What originated as a long weekend, AmericanaFest now has official events beginning on Tuesday. However, the apex of the music festival remains the Americana Music Awards on Wednesday evening in the wonderful Ryman Auditorium. After last year’s long event padded with speeches and awards to complementary organizations, this year marked an appreciated return to focus on the music.
Hosted again by Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale (The Milk Carton Kids), the event opened with Duane Betts leading the spectacular house band in a tribute to his father Dickey, who passed in April, with Blue Sky. Just a few minutes later was one of the highlights of the event, and maybe even the whole week. Susan Tedeschi presented The Blind Boys Of Alabama with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In his acceptance speech, Ricky McKinnie noted, “I’m not blind, I just can’t see. I lost my sight, but not my vision.” The group then lit into a spirited take on Work Until My Days Are Down that included a jaunt down into the very appreciative audience. Unmitigated joy is the only way I can describe the feeling that swept through the building. Later in the show, I happened to glance down to where the Boys were seated and while everyone else was seated politely, they were standing, clapping, and singing along.
After a couple of more performances and presentations, Jimmie Dale Gilmore stepped up to present Dave Alvin a Lifetime Achievement Award. Jimmie Dale noted that (later in the show) performer Dwight Yoakam made his decision to appear based on the Association giving an award to Dave, “if they’re presenting him an award, I’ll be there to see it.” Dave and the band then did a thundering version of Fourth Of July. That later Yoakam performance turned out to be Fast As You, supposedly unplanned but clearly rehearsed based on comments from the band.
Sierra Ferrell won both Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. She gave one of her always wonderful performances of her hit, American Dreamer, but in the context of the evening she was almost overshadowed. Although, she was clearly beloved by the Ryman audience.
A few of my other highlights were Fantastic Negrito doing an excellent Samson & Delilah in honor of a Lifetime Achievement Award for the Reverend Gary Davis. MJ Lenderman reprised a duet with Waxahatchee on her Right Back To It. Hurray For the Riff Raff surprised me with a heartfelt Buffalo. Finally, instead of the typical bring-everyone-on-stage to sing some song everyone knows, the organization made a wise choice to finish with Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell doing Gram Parson’s Return of the Grievous Angel on the 50th anniversary of the Grievous Angel record being released.
Here’s a full list of the award winners and honorees:
Album of the Year: Trail Of Flowers – Sierra Ferrell, produced by Eddie Spear and Gary Paczosa
Artist of the Year: Sierra Ferrell
Duo/Group of the Year: Larkin Poe
Emerging Act of the Year: The Red Clay Strays
Instrumentalist of the Year: Grace Bowers
Song of the Year: Dear Insecurity – Brandy Clark featuring Brandi Carlile, written by Brandy Clark and Michael Pollack
Lifetime Achievement Awards: The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Dave Alvin, Reverend Gary Davis, Shelby Lynne, Don Was, Dwight Yoakam
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.