Sierra Ferrell, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, MJ Lenderman, I’m With Her and Nathaniel Rateliff celebrated at Americana Honors and Awards
by Luke Taylor
September 11, 2025
Sierra Ferrell was named Artist of the Year, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings took home Duo/Group of the Year and MJ Lenderman was honored as Emerging Act of the Year, while I’m With Her and Nathaniel Rateliff received Song of the Year and Album of the Year honors, respectively, at the 2025 Americana Honors and Awards ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday night.
The ceremony, which lasted just a bit longer than three hours, also included lifetime achievement honors and tributes to albums marking significant milestones this year.
Whereas past years’ honors have frequently seen a particular artist receive more than one award, 2025’s presentation saw a broader distribution of honorees across the six juried categories despite several artists being nominated in more than one area. This resulted in instances of artists seeming truly surprised and delighted when they were named as winners. For instance, after Gillian Welch and David Rawlings were awarded Duo/Group of the Year, Welch quipped, “It didn’t really occur to us that we might win something. We normally lose when we attend [awards ceremonies].”
Nathaniel Rateliff had a similar reaction when his record, South of Here, produced by Brad Cook, received the award for Album of the Year. “I’ve never won an award in all these years, and seldomly get nominated,” Rateliff said, “so this is a surprise and a blessing. I don’t even have my band here with me, which is how much I didn’t think I would win.”
The trio I’m With Her, on receiving the Song of the Year award for “Ancient Light,” also seemed caught off guard. “This is insane,” said I’m With Her’s Aoife O’Donovan. “We just have been listening to all of the other incredible songs by the other nominees all night. I’m floored.”
Violinist Alex Hargreaves, who has played with artists including Kacey Musgraves, Billy Strings, Chris Thile and countless others, received Instrumentalist of the Year. Emerging Act of the Year winner MJ Lenderman and Artist of the Year winner Sierra Ferrell were honored in absentia.
This year’s hosting duties — which the Milk Carton Kids’ Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale had done four times in recent years — went to actor and musician John C. Reilly, who handled the role with aplomb, projecting a spirit of welcome and kindness. Reilly also exhibited resourcefulness after Ferrell’s Artist of the Year win by texting Ferrell and reading Ferrell’s grateful reply to the Ryman audience.
In addition to the juried awards, four artists — Joe Henry, the McCrary Sisters, the Old 97’s and Darrell Scott — received Lifetime Achievement honors, and singer-songwriter Jesse Welles received the Spirit Of Americana / Free Speech In Music Award.
The McCrary Sisters’ award took on extra poignancy following the 2022 death of their sister Deborah. The surviving McCrarys — Ann, Regina and Alfreda — said they continue to keep a fourth microphone stand onstage in honor of their late sister. Executive Director of the National Museum of African American Music, Shannon Sanders, presented the award and praised the McCrarys, saying, “These women sing with the strength that shakes the highest of rafters and softens the hardest of hearts.”
Similar heartfelt tributes went to the other Lifetime Achievement Award winners: presenter Rosanne Cash commended the Old 97’s for having the exact same lineup for 30 years and counting, a testament to the bandmates’ friendship; Hayes Carll extolled songwriter Darrell Scott for “Always speaking the truth, even when it’s hard”; and Rodney Crowell complimented Joe Henry for being “One of the most kindhearted, compassionate, brilliant conversationalists” while also playfully acknowledging Henry’s “fine taste in men’s shoes.”
John Fogerty presented singer-songwriter Jesse Welles with the Spirit Of Americana / Free Speech In Music Award. “Folks tend to think of my generation when they think of protest songs,” Fogerty said in his remarks. “But the past doesn’t own protest songs; they’ve always been a product of the present. No one is doing it better than Jesse Welles.”
Welles’ remarks reflected his personal mission. “Folks don’t get into folk music because there’s awards,” he said. “They’re more or less compelled to by that shard of divinity that’s in each and every single person that compels us to create stuff. All that being said, it feels nice to get an award.”
And because the Americana Honors and Awards acts as a yearbook of sorts for the Americana music community, several albums with significant anniversaries in 2025 were celebrated onstage. S.G. Goodman kicked off the evening with a cover of Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s “Don’t Cry No Tears Around Me” in honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of Zuma. Reilly collaborated with fellow Illinois-born artist Margo Price and with guitarist David Garza for a lovely rendition of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger. And Emmylou Harris’ 1995 album Wrecking Ball was celebrated by Harris herself alongside album producer Daniel Lanois when they reprised a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “May This Be Love,” which appears as track 9 on Wrecking Ball.
