The 2019 Americana Honors & Awards will be presented on Wednesday, September 11 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Hosted by The Milk Carton Kids and featuring an all-star band led by Buddy Miller, the awards ceremony is the highlight of the 20th annual AMERICANAFEST –- a six-day festival and conference celebrating American roots-inspired music that is put on by the Americana Music Association. A live video stream of the show will be webcast via NPRMusic.org starting at 6:30 p.m. CDT, while a live audio simulcast will air on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country and several Nashville area radio stations (WRLT-and WMOT-FM, and WSM-AM). Performance highlights also will air in November on a special edition of Austin City Limits on PBS television stations.

With two nods each, Lori McKenna, John Prine, The War and Treaty, and Yola lead the list of nominees. Both McKenna and Prine received nominations for Album of the Year (The Tree and The Tree of Forgiveness, respectively – both produced by Dave Cobb) and Song of the Year (McKenna’s “People Get Old” and Prine and Pat McLaughlan’s “Summer’s End”). McKenna also is among the artists featured on Mark Erelli’s “By Degrees,” which also is in the running for Song of the Year. The War and Treaty is vying for both Duo/Group of the Year and Emerging Act of the Year, while Yola is up for Album of the Year (for the Dan Auerbach-produced Walk Through Fire) and Emerging Act of the Year. In addition, Rhiannon Giddens is nominated for Artist of the Year and with her musical partners in Our Native Daughters for Duo/Group of the Year.

Here is a listing of the nominees in the six American Music Association member-voted awards categories:

Album of the Year

To the Sunset – Amanda Shires (produced by Dave Cobb)
The Tree – Lori McKenna (produced by Dave Cobb)
The Tree of Forgiveness – John Prine (produced by Dave Cobb)
Walk Through Fire – Yola (produced by Dan Auerbach)

Lori McKenna, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, is among this year's nominees for Americana Awards. (Photo: Becky Fluke)

Lori McKenna, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, is among this year’s nominees for Americana Awards. (Photo: Becky Fluke)

Artist of the Year

Brandi Carlile
Rhiannon Giddens
Kacey Musgraves
Mavis Staples

Duo/Group of the Year

I’m With Her
Our Native Daughters
Tedeschi Trucks Band
The War and Treaty

Emerging Act of the Year

Jade Bird
J.S. Ondara
Erin Rae
The War and Treaty
Yola

Instrumentalist of the Year

Chris Eldridge
Eamon McLoughlin
Chris Powell
Michael Rinne

Song of the Year

“By Degrees” – Mark Erelli, Rosanne Cash, Sheryl Crow, Lori McKenna, Anais Mitchell & Josh Ritter (written by Erelli)
“Mockingbird” – Ruston Kelly
“People Get Old” – Lori McKenna
“Summer’s End – John Prine (written by Prine and Pat McLaughlin)

Lifetime Achievement Awards to be Presented to Elvis Costello, Delbert McClinton and Maria Muldaur

2019 AMA President's and Lifetime Achievement Awards honorees include (clockwise, from left): the late Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, Elvis Costello, Maria Muldaur, and Delbert McClinton.

2019 AMA President’s and Lifetime Achievement Awards honorees include (clockwise, from left): the late Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, Elvis Costello, Maria Muldaur, and Delbert McClinton.

In addition, Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Elvis Costello (Songwriting), Delbert McClinton (Performance) and Maria Muldaur (Trailblazer), while AMA’s 2019 President’s Award will be given posthumously to Felice and Boudleaux Bryant – who were known as Nashville’s first professional songwriting team. Rhiannon Giddens and the late Frank Johnson will be honored with the inaugural Legacy of Americana Award, presented in partnership with the National Museum of African American Music.

“We are beyond humbled to honor this group of incredibly venerable musicians,” said Jed Hilly, the association’s executive director, in announcing the Lifetime Achievement Awards recipients last month. “All of these artists are luminaries in their own right and have helped to build a perennial foundation for Americana music to prosper as an art form today.”

Among the artists slated to perform during the 18th annual Americana Honors & Awards Show are Brandi Carlile, Elvis Costello, Mark Erelli, Rhiannon Giddens, I’m With Her, Delbert McClinton, Lori McKenna, Maria Muldaur, John Prine, J.S. Ondara, Erin Rae, Amanda Shires, Mavis Staples (who also will be recognized by the AMA for a career that has spanned nearly seven decades), The War and Treaty, and Yola.

Extending from Sept. 10-15, AMERICANAFEST is expected to draw several thousand artists, music industry professionals and fans for plenty of learning and networking opportunities during days filled with panel discussions and seminars and evenings chock-full of artist showcases at venues throughout he Music City.

Established in 1999, the Americana Music Association is a professional not-for-profit trade association whose mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American roots music around the world. For more information, visit www.americanamusic.org.