Charley Crockett and Margo Price among 2023 Americana Honors & Awards nominees
by Luke Taylor
May 09, 2023
In a compact ceremony at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville on Tuesday, nominees were announced for the 22nd annual Americana Music Association’s Honors and Awards. Allison Russell, Charley Crockett and Margo Price have each been nominated in the categories of Song of the Year and Artist of the Year, with Crockett and Price also receiving Album of the Year nominations.
Henry Hicks, president and CEO of the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM), introduced the proceedings and acknowledged it is the third year the NMAAM has hosted the Americana Honors and Awards nomination ceremony. “I like to say that we tell a story here that’s a story never before told until now,” Hicks said. “A place where you can find your own story, your own experience and take a walk down American music history right here.”
The McCrary Sisters gave a musical introduction to the program, performing a soulful medley of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” and “I’ll Fly Away,” with guitar, tambourine and cajon as accompaniment.
Gina Miller, Senior Vice President and General Manager of MNRK Music Group, provided primary hosting duties, reading off the nominees in each of the six categories: Duo/Group of the Year; Emerging Act of the Year; Instrumentalist of the Year; Artist of the Year; Song of the Year; and Album of the Year.
Along with Crockett, Price and Russell, the Artist of the Year nominees include genre-bending singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell and flatpicking sensation Billy Strings.
The Duo/Group of the Year nominees include Plains, the duo composed of Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson; Nickel Creek, the trio of Chris Thile and siblings Sara and Sean Watkins, who released their first new album in nine years on March 23, sneaking in just under the March 31 eligibility cutoff date; and The War and Treaty, who have recently signed with the major country label Mercury Nashville.
Emerging Act of the Year includes ascendant names like Manitoba and First Nations singer-songwriter William Prince, San Diego soul trio Thee Sacred Souls, Nashville artist Sunny War, and Kentucky singer-songwriter S.G. Goodman, who punctuated that portion of the program with a solo acoustic performance of the title track to her album Teeth Marks.
Notable among the Instrumentalist of the Year nominees is banjo player Kyle Tuttle, who — even though a member of Molly Tuttle’s backing band Golden Highway — is not related to Tuttle.
Host Miller was moved by the list of Song of the Year nominees, remarking, “This is heavy!” before running down the list, which included “Change of Heart” by Margo Price; “I’m Just a Clown” by Charley Crockett”; “You’re Not Alone” by Allison Russell featuring Brandi Carlile; as well as “Just Like That” by Bonnie Raitt and “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan.
Miller was equally taken aback by the Album of the Year nominees, which included Crockett’s The Man From Waco and Price’s Strays alongside other heavy hitters Angel Olsen (Big Time), Hermanos Gutierrez (El Bueno Y El Malo) and Tyler Childers (Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?).
Rounding out the program, Margo Price performed a solo acoustic version of her haunting, Dylanesque song, “Lydia,” from her nominated album, Strays.
The 22nd annual Americana Music Honors & Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. See a complete list of nominees below.
2023 Americana Honors & Awards Nominees
Album of the Year:
Big Time, Angel Olsen; Produced by Angel Olsen and Jonathan Wilson
Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?, Tyler Childers; Produced by Tyler Childers
El Bueno Y El Malo, Hermanos Gutiérrez; Produced by Dan Auerbach
The Man from Waco, Charley Crockett; Produced by Bruce Robison
Strays, Margo Price; Produced by Margo Price and Jonathan Wilson
Artist of the Year:
Charley Crockett
Sierra Ferrell
Margo Price
Allison Russell
Billy Strings
Duo/Group of the Year:
49 Winchester
Caamp
Nickel Creek
Plains
The War and Treaty
Emerging Act of the Year:
Adeem the Artist
S.G. Goodman
William Prince
Thee Sacred Souls
Sunny War
Instrumentalist of the Year:
Isa Burke
Allison de Groot
Jeff Picker
SistaStrings (Chauntee and Monique Ross)
Kyle Tuttle
Song of the Year:
“Change of Heart,” Margo Price; Written by Jeremy Ivey, Margo Price
“I’m Just a Clown,” Charley Crockett; Written by Charley Crockett
“Just Like That,” Bonnie Raitt; Written by Bonnie Raitt
“Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan; Written by Zach Bryan
“You’re Not Alone,” Allison Russell featuring Brandi Carlile; Written by Allison Russell
External Link
Americana Music Association - official site