Nominees Announced for the 2018 Americana Music Awards
The Americana Music Association has announced their nominees for the 2018 Americana Music Awards. In a ceremony held at the Country Music Hall of Fame on Tuesday afternoon (5/15), nominees in six categories were announced, with four total nominations going to Jason Isbell, and three going to both Brandi Carlile and Margo Price.
The ceremony also featured performances by the four nominees for Instrumentalist of the Year, guitar player Molly Tuttle, drummer Jerry Pentacost, fiddle player Brittany Haas, and guitarist Daniel Donato. At one point Jason Isbell crashed the presentation being hosted by the Milk Carton Kids. “You don’t come pick ’em up ’till September brother,” they joked, while Isbell played like Kanye to Taylor Swift, saying at one point to the Milk Carton Kids, “You need to make a record with Dave Cobb, and then every year they’ll just keep on nominating you.”
Most notable from the nominations is that both the Artist of the Year and Album of the Year categories only feature four nominees, where last year they featured five. Also, Jason Isbell, John Prine, and Margo Price were all nominated for Artist of the Year in 2017, as well as picking up nominations this year. John Prine ultimately won in 2017. Jason Isbell also doubles up on nominations by being considered for Artist of the Year, as well as receiving a nomination for Duo/Group of the Year with his band, The 400 Unit.
The full list of nominees can be seen below, as well as a video of the entire nominee presentation. Winners will be announced at the annual awards show at the Ryman Auditorium Wednesday, September 12th as part of AmericanaFest.
Artist of the Year
- Jason Isbell
- John Prine
- Brandi Carlile
- Margo Price
Album of the Year
- “All American Made” – Margo Price
- “By The Way, I Forgive You” – Brandi Carlile
- “The Nashville Sound” – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
- “Rifles and Rosary Beads” – Mary Gauthier
Song of the Year
- “A Little Pain”- Margo Price
- “All The Trouble” – Lee Ann Womack (w/ Waylon Payne, Adam Wright)
- “If We Were Vampires” – Jason Isbell
- “The Joke” – Brandi Carlile (w/ Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth)
Duo/Group of the Year
- I’m With Her
- Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit
- Lukas Nelson an Promise of the Real
- Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats
Emerging Artist of the Year
- Courtney Marie Andrews
- Tyler Childers
- Anderson East
- Lilly Hiatt
Instrumentalist of the Year
- Molly Tuttle
- Jerry Pentacost
- Brittany Haas
- Daniel Donato
May 15, 2018 @ 6:43 pm
Generally, I like these nominations. But I don’t see the value in limiting Aritst of the Year, and especially Album of the year to just four nominees. With so many great albums out there these days, give a 5th project that distinction. It can’t hurt.
Also, really feel like the Turnpike Troubadours got overlooked once again. They headlined AmericanaFest last year, and put out an excellent record. Better to give them a nomination, than double up Isbell both in Duo/Group and Artist. The 400 Unit also deserve recognition, but so does the Texas scene, which Turnpike could have represented, and kept Texas firmly in the “Americana” fold.
May 15, 2018 @ 6:51 pm
Totally agree – Turnpike Troubadours should have been nominated to bring in the Texas/Red Dirt movement!
May 15, 2018 @ 8:03 pm
Couldn’t agree more either re TT.
Personally I think Tyler, though “emerging,” put out the best album so I hope he at least wins the category he is in. Jason will likely get artist of the year due to his increasing notoriety. Can’t complain too much though, all good artists, especially when compared to the CMA’s, etc.
May 16, 2018 @ 11:19 am
Then how will Anderson East be able to make it to the awards? Kidding but I agree though TT deserved recognition.
May 15, 2018 @ 6:54 pm
If Tyler doesn’t win that will be the biggest upset
May 15, 2018 @ 7:10 pm
Voting is going to be so hard this year. I’m so hoping Tyler gets it. I agree it would be great to have five spots though. Almost everyone I nominated was on the ballot though so I can’t complain.
May 15, 2018 @ 8:10 pm
Is not familier with the emerging artists. But these folks know little or nothing about the folks I program in Western.
May 15, 2018 @ 8:12 pm
They need to move the time of this award show because the nominations always feel so dated.
May 15, 2018 @ 10:16 pm
Why only 4 nominees per category tho?
May 15, 2018 @ 11:04 pm
I think there should be five, especially for Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Emerging Artist of the Year. No harm, and only good to have five nominees instead of four, especially how crowded “Americana” is these days. I don’t know the exact nomination process. Perhaps there needs to be a majority of support, or only four nominees are fielded. But I think bumping up to five is a very reasonable suggestion for the awards moving forward.
May 15, 2018 @ 11:16 pm
The members can nominate up to 10 names in each category so five would make sense to me. It might be something the members could bring up for future years. I’m happy to.
May 16, 2018 @ 12:51 am
I don’t understand why an artist that has been touring for ten years Is nominated
for an Emerging Artist of the Year award. But since she is nominated, I really really hope Courtney Marie Andrews wins it.
May 16, 2018 @ 10:30 am
How long do you think Tyler Childers has been touring? It’s not really a new artist award, but someone who is making waves and arriving. At least the way I view it, but WTH do I know.
