Americana Honors and Awards 2022: Brandi Carlile, Yola, Adia Victoria and Big Thief among nominees
by Luke Taylor
May 16, 2022
The nominees for the 2022 Americana Music Association Honors and Awards include artists like Brandi Carlile, Yola, Adia Victoria, Big Thief, and the duo of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. All nominees were announced Monday afternoon in a ceremony held at the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville, Tenn.
“Something that stands out about this year’s list is how the nominees are predominately women,” says Bill DeVille, host of United States of Americana on The Current. “And in the Album of the Year category — which I see as the major award — with the exception of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, all the nominees are younger people, all under 40ish or so.”
Hosted by Michael and Tanya Trotter of The War and Treaty, nominees across six categories were named, interspersed with music performances by Christian Allen of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Adia Victoria, and the presenters themselves, The War and Treaty.
This year marked the second time the Americana Honors and Awards nomination ceremony was held at the NMAAM. “It has revolutionized lower Broadway in Nashville,” remarked Americana Music Association executive director Jed Hilly. “It is truly one of the most important institutions that has been created in Music City in my tenure, the last 20 years, that I’ve lived here.”
Prior to the nomination announcements, hosts Michael and Tanya Trotter took a moment to call for unity and to recognize the victims of the recent mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y. “This room represents the one thing that we should all be about, and that’s unity,” Michael Trotter said. “Currently, as we know, our country has suffered once again at the hands of what we call domestic terrorism, something very heinous and violent has happened in Buffalo. And in the spirit of unity and in the spirit of Americana, in the spirit of this great beautiful museum, and in the spirit of unity in our country, I ask that you all will stand with me and Tanya, and let’s just have a moment of silence for our family members, our victims, that lost their lives in Buffalo.”
At the conclusion of the moment of silence, Tanya Trotter said, “May we never lose our humanity and our compassion for humanity.”
Just before the reading of the nominations, Fisk Jubilee Singers’ Christian Allen performed the spiritual “Honor! Honor!,” accompanied by music director Dr. Paul Kwami on piano. Later on, following her nomination for Emerging Act of the Year, Adia Victoria performed a solo acoustic version of her song, “Magnolia Blues.” Acknowledging her nominations (Victoria also received a nod in the Album of the Year category for her A Southern Gothic), she quipped, “I’ve never won an award for much, so this is not bad for a little hillbilly girl from Spartanburg County, South Carolina.”
To round out the ceremony, The War and Treaty performed a cover of John Prine’s “Knockin’ on Your Screen Door,” from his final album, The Tree of Forgiveness. “For me,” Michael Trotter commented before launching into the song, “any time we hear the word ‘Americana’ … I just feel like in every case, we have to honor John Prine.”
The 21st Annual Americana Music Association Honors and Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Here is the full list of the nominees:
Album of the Year
In These Silent Days, Brandi Carlile, Produced by Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings
Outside Child, Allison Russell, Produced by Dan Knobler
Raise The Roof, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Produced by T Bone Burnett
A Southern Gothic, Adia Victoria, Produced by Mason Hickman and Adia Victoria, Executive Produced by T Bone Burnett
Stand for Myself, Yola, Produced by Dan Auerbach
Artist of the Year
Brandi Carlile
Jason Isbell
Allison Russell
Billy Strings
Yola
Duo/Group of the Year
Big Thief
Los Lobos
The Mavericks
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
The War and Treaty
Emerging Act of the Year
Sierra Ferrell
Neal Francis
Brittney Spencer
Adia Victoria
Morgan Wade
Instrumentalist of the Year
Ethan Ballinger
Brian Farrow
Larissa Maestro
Shelby Means
Justin Moses
Song of the Year
“Canola Fields,” James McMurtry, Written by James McMurtry
“Diamond Studded Shoes,” Yola, Written by Dan Auerbach, Natalie Hemby, Aaron Lee Tasjan and Yola
“Juanita,” Sturgill Simpson featuring Willie Nelson, Written by Sturgill Simpson
“Persephone,” Allison Russell, Written by Jeremy Lindsay and Allison Russell
“Right On Time,” Brandi Carlile, Written by Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth
External Links
Americana Music Association - official site