So this happened yesterday evening, the nominees for the biggest night of americana’s year. Lovely to see Sam Outlaw in the list too, as well as our own socialist in residence Billy Bragg. Rolling Stone reports: “The Americana Music Association has announced the nominees for its 16th annual Americana Honors & Awards show and Sturgill Simpson leads the field with three nominations. He’s up for Artist of the Year; Album of the Year, for A Sailor’s Guide to Earth; and Song of the Year, for the Sailor’s Guide track “All Around You.”
Along with Simpson, Artist of the Year nominees include Jason Isbell, John Prine, Margo Price and Lori McKenna. Other Album of the Year contenders are Drive-By Truckers’ American Band; Rodney Crowell’s Close Ties; Rhiannon Giddens’ Freedom Highway; and Hurray for the Riff Raff’s The Navigator.
Held September 13th at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the Americana Honors & Awards are the centerpiece of the annual AmericanaFest, a weeklong series of concerts at venues throughout Music City. This year’s AmericanaFest runs September 12th through 17th. Recipients of the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Awards will be announced at a later date.
At last year’s ceremonies, Chris Stapleton was named Artist of the Year and Jason Isbell’s Something More Than Free won Album of the Year.
Here is the full list of nominees for the Americana Honors & Awards:
Album of the Year
American Band, Drive-By Truckers (Produced by David Barbe)
A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, Sturgill Simpson (Produced by Sturgill Simpson)
Close Ties, Rodney Crowell (Produced by Kim Buie and Jordan Lehning)
Freedom Highway, Rhiannon Giddens (Produced David Bither, Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell)
The Navigator, Hurray for the Riff Raff (Produced by Paul Butler)
Artist of the Year
Jason Isbell
John Prine
Lori McKenna
Margo Price
Sturgill Simpson
Duo/Group of the Year
Billy Bragg & Joe Henry
Drive-By Truckers
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives
The Lumineers
Emerging Artist of the Year
Aaron Lee Tasjan
Amanda Shires
Brent Cobb
Sam Outlaw
Song of the Year
“All Around You,” Sturgill Simpson (Written by Sturgill Simpson)
“It Ain’t Over Yet,” Rodney Crowell (feat. Rosanne Cash & John Paul White) (Written by Rodney Crowell)
“To Be Without You,” Ryan Adams (Written by Ryan Adams)
“Wreck You,” Lori McKenna (Written by Lori McKenna and Felix McTeigue)
Instrumentalist of the Year
Spencer Cullum Jr.
Jen Gunderman
Courtney Hartman
Charlie Sexton
