The Americana Music Association is bringing the heat to Nashville this September, and the nominations prove the genre’s roots run deeper than ever. Country and Americana artists are stepping up across nearly every category for the 25th annual Americana Music Honors&Awards, with some heavy hitters scoring multiple nods that underscore their dominance in the space.
Margo Price is leading the charge with nominations in both Album of the Year (for Hard Headed Woman, produced by Matt Ross-Spang) and Artist of the Year. She’s not alone in double duty—Ken Pomeroy has earned slots in both Emerging Act and Album of the Year for Cruel Joke, produced by Colton Jean, Dakota McDaniel and Gary Paczosa. But the real story is the Artist of the Year category, which reads like a who’s who of contemporary Americana: Brandi Carlile (whose“Returning to Myself”is also nominated for Song of the Year), Charley Crockett, Molly Tuttle, and Jesse Welles round out a lineup that showcases just how vibrant this corner of American music has become.
What’s particularly striking is the breadth of the field. The Album of the Year slate includes Tyler Childers’Snipe Hunter (produced by Tyler Childers, Rick Rubin&Nick Sanborn), Kathleen Edwards’Billionaire (produced by Jason Isbell&Gena Johnson), and S.G. Goodman’s Planting by the Signs (produced by S.G. Goodman, Matthew Rowan&Drew Vandenberg)—each representing a different thread in the Americana tapestry. The Song of the Year category similarly spreads the wealth, with S.G. Goodman’s“Snapping Turtle,”I’m With Her’s“Wild and Clear and Blue,”and Lucinda Williams’“The World’s Gone Wrong”featuring Brittney Spencer all in contention alongside Brandi Carlile’s track.
The ceremony takes place on September 16 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, smack in the middle of AmericanaFest (September 15-19). It’s a moment worth marking on your calendar—not just because these artists represent the heart of American roots music, but because this year’s nominees feel particularly vital to the conversation about where country and folk music are headed. If you’ve got an AmericanaFest Silver Wristband, tickets are already on sale. Everyone else will have to wait for general availability to drop.
What does it say about Americana right now that the Artist of the Year field feels this competitive?
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
