Dwight Yoakam Gets Emotional Accepting Americana Lifetime Achievement

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What is “Americana”? This is the vexing question many country music fans ask whenever their favorite artists are pegged with the term. As Tyler Childers once said, “It feels like Purgatory,” or a “distraction” from the real problems plaguing the country music industry.

For sure, advocating for country artist to be called “country” as opposed to using that term to describe whatever is currently playing on commercial country radio is a worthy cause. But that doesn’t mean that Americana doesn’t play a critically-important role in recognizing up-and-coming talent that otherwise would go ignored by the rest of the music industry, and honoring the legends of country music that never would be otherwise.

This came into sharp focus Wednesday night (9-18) at the 2024 Americana Music Awards held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Along with Sierra Ferrell winning big for both Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for Trail of Flowers, Dwight Yoakam was one of the multiple recipients of the Americana Lifetime Achievement Award.

When we think of Dwight Yoakam, we think of a country music legend. His revitalization of the Bakersfield Sound, his millions of albums sold, his multiple Platinum albums and singles make him a peer with all the top tier performers of the genre. For many, Yoakam’s legacy looms as large as anyone’s in modern country music history.

But just appreciate that Dwight Yoakam never won a CMA Award. All the success that Yoakam has enjoyed in his career, and he’s never even been recognized by the Country Music Association with an award. It really helps put it into context when people complain that Beyoncé was supposedly “snubbed” in 2024.

This is the whole reason the Americana Music Association was formed 25 years ago this year. It was to recognize people like Dwight Yoakam who continue to be under-appreciated by the country music industry at large.

When you think of Dwight Yoakam, you also think of a sort of hard-nosed, “too cool for school” type character that wouldn’t always be quick with humility, or tear up in public over anything. He’s Dwight Yoakam—country music’s King of Cool. But that is not the Dwight Yoakam who took the stage Wednesday night to accept his award. He was gracious, humble, and quick to give credit to others.

Another one of the Lifetime Achievement recipients for 2024 was the legendary West Coast country rocker Dave Alvin. Yoakam spoke long about how he owed Dave so much for opening doors for him when he first arrived in Los Angeles.

“Before there was Americana music, The Blasters were Americana music. X, John Doe,” Yoakam said. “Without Dave Alvin having come into my life, I don’t know where my journey would have taken. I owe him a debt of gratitude forever.”

Then Yoakam did something even more expected. Despite the rather public beef Yoakam endured with his long-time producer and guitar player Pete Anderson, Dwight Yoakam thanked Pete by name, and gave him credit for helping in his success.

“The two of us co-conspired to do something kind of unimaginable back in 1983 when we met, and in 1984 when we put out the first independent LP, the six song version of ‘Guitars, Cadillacs,'” Yoakam said. “That was truly an independent record, and that’s why the spirit of the Americana Music Association has always felt at home for me, more so more than the commercial world that I succeeded in.”

Then Dwight Yoakam really put things into context by saying, “The only place I’ve ever won an Artist of the Year award is at the Americana Awards.”

This is what an organization like the Americana Music Association is all about. As imperfect, misunderstood, or outright polarizing of a term “Americana” might be—especially to elements of the country world—it is the term and organization that recognized Dwight Yoakam when nobody else would.

And if anyone had any reservation of just how much the award meant to Dwight Yoakam, he then said through tears,

“And it’s doubly special because as I’ve said in the last couple of years, I’m a fortunate guy that I’m getting to live my life in reverse. I have a little 4 year old boy and my lovely wife with me tonight. So to them, forever and ever, even before I met you to now, and beyond, thank you Emily, thank you Dalton, I love you. … And this award is in no small part because of you.”


In the long-standing words of Jim Lauderdale, “Now that’s Americana.”

You probably never thought you would see the indomitable Dwight Yoakam get weepy in public. But this is how much the Americana Lifetime Achievement Award meant to him.

Now, if we could just get Dwight Yoakam into the Country Music Hall of Fame, everything would be right in the world.

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Dwight Yoakam has a new album to be released on November 15th called ‘Brighter Days.’





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