May 16, 2018 @ 12:45 pm
“How long do you think Tyler Childers has been touring?”
I don’t know but they are about the same age. So maybe as long as she has.
“but someone who is making waves and arriving”
Well that make sense, anyways she is kind of “new” to this genre her first four albums was
more Indie/pop-folk.
And even if I hope she wins, I guess it will be Anderson East or Tyle Childers.
May 16, 2018 @ 3:23 am
I’m really surprised that Allison Moorer and Shelby Lynne were overlooked in favour of giving Isbell a nomination in the Duo/Group category when he’s already up for Artist of the Year.
May 17, 2018 @ 7:26 am
Agree…great album and those 2 deserve the recognition…
May 16, 2018 @ 4:25 am
Agree, they overlooked 3/4 of the field. And I know Isbell is everybody’s darling and he can’t help that, but his recent stuff is his most uninteresting, imo – there’s much stronger material out there going unrecognized.
May 16, 2018 @ 5:16 am
Whoa…..holy bullshit Batman.
Margo Price doesn’t belong anywhere near these awards. Her album this year was not good. And while Isbells album was good, Purgatory was a masterpiece. Also where is the love for John Moreland? His album last year was at least as good as isbells.
Glad to see Nathaniel Rateliff on there tho. I don’t think enough people realize just how good “Tearing At The Seams” is.
May 16, 2018 @ 7:22 am
Seriously… where the hell is John Moreland? Big Bad Luv was excellent.
May 16, 2018 @ 8:14 am
That should have been the 5th nominee for Album of the Year. Who’s more Americana than Moreland?
May 16, 2018 @ 6:08 am
I’m saying this even as a fan of Margo Price. Purgatory was just flat out better. In every possible way.
May 16, 2018 @ 6:26 am
I’m also a fan of Margo Price. Going to see John Prine in couple of weeks and am excited that she’s opening, as I’ve seen her once before. I think AAM is a good listen, but it is not a great album (I thought MWFD was a great album). And Purgatory was my favorite last year.
May 16, 2018 @ 10:50 am
Another Margo fan here – I thought I was the only one on the site!
I love MWFD and listen to it regularly. I enjoyed AAM, but I’ve barely listened to it again as an album. I get where she was coming from, but I think she rushed making it and the result is a half-formed idea of a political album that lacks the emotional punch and autobiographical interest of MWFD.
May 16, 2018 @ 10:58 am
I love Margo. You are not the only one! I loved Purgatory but I also loved her album. I am not an Isbell fan at all, I know everyone loves him, but I can appreciate his talent. Ty definitely should have been in album of the year, IMO.
May 16, 2018 @ 12:53 pm
The AAM material really came alive when I saw her live.
I was in the same boat with that album.
May 16, 2018 @ 6:50 am
I would have liked to see Caleb Caudle nominated for Emerging Artist. His Crushed Coins album is excellent.
May 16, 2018 @ 7:19 am
I really can’t get mad at any of these nominations. My only wish is that they would expand the nominee field to five for all categories.
May 16, 2018 @ 9:14 am
Enjoyed the show and its humor.
Going to have to check out Milk Carton Kids now.
Daniel Donato’s playing is so pleasing to the ear. Like the old country jazz stuff mixed with something else I can’t quite put my finger on.
Molly Tuttle blows me away every time I see her play.
May 16, 2018 @ 11:50 am
They should have a category for best live band. Margo could take that one hands down. Her record, which I like, does not touch the energy of her live show.
May 16, 2018 @ 12:55 pm
Me and my wife were both impressed with her live.. I’ve always been a Margo fan, but the show was better than I thought and really put my wife in her camp.
May 16, 2018 @ 12:07 pm
Where is the variety???
3 people are nominated in 3 of the top categories. This isn’t a perfect representation of Americana music, Americana Music Awards should know better.
On a side note: Am I the only one who thinks that with the growing popularity of Americana Music there should be Male & Female categories?
May 16, 2018 @ 12:50 pm
The members vote. So it represents the people the members voted for.
May 17, 2018 @ 6:57 pm
who are these members? it reeks of a circle jerk
May 17, 2018 @ 7:01 pm
I am one. I’m sure there are others here. A lot of musicians and industry members. You can always look into membership if you want to vote.
May 17, 2018 @ 7:48 pm
i appreciate your response Gina. unfortunately i’m not an artist or in the industry. i know that i’m just complaining and that none of this should bug me and usually it don’t care but every once in a while i get a bee in my bonnet about it. artists shouldn’t get a nomination just because they’re a darling and that’s the vibe i’m getting here. i expect back patters out of the mainstream music awards but Americana should be more thorough. i don’t dislike all the names on the list. a couple i really enjoy and believe they genuinely deserve their nominations. some seem like they’re being nominated solely to put asses in the seats though or to give they’re buddies an undeserved atta boy. idk..just my two cents.
May 17, 2018 @ 1:43 am
Brandi Carlile is so much more dynamic than the rest. Also Tyler Childers could’ve been nominated in more categories, he’s that great.