Here are the results of the Americana UK Readers’ Poll 2024

Well here they are – as always on our last day of publishing for the year, we can share with you the results of this year’s readers poll in which over 400 of you voted for your favourite stuff from the last 12 months. Although we narrowed down the number of categories a couple of years ago, we actually had a fair few requests this year to widen them again to include things like best live act and best festival which we’ll consider for next year. One of the nicest comments we got was from an overseas comrade who wrote: “As an American I am pleased to discover so many Americana aficionados across the pond! Smart ones too, with excellent taste.” Thanks mum! Another reader wrote: “you review so many artists, many of whom I have never heard of, who make such good music that I am compelled to buy physical copies (and another CD tower). So thanks, keep up the great standard. I’ll invoice you in due course”. Please send to our Deputy Editor. On the other hand, to the reader who wrote: “getting a tad bored with the editor’s none diminishing studentesque fandom of Corbyn the Peacenik Appeaser of The Murdering Kleptocrat” – YOU ARE WELCOME. Plenty more to come in 2025. Anyway, without further ado, here are this year’s winners.

Best Americana Act of 2024: Jason Isbell

2. Dean Owens, 3. Waxahatchee, 4. Bonny Light Horseman, 5. Peter Bruntnell

For the third year running, the ex-Drive by Trucker is our number one artist of the year, in a year in which he didn’t even release a studio record, although he performed some startingly good live shows, even if his performance at the DNC wasn’t enough to get Kamala elected.  When AUK’s Lyndon Bolton reviewed his recent London date he commented, “There can be few shows that leave the audience as absorbed and rewarded as those by Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit.” Which we can’t really argue with.

Best Album of 2024: Peter Bruntnell “Houdini and the Sucker Punch”

2. Robert Vincent “Barriers”, 3. Sierra Ferrell “Trail of Flowers”, 4. Danny & the Champions of the World “You are Not Alone”, 5. Dean Owens “Pictures”

It’s always nice when there’s some synergy between our writers’ and readers’ choices at the end of the year, and our overall number 5 album of the year was your number one, the latest from UK Americana royalty Peter Bruntnell whose latest album “Houdini and the Sucker Punch” we thought “deserves to be considered amongst the best that Bruntnell has bestowed on us so far. A definite contender for album of the year.” Which was one of our better premonitions. Peter told us: “Thank you soooo much to all the Americana UK readers who voted for Houdini and the sucker punch! It’s greatly appreciated. Hope to see you in 2025!”

Best UK artist of 2024: Dean Owens

2. Peter Bruntnell, 3. Robert Vincent, 4. Brown Horse, 5. Hanging Stars

It’s another year, another AUK poll in which Dean Owens walks away with the best UK artist category, which we’re always delighted to award to him given the genuine affection his music generates in AUK readers. He ended the year with the release of his “Sacri Cuori” EP, the final volume of “The Ridge Trilogy” of excellent EPs released in advance of his next album “Spirit Ridge”.

Dean told us: “Honestly this feels mad. Four years in a row. Wow! This past year has been one of the toughest. I lost my dear old mum at the end of August and she was my number one fan. She loved all this stuff. She would have been chuffed for me winning this. This one’s for her.  Here’s to better days ahead in 2025. I’m very excited about my album launch show for Spirit Ridge at Celtic Connections in Glasgow on February 2nd at Oran Mor with my band The Sinners, and then tours in Australia, The Netherlands and the US. As I’ve said year after year, there are so many hard working artists out there, and some of them are friends of mine, who deserve this lovely accolade, but hey, I’ll take what I can get and this means a lot to me, as it’s voted for by the public and they’re the ones that matter most. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me and to Americana UK for all the support. This old troubadour is over the moon. Time for a celebratory pint of stout. Cheers all. A very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2025.

Best radio show of 2024: Bob Harris Country, BBC Radio 2

2. Mike Ritchie on Sunday, 3. Cerys Matthews, 6Music, 4. Black Deer Radio, 5. Leader’s American Pie

We have honestly now lost track of the amount of times Bob Harris has won in this category – whether it’s for his Saturday show (RIP) or in recent years his country show which continues to be essential listening every Thursday evening and one of the few places on mainstream radio you’ll hear regular airtime given to the genre. Sadly for the first time in aeons we haven’t managed to make contact with Bob but we know from all the previous times he’s won that he really values AUK readers – long may he rule the airwaves.

Hero of 2024: Gisèle Pelicot

Runners-up: Peter Bruntnell, Rob Vincent, Angela Rayner, Alan Bates, Jesse Malin

Even if Time magazine wasn’t aware that there was someone who might be more deserving of acclaim than the incoming president, you our dear readers did. There’s not really much you can say about Gisèle Pelicot that hasn’t already been said but Rebecca Solnit in The Guardian spoke for many people when she commented: “May her example give weight to those trying to change the culture, may the convictions of her assailants serve as a warning, may her dignity and poise inspire other victims and, most of all, may there be fewer victims in a better culture.”

Villain of 2024: Donald Trump

Runners-up: Elon Musk, Putin, Keir Starmer, The US electorate, Benjamin Netanyahu

Oh well, now the Tories have been voted out AUK readers need a new focus for the treasured villain of the year, and there is probably none more deserving than this year’s winner who reprises similar wins pre-2000, although for my money Musk is probably the more worthy recipient.  As one of our readers commented:  “So many villains to choose from – Trump, Putin, Netanyahu, Musk, Le Pen, Farage – should be a poll of its own.” Now there’s some food for thought. Oh and hey, progress since we first ran this category we now know how to spell the word.

As ever, please share your own choices for the year in the comments below. Thanks for taking part everyone.