The Americana Music Festival & Conference kicked off yesterday in Nashville. The festival's capstone event, the Americana Honors & Awards show, takes place tonight at the famed Ryman Auditorium and will be streaming live online at NPR.org. The Carolina Chocolate Drops are up for Duo/Group of the Year and will perform; Emmylou Harris will perform as well, as will Wanda Jackson, who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The 11th annual Americana Music Festival & Conference kicked off yesterday in Nashville, Tennessee, and continues through Saturday, with nearly 100 showcases taking place in venues across the city. The festival's capstone event, the Americana Honors & Awards show, takes place tonight at the famed Ryman Auditorium, and will be streaming live online at NPR.org, starting at 7:30 PM ET.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops are up for Duo or Group of the Year and are set to perform at tonight's awards ceremony. Fellow nominees in the category include The Avett Brothers, Band of Heathens, and Dave Rawlings Machine.
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Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance, presented to her by Jack White. As announced earlier today in the Nonesuch Journal, Jackson and White teamed up for her forthcoming album, The Party Ain't Over, which will be released by Third Man and Nonesuch Records on January 25, 2011.
Jackson is featured in an Associated Press article in recognition of her Americana Award. "Wanda Jackson had no idea the influence she would have on future rock 'n' roll women when she carved a sharp, distinctive line across the heartwood of the new genre back in the 1950s and '60s," writes the AP's Chris Talbott. "The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer with the fierce voice and the uncommon versatility cleared the way for key female rock figures like Patti Smith and Kim Gordon. And you can still hear the echoes of her style to this day." You can read the article at nytimes.com.
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Also receiving an American Lifetime Achievement Award is Brian Ahern, for Producer/Engineer. Ahern has produced a number of albums by Emmylou Harris (to whom he was married), including her latest Nonesuch release, 2008's All I Intended to Be. Harris will perform at tonight's awards ceremony. She is also due to join country music legend Charlie Louvin for his festival set at The Rutlege in Nashville Friday night, performing the Louvin Brothers song "If I Could Only Win Your Love." Harris recorded the song on her 1975 major label debut, Pieces of the Sky, which Ahern produced as well.
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For more information on the Americana Honors & Awards and the festival, visit americanamusic.org.
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