Americana Music Honors & Awards Celebrates Rosanne Cash, John Prine and Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
The 17th annual Americana Honors & Awards exhibited its power to unify music folks of all tastes together for one night at Nashvilleâs Ryman Auditorium to celebrate what a blessing it is to give voice to the truths of the world through song.
The nightâs big winners were John Prine and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. But the top highlights of the evening are always the performances.
An all-star house band led by Buddy Miller and comprising of revered musicians Don Was, Jerry Pentecost, Joe Pisapia, Ian Fitchuk, Lillie Mae, Joshua Grange, Jim Hoke and the McCrary Sisters kicked off the night with a dynamic instrumental cover of âChain of Foolsâ in tribute to the late Aretha Franklin. A series of electric performances by nominees Tyler Childers, Anderson East, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and more followed before wrapping with an ultimate show of female empowerment.
CMT filmed the all-star concert event and award ceremony for a special premiere on Nov. 28 at 9 p.m. ET. Here are our Top 5 highlights from the night.
Empowering Female Moments
When women see other women making waves in music, it shows them they can do it, too. The Americana Music Association put this empowerment on full display with a series of inspiring performances, including Courtney Marie Andrewsâ âMay Your Kindness Remainâ in her Ryman performance debut. New Orleansâ Queen of Soul Irma Thomas (Lifetime Achievement Award, Performance) was elegance and power personified when she delivered two rousing renditions of âTime Is On My Side.â The sound system went out in her first performance, but after a reboot, she lit up the stage again like nothing ever happened.
Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash received the Spirit of Americana/Free Speech in Music Award and said women should never be considered inferior versions of men. She received the honor on the 15th anniversary of her late father Johnny Cashâs death. He was the inaugural recipient of the award in 2002.
Molly Tuttle
Before she took home Instrumentalist of the Year, Molly Tuttle told CMT.com, âI just hope to inspire younger girls to play their instruments and get out there and do whatever they want to do. Thereâs a whole group of girls Iâve gotten to meet and just talk to who are playing lead on guitar, which I think I didnât have that many female role models who are lead guitarists. I had a couple awesome ones, but I think the more women start getting out there and doing it, I think it will just grow and grow.â
Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile, a three-time 2018 nominee, was an indomitable force when she lit up the stage with âThe Jokeâ with twins Tim and Phil Hanseroth. Before the show, she spoke with CMT.com about what an honor it is to be an inspiration to other females with a passion for music. âI almost canât fathom it,â she said on the red carpet. âJust like when I tell Sheryl [Crow], sheâs that person for me, she canât fathom it. She almost doesnât want to hear it. And same with the Indigo Girls and Sinead OâConnor. I think itâs an incredible honor and duty to be that for other women, young women, especially LGBTQ women in my community because gay artists and LGBT artists for me were a pillar of light and hope in my life.â The whole show ended with a grand finale of âChain of Foolsâ performed by Carlile, Thomas, Andrews, the McCrary Sisters and the War and Treaty. Other female acts seen onstage included Mae, Lilly Hiatt and Iâm With Her.
Multiple honors for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and John Prine.
Prine put it best when he accepted his third artist of the year win, joking âIt's kind of like 'Groundhog Day.'" Isbell was the lead winner, taking home three honors including album of the year for The Nashville Sound, duo/group of the year and song of the year for âIf We Were Vampires.â Isbell told CMT.com on the red carpet that it was an honor to be part of the Americana genre for its ability to bring fans of all kinds of music together who normally wouldnât get to hang out with one another. âI like it because everybodyâs united under the banner of making honest roots-based music and thatâs a pretty broad thing,â he said. âThat can include a whole lot of different kinds of music, and I think it should. I donât just listen to one type of music. I donât really know anybody who does anymore. It makes sense that we would have a lot in common with people who might sound a little bit different from us on a record.â
A side of snarky comments from Tyler Childers.
Kentucky native Tyler Childers took home his first Americana Music Award for Emerging Artist of the Year and accepted his award by making a snarky comment about being a country singer in the Americana genre. He claimed that he felt it was a "distraction from the issues we are facing on a bigger level as country music singers. It kind of feels like âPurgatory.'" His latest album Purgatory was released in 2017.
Performances that reflected the times weâre living in today.
Mary Gauthier and Beth Nielsen Chapman gave voice to the plight of wives of U.S. military veterans and active soldiers with âWar After the War,â from Gauthierâs Rifles & Rosary Beads. Isbell and the 400 Unitâs âWhite Manâs Worldâ painted a clear reflection of the gender and racial inequalities in todayâs society. Anyone who walked out in discomfort over Isbellâs blatantly honest lyrics couldnât handle the truth.
The Milk Carton Kidsâ First Hosting Gig
The Milk Carton Kidsâ Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan have for a long time hosted the annual nomineesâ announcement each spring. But this year marked their first time hosting the show. On the red carpet, Pattengale described what it means to be an Americana fan best when he said, âItâs a testament to the way people really appreciate art, which is not separated by genre, geography or class.â