Jason Isbell sweeps top Americana honors
Roots music trailblazers and brilliant young talents were the stars of Wednesday night's Americana Honors and Awards show at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium — and more than a few of them could be traced back to Music City.
The annual awards show is produced by the Middle Tennessee-based Americana Music Association, which promotes American roots music styles including country, folk, roots-rock, bluegrass and R&B.
Nashville singer-songwriter Jason Isbell swept the night's top honors, winning awards for artist, album and song of the year in the wake of his widely praised 2013 album, "Southeastern."
"It's been a real good year," said Isbell, who will headline three sold-out shows at the Ryman next month. He spent his time at the podium wishing Hank Williams a happy birthday, thanking his mother for exposing him to "Johns Hiatt and Prine" as a kid and urging his audience to "Do the things that scare you."
Fellow 30-somethings Milk Carton Kids and Nashville's own Sturgill Simpson continued the domination by younger acts, earning awards for duo/group and emerging artist of the year, respectively. But the shadows of musical veterans loomed large throughout the night.
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Country legend Loretta Lynn was the first of four lifetime achievement award recipients —a wide-ranging class that also included rocker Jackson Browne, accordion great Flaco Jimenez and bluesman Taj Mahal.
After an emotional tribute from contemporary country singers Kacey Musgraves and Angaleena Presley, Lynn performed her signature "Coal Miner's Daughter" on the Ryman stage — exactly 54 years since making her debut there on September 17, 1960.
"When they told me that we were going to get this award, I said, 'No, you've got the wrong one,' " Lynn said with a smile. "... I was so proud when I found out they were right. I love you all."
As an artist who "grew up in the hippie era," Jackson Browne was moved to receive the Spirit of Americana/Free Speech in Music Award, an honor that also has gone to Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.
"I also grew up in the crucible of the civil rights movement, so I'm used to people saying what they believe and saying it with all of the passion they can bring," he said.
Another musical giant made an unexpected appearance: Robert Plant took the stage with Patty Griffin to perform her nominated tune, "Ohio." They were backed by the show's stellar house band, featuring slide guitar master Ry Cooder, producer/bassist Don Was and Nashville-based bandleader Buddy Miller, who also earned the award for instrumentalist of the year.
As with past Americana Honors and Awards shows, speeches took a back seat to songs, with nearly two dozen performances packed into its three-hour showtime. But perhaps none brought the crowd to their feet with as much fervor as Taj Mahal's "Statesboro Blues." Mahal's excitement was palapable during his acceptance speech.
"There's so much great music in this country, you understand me?" he told his audience. "That's all I ever tried to do, is keep it coming out, and get everybody happy."
The winners
Album of the Year: "Southeastern," Jason Isbell, producer Dave Cobb
Artist of the Year: Jason Isbell
Duo Group of the Year: The Milk Carton Kids
Song of the Year: "Cover Me Up," Jason Isbell
Emerging Artist of the Year: Sturgill Simpson
Instrumentalist of the year: Buddy Miller
Spirit of Americana / Free Speech in Music Award co-presented by the Americana Music Association and the First Amendment Center: Jackson Browne
Lifetime Achievement for Instrumentalist: Flaco Jimenez
Lifetime Achievement for Performance: Taj Mahal
Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriter: Loretta Lynn
President's Award: Jimmie Rodgers / Award Presented to Jimmie Rodgers Museum in Meridian, Miss.