In what now clocks in at a full 7 days of festivities, if you count the first unofficial showcase until the last, AmericanaFest landed in Nashville the week of September 8th this year. And although the organization itself has started scheduling showcases opposite the annual awards event, there’s no doubt the extravaganza at the ever-fabulous Ryman Auditorium is the festival’s high point. Hosted this year by John C. Reilly, the show has found its way back to its musical roots after a few years of including some lengthy self-aggrandizing speeches from adjacent organizations and supporting players.
One of the early highlights was a searing “No One Gets Out Alive” from Emerging Artist of the Year nominee Maggie Rose. That segued into the first of the Lifetime Achievement winners, The McCrary Sisters. The stage set-up for their performance of “What Good Are You” included a bittersweet empty mic for their late sister, Deborah. Next up was Maggie Antone doing a sizzling version of her Song of the Year nominee, “Johnny Moonshine”. Social media phenom Jesse Wells followed with his tell-it-like-it-is “War Is Murder.”
The evening made a shift at that point to some of the longer serving members of the musical community. The Old 97’s were awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award and delivered some fun reminisces from their earliest days as kids forming a band because, well, because they could. Darrell Scott sang a powerful version of his much-covered hit, “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” In what’s become a much appreciated feature, a song from a top album of 50 years ago gets a respectful treatment. This year it was Reilly and Margo Price doing “Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain” from Willie’s 1975 masterpiece, Red Headed Stranger. Although dating back to only 1995, Daniel Lanois and Emmylou Harris recreated a performance from her universally acclaimed Wrecking Ball.
In a moment many viewed as a literal handing off of a crown from one generation to another, John Fogerty presented the Lifetime Achievement Spirit of Americana – Free Speech in Music award to Jesse Wells. Although much closer in years, I sensed a little of that also when Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings accompanied Nathaniel Rateliff on his Song of the Year nominee, “Heartless.”
One of the most touching moments of the evening was a Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith, aka Dawes, duet of their “Time Spent In Los Angeles”. Dedicated to all the musical family members who lost homes and belongings in the Altadena and Palisades fires, it also served as a reminder of the support that came from the community. Speaking of emotional, the other end of that spectrum finished the show in the form of 80-year-old John Fogerty. Leading an energetic “Up Around the Bend” and “Looking Out My Back Door” with his sons also on guitar, it was hard to sit in your seat. Fogerty then led the entire cast of performers in a sing-along of Proud Mary to end the evening.
Here’s a full list of winners from the evening.
Album of the Year: South Of Here – Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats, produced by Brad Cook
Artist of the Year: Sierra Ferrell
Duo/Group of the Year: Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Emerging Act of the Year: MJ Lenderman
Instrumentalist of the Year: Alex Hargreaves
Song of the Year: Ancient Light – I’m With Her, written by Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, Sara Watkins
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.