Jason Isbell takes home Album, Song of the Year at Americana Awards

The Americana Honors and Awards Show is all about the music, even before the program officially begins. At 6:20 p.m., 10 minutes before the scheduled start time, the McCrary Sisters entertained the Ryman Auditorium crowd with a pre-show song: "I John."

The show's official opening, featuring performances Alison Krauss (joined by Stuart Duncan, Melonie Cannon and Buddy Miller), Joe Henry, Steve Earle and Bob Weir, honored the memory of roots music giants who passed away this year: Ralph Stanley, Allen Toussaint, Guy Clark and Merle Haggard.

Less than 48 hours after they played their first headlining show at the Ryman, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats (this time backed by the all-star Americana house band) returned to the storied stage to perform "Wasting Time" from their self-titled record.

Bonnie Raitt presented the night's first honors, the Trailblazer Award, to the "gutsy, soulful, heartbreaking, badass" Shawn Colvin. "Never in my wildest dreams...," an emotional Colvin said at the podium. She then performed "Diamond in the Rough," the first song she wrote with John Leventhal (and the title of her memoir). Raitt, herself a previous Americana Lifetime Achievement Award winner, returned to the stage to perform "The Gypsy in Me."

Sara Watkins, who first rose to prominence as a member of acoustic band Nickel Creek before releasing several albums as a solo artist and with the Watkins Family Hour, won the Instrumentalist of the Year Award. Watkins could not be present at the show; her brother Sean Watkins accepted the award on her behalf.

Dwight Yoakam played "What I Don't Know," a cut from his new bluegrass album, "Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars."

The Milk Carton Kids and Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell performed "Memphis" and "Bring It on Home to Memphis," respectively. Both acts were nominated for Duo/Group of the Year; the award went to Harris and Crowell -- "the best friends a song could have," as award show host Jim Lauderdale described them. The duo previously won this award in 2013.

Billy Bragg, the recipient of this year's "Spirit of Americana" Free Speech Award, saluted Nashville's love for "wayward Englishmen," deadpanning, "Not only did you let Tom Hiddleston go out with Taylor Swift, you let him stand on this very stage and impersonate Hank Williams."

Bragg's speech also paid tribute to the music and activism of folk icon Woody Guthrie, who was posthumously honored with the President's Award. "Never ever was Woody Guthrie cynical," said Bragg, minutes before performing Guthrie's classic "I Ain't Got No Home." "He believed in the United States of America (and) what it could be. What it should be."

Lucinda Williams accepted the award on behalf of the Guthrie family using Woody's own words: "I hate a song that makes you think you're not any good. I hate a song that makes you think you were just born to lose...I'm out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and your work."

Two of the night's Emerging Artist nominees, John Moreland and Margo Price, delivered excellent back-to-back performances, but it was Price who took home the award. "I didn't prepare a speech," Price admitted, but she cheekily thanked her "in-laws, outlaws (and) some of the people who passed on my record."

Jason Isbell, whose stellar rendition of "If It Takes a Lifetime" captivated the packed house earlier in the evening, won Song of the Year honors for "24 Frames."

"My wife edits my songs," he told the Ryman crowd, adding that "24 Frames" would not be be the same song if Shires hadn't told him that some lines in his initial drafts were bad.

Chris Stapleton's year of awards show dominance continued. The country star was named Artist of the Year.

Master songwriter John Prine presented the Album of the Year Award to Jason Isbell for his Dave Cobb-produced masterpiece "Something More Than Free."

"Thank you very much," Isbell said after accepting the trophy. "This community has given us a place that is a lot bigger than what it used to be...it makes me so happy. I feel like I can go anywhere in the world and that's our place to make music now."

Jim Lauderdale, the show's longtime host, received the Americana Music Association's WagonMaster Award, which has only been given out once before, to Porter Wagoner. George Strait, who has recorded several of Lauderdale's songs over the years, presented him with the award. "When George was cutting those songs years ago...really, George, you were the reason I could make a living, so thank you," said an emotional Lauderdale. The two then performed "King of Broken Hearts," a song Lauderdale wrote about George Jones and Gram Parsons.

Closing the show was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, whose seminal "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" LPs are what Americana Music Association President Jed Hilly described as the "Rosetta Stone" of Americana music. Fittingly, the band (which is celebrating their 50th anniversary) led the Ryman in "Circle," which singer Jeff Hanna dedicated to the memory of Maybelle Carter.

2016 Americana Honors and Awards nominees

Instrumentalist of the Year  

Cindy Cashdollar

Stuart Duncan

Jedd Hughes

Sara Watkins (WINNER)

Group/Duo of the Year

Alabama Shakes

Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell (WINNER)

Lake Street Dive

Milk Carton Kids

Tedeschi Trucks Band

New/Emerging Artist of the Year

John Moreland

Leon Bridges

Margo Price (WINNER)

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Song of the Year

“24 Frames,” Jason Isbell (WINNER)

“Dime Store Cowgirl,” Kacey Musgraves

“Hands of Time,” Margo Price

“S.O.B.,” Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Artist of the Year

Bonnie Raitt

Chris Stapleton (WINNER)

Jason Isbell

Lucinda Williams

Album of the Year

“Something More Than Free,” Jason Isbell, Produced by Dave Cobb (WINNER)

“The Ghosts of Highway 20,” Lucinda Williams, Produced by Greg Leisz, Tom Overby and Lucinda Williams

“The Very Last Day,” Parker Millsap, Produced by Parker Millsap and Gary Paczosa

“Traveller,” Chris Stapleton, Produced by Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton

Spirit of Americana/Free Speech in Music Award co-presented by the Americana Music Association and the First Amendment Center: Billy Bragg

Lifetime Achievement Award, Trailblazer: Shawn Colvin

Lifetime Achievement Award, Songwriting: William Bell

Lifetime Achievement Award, Performance: Bob Weir

Lifetime Achievement Award, WagonMaster: Jim Lauderdale

President's Award: Woody Guthrie