Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams and the Avett Brothers were named in three categories each to lead the list of nominees for the sixth annual Americana Honors & Awards. Singer-songwriters Elizabeth Cook and Webb Wilder announced the nominations Tuesday (June 19) during a press conference at BMI's offices in Nashville.

All three acts find their latest CDs nominated alongside music icon Bob Dylan's Modern Times in the album of the year category. Griffin is nominated for Children Running Through, the Avett Brothers for Emotionalism and Williams for West.

Griffin and Williams are nominated for artist of the year in a field that includes Joe Ely and Todd Snider.

In the song of the year division, nominations went to Griffin's "Heavenly Day" (a track from Children Running Through) and Williams' "Are You Alright?" (from West). Also nominated for song of the year are Darrell Scott's "Hank Williams' Ghost" (from his album, The Invisible Man) and Elizabeth Cook and Melinda Schneider's "Sometimes It Takes Balls to Be a Woman" (from Cook's CD, Balls).

The Avett Brothers, a trio from North Carolina, were also nominated in two other categories -- duo/group of the year and new and emerging artist of the year. Also nominated for duo/group were the Duhks, the Hacienda Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show and Son Volt. The nominees in the new and emerging artist category included Amy LaVere, Sunny Sweeney and the band, Uncle Earl.

Nominated in the instrumentalist category were four names familiar to fans of roots music -- Sam Bush, Will Kimbrough, Buddy Miller and Gurf Morlix.

The 2007 Americana Honors & Awards show is scheduled for Nov. 1 at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. The event coincides with the eighth annual Americana Music Conference that takes place Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at the Nashville Convention Center.