The night was naturally filled with music; other significant musical highlights include Joy Oladokun’s solo acoustic performance of “I’d Miss the Birds,” which took on extra resonance as Oladokun performed the song in the very city her lyrics address; Maggie Antone’s joyful performance of “Johnny Moonshine”; Dawes’ moving tribute to the Southern California wildfires with “Time Spent in Los Angeles (for Altadena)” augmented by perennial house band player Larry Campbell’s pensive violin; and JD McPherson’s rocking performance of “Sunshine Getaway,” which McPherson cowrote with Page Burkum and Jack Torrey of the Cactus Blossoms.
To close out the evening, Fogerty returned to the Ryman stage, this time as a performer. Flanked by his sons Tyler and Shane, Fogerty cranked out spirited performances of his songs “Up Around the Bend” and “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” with boundless energy. Re-recordings of those songs appear on Fogerty’s new album, Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years, just released on August 22; the songs originally appeared on CCR’s 1970 album Cosmo’s Factory, turning 55 this year.
The final song of the evening continued the Americana Honors and Awards tradition of inviting all nominees and award-winners onstage for a massive sing-along. Fogerty led this year’s finale, kicking out an extended version of “Proud Mary,” even inviting the Ryman audience to take a chorus.
It was a fitting end to an evening that emphasized the importance of music. “I’m just so proud to be part of this music community,” Gillian Welch said on receiving the award with Rawlings for Duo/Group of the Year. “It’s never been clearer to me how much the music matters. I think it matters now more than ever.”
Host Reilly echoed the sentiment in his closing remarks. “Thanks to everyone out there making music and supporting music,” he said. “We need you more than ever. Never be afraid to lift your voice, and never underestimate the power of singing together, no matter the key.”
2025 Americana Honors and Awards
Full List of Nominees and Recipients
Award recipients indicated in boldface
Album of the Year
Lonesome Drifter, Charley Crockett; Produced by Charley Crockett & Shooter Jennings
Foxes in the Snow, Jason Isbell; Produced by Jason Isbell & Gena Johnson
Manning Fireworks, MJ Lenderman; Produced by Alex Farrar & MJ Lenderman
South of Here, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats; Produced by Brad Cook
Woodland, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings; Produced by David Rawlings
Artist of the Year
Charley Crockett
Sierra Ferrell
Joy Oladokun
Billy Strings
Waxahatchee
Duo/Group of the Year
Julien Baker & TORRES
Dawes
Larkin Poe
The Mavericks
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Emerging Act of the Year
Noeline Hofmann
MJ Lenderman
Medium Build
Maggie Rose
Jesse Welles
Instrumentalist of the Year
Fred Eltringham (drums)
Alex Hargreaves (violin)
Megan Jane (drums)
Kaitlyn Raitz (cello)
Seth Taylor (guitar)
Song of the Year
"Johnny Moonshine," Maggie Antone; Written by Maggie Antone, Natalie Hemby & Aaron Raitiere
"Ancient Light," I'm With Her; Written by Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan & Sara Watkins
"Wristwatch," MJ Lenderman; Written by MJ Lenderman
"Sunshine Getaway," JD McPherson; Written by Page Burkum, JD McPherson & Jack Torrey
"Heartless," Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats; Written by Nathaniel Rateliff
Lifetime Achievement Honorees
Joe Henry
McCrary Sisters
Old 97’s
Darrell Scott
Jesse Welles – recipient of the Spirit of Americana/Free Speech in Music Award
Songs Performed (in order)
S.G. Goodman, “Don’t Cry No Tears Around Me” (Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover)
Medium Build, “Drug Dealer”
Noeline Hofmann, “Purple Gas”
Maggie Rose, “No One Gets Out Alive”
The McCrary Sisters, “What Good Am I”
Maggie Antone, “Johnny Moonshine”
Jesse Welles, “War Isn’t Murder”
The Old 97’s, “Timebomb”
I’m With Her, “Ancient Light”
John C. Reilly, “Picture in a Frame” (Tom Waits cover)
JD McPherson, “Sunshine Getaway”
Darrell Scott, “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive”
Nathaniel Rateliff, “Center of Me” with David Rawlings and Gillian Welch
Dawes, “Time Spent in Los Angeles (for Altadena)”
Joy Oladokun, “I’d Miss The Birds”
Joe Henry, “Keep Us In Song”
John C. Reilly and Margo Price, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” (Willie Nelson cover) with guitarist David Garza
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, “Howdy Howdy” with bassist Paul Kowert
Emmylou Harris and Daniel Lanois, “May This Be Love” (Jimi Hendrix cover)
John Fogerty, “Up Around the Bend”
John Fogerty, “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”
John Fogerty, “Proud Mary” with all nominees, honorees and presenters
House Band Members
Buddy Miller – guitars
Molly Jensen – vocals
Jen Gunderman – keyboards
Austin Hoke – cello, pedal steel
Jim Hoke – pedal steel, harmonica
Larry Campbell – guitars, mandolin, fiddle
Don Was – bass
Fred Eltringham – drums
McCrary Sisters – Regina, Ann, Freda
David Mansfield – multi-instrumentalist
