Winners Announced at the 2024 Ameripolitan Awards

See full list of winners and photo gallery below.
After multiple years of calling Memphis home and bisected by two years of the pandemic, the Ameripolitan Awards dreamed up by Dale Watson returned to its original home of Austin, Texas on Sunday, February 18th for its 2024 presentation. It happened at the Moody Theater in downtown Austin—also known as the home of Austin City Limits—resulting in yet another step up for the awards over its tenure.
In fact, everything was bigger at the 2024 Ameripolitan Awards. The crowd was bigger, the production was bigger, the entire everything for a grassroots organization trying to offer an alternative to other awards was bigger, and it was far and away the best Ameripolitan awards yet.
The Ameripolitan awards started in Austin’s Wyndham Garden Inn in 2014 and transpired in a ballroom at the hotel. This year, the Wyndham hosted showcases during the week and was the home base for the the Ameripolitan gathering. But moving to the Moody was the way for this awards show to reach an entirely new level. Also, since the Moody is set up for television production, the hope is the awards can come to TV or streaming.
Dale Watson came out at the beginning of the awards and explained the evolution and growth of an awards show that started after Blake Shelton referred to classic country music fans as “Old farts” and “Jackasses.” “I thought it would be a one shot deal. But it ain’t.”

The entire floor of the Moody Theater filled up, as did the 2nd level and parts of the balcony. But no matter how big the awards get, it still feels like one of the most tight knit communities in roots music. As Western Swing Male winner Kyle Eldridge said while accepting his award, “Community is so important, and I’m proud to be part of this community.”
Western Swing legend Ray Benson was awarded the “Master Award” by steel guitar legend and producer Lloyd Maines, who recalled seeing Asleep at the Wheel at Austin’s famed Armadillo World Headquarters back in the ’70s. “They were playing Western Swing, but if Bob Wills was on acid,” Maines said.
Ray Benson talked about the importance of Ameripolitan recognizing Western Swing music, and the genre and other roots forms don’t always get the same recognition from other awards organizations. He also recalled that he’d hosted The Ameripolitan Awards a couple of times previously. “Yeah, I got fired,” he said to laughter.

Ray had replaced Mojo Nixon, who was the host for the first two years of the awards. He was remembered numerous times over the night, but not with moments of silence. Dale Watson declared that raucous cheers was how to remember Mojo.
Speaking of passed-on greats, Monte Warden told a story of how his 4-year-old son was once saved by Charlie Robison who jumped a the pool, boots, jeans and grabbed the drowning child. Warden, Lloyd Maines, and Jamie Lin Wilson then performed Charlie Robison’s “My Hometown” in tribute to the Texas legend who passed away in 2023.

There was also a tribute to James White of The Broken Spoke, featuring Alvin Crow, Dale Watson, and an actual old wagon wheel from The Spoke itself.
Original members of the Texas Tornados Augie Myers and Flaco Jimenez received the Founder of the Sound award. Flaco had to be wheeled out on stage in a wheelchair, but stood up triumphantly as the crowd came to its feet.
“Happy Holidays!” Jimenez said. Then laughed, “What am I saying?” Augie and Flaco remained on stage, running through numerous Texas Tornados songs, including, of course, “(Hey Baby), Que Paso.”


Rockabilly 2023 winner Tammi Savoy turned in perhaps the performance of the night. A long-time Ameripolitan community member, she only continues to become more of a phenomenon. Then Ameripolitan Best Rockabilly Male Les Greene took the stage, and blew the doors off, going out into the crowd, dancing all around the stage, and stealing the show Jerry Lee Lewis style.

Kaitlin Butts won the Ameripolitan Award for Honky Tonk Female, but she deserves a second award for the incredible speech she gave afterwards. Fighting back tears, she talked about the struggles women in country music face, both perceived and real, and dedicated her win to all the honky tonk women out there trying to make it in country music (partial video on Instagram).
The house band for the awards consisted of band leader Jason Roberts, fiddle player Katie Shore, Dave Biller on lead guitar, Danny Levin on piano, Don Pawlak on pedal steel guitar, Josh Hoag on bass, and Mike Bernal on drums.
If the Ameripolitan Awards continue to take such leaps forward as they have in the last two years, they are going to be a very serious alternative to the bigger awards shows in the years to come. What started out as a big idea became a big reality in 2024.
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The awards capped off an entire week of festivities. To see more from this weeks Ameripolitan event, check out Saving Country Music on Instagram, and check back for a full report from the various showcases and performance from the weekend coming soon.
2024 Ameripolitan WINNERS:
Honky Tonk Female Nominees
- Cristina Vane
- Emily Nenni
- Hannah Juanita
- Kaitlin Butts – WINNER
Honky Tonk Male Nominees
- Dylan Earl
- Gabe Lee
- Johnny Falstaff
- Sterling Drake – Winner
- Theo Lawrence
Honky Tonk Group Nominees
- Teddy & the Rough Riders – WINNER
- The Deslondes
- The Golden Roses
- The Shootouts
Western Swing Female Nominees
- Brennen Leigh – WINNER
- Meg Ferrell
- Melissa Carper
- Stacey Lee Guse
Western Swing Male Nominees
- Cory Grinder
- Kevin Mauzy Martin
- Kyle Eldridge – WINNER
- Mitch Polzak
Western Swing Group Nominees
- Carolyn Sills Combo – WINNER
- Lovesick Band
- Sad Daddy
- The Cowpokes
Rockabilly Female Nominees
- Angie Monroy
- Gizzelle Becerra DeAnda
- Mozzy Dee – WINNER
- Svetlana “Zombierella” Nagaeva
Rockabilly Male Nominees
- Eddie Clendening
- Les Greene – WINNER
- Oleg “Guitaracula” Fomchenkov (aka Oleg Gitarkin)
- Omar Romero
Rockabilly Group Nominees
- Black Kat Boppers
- Messer Chups – WINNER
- Televisionaries
- The McCharmlys
Outlaw Female Nominees
- Kat Hasty
- Kelsey Waldon – WINNER
- Taylor Hunnicutt
- Stefanie Joyce
Outlaw Male Nominees
- Billy Don Burns – WINNER
- Dallas Burrow
- Jason Boland
- Willy Tea Taylor
Outlaw Group Nominees
- Banditos
- Kyle Nix & the 38’s
- Reