Roy Book Binder, a noted American country blues and ragtime guitarist, singer-songwriter and raconteur, died on March 3, 2026. He was 82. [Click on the headline or Read More to continue reading this article.]
Jesse Colin Young -- a noted singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and folk-rock & Americana pioneer who co-founded and fronted The Youngbloods -- passed away in Aiken, South Carolina on March 16, 2025 at age 83.
The 23rd annual Americana Honors & Awards were presented at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee on September 20, 2023. Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Bonnie Raitt, The War and Treaty, S.G. Goodman, and SistaStrings were named as recipients of coveted awards during an awards show that is the highlight of the annual AMERICANAFEST, a five-day celebration of American roots-inspired music put on by the Americana Music Association, September 19-23. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a few videos.]
CornMaiz Stringband had the top album (Fresh-Picked Kentucky Music) and was the most-played artist on folk radio during February 2023, while “Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” was the month’s most-played song. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view the monthly top albums, songs and artists charts that are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com with permission.]
Winners in the 65th Grammy Awards’ American Roots Music Field were recognized during a ceremony that took place prior to The Recording Academy’s televised awards show from Los Angeles, California on Sunday, February 5, 2023. Folk Alliance International presented its annual International Folk Music Awards in Kansas City, Missouri on February 1. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a couple of videos.]
Nominees have been named for the 65th GRAMMY Awards to be presented by the Recording Academy on Sunday, February 5, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. These include those in the American Roots Music Field and select others of likely interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com. Among those with multiple nominations are Brandi Carlile, Lucius, Aoife O’Donovan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Bonnie Raitt, and Molly Tuttle. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view the complete list of nominees in the American Roots Music Field, as well as those in select other categories.]
Paul Siebel, a folk-country singer-songwriter whose songs have been covered by a number of better-known artists, died on April 5, 2022. He was 84. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view a short performance video.]
Family and friends of John Prine will share memories of and songs by the internationally acclaimed and revered singer-songwriter during Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine on Thursday, June 11. The online celebration of his life and music will stream on Prine’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, as well as Oh Boy Records' Twitch channel, at 7:30 p.m. EDT/6:30 p.m. CDT/4:30 p.m. PDT and can be replayed through Sunday. A songwriter’s songwriter, who toured and plied his craft for nearly 50 years, Prine died April 7 at the age of 73 from complications of the coronavirus (COVID-19). [To continue reading this, click on the headline.]
Singer-Songwriter John Prine was the big winner in The 2019 Americana Honors & Awards that were presented on Wednesday, September 11 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. His 2019 release, The Tree of Forgiveness, was named Album of the Year, while “Summer’s End” was voted Song of the Year. [To continue reading this article and learn about all of the award winners, click on the headline.]
Appleseed’s 21st Anniversary: Roots and Branches by Various Artists was the top album on folk radio for a second consecutive month, while Tellico’s “Courage for the Morning” was the #1 song during November 2018. So say charts compiled from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. [The monthly top albums and songs charts are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com, with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]
Nominees for the Americana Music Association’s 2016 Americana Honors & Awards were announced on May 11 during a celebratory invitation-only event at the historic Mansion on O Street in Washington, DC, presented by the MusicFIRST Coalition. [To continue reading this article and see the list of nominees in six categories, click on the headline.]
Caitlin Canty, a Vermont-bred, New York City-based singer-songwriter with an Americana-rootsy rock style, won the 2015 Telluride Troubadour Competition. She then performed a short set on the main stage during the 42nd Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival, a roots-oriented music festival set amid Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains, June 18-21. To continue reading this article, click on the headline.
