music during that time.

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.

Editor’s Note: This article is based on a news release issued by Folk Alliance International, on whose board of directors I serve. I’m also board president of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), one of its five regional affiliates, which holds it annual conference, Nov. 9-12, in Stamford, CT. I am not involved in the selection of Official Showcase artists.

As in years past, this year’s schedule includes a wealth of talented performers, many of them performing in song-swap style workshops with folks whom they may have never even met, making for unique musical pairings. It also poses a dilemma of choices that will prompt attendees to consider running from one stage to another nearby one to catch certain artists.

In addition to the music, some 90-artisans and arts and crafts vendors will set up booths along the streets, as well as inside the Whaling Museum.

Admission to the festival is quite affordable at $25 for the weekend or $20 for one-day. Children under 12 will be admitted free with an adult.

While in New Bedford, you also can enjoy fresh seafood and sample tasty cuisine at one of the whaling city’s many Portuguese restaurants. Parking is free at the municipal garage.

For more information, visit www.newbedfordfolkfestival.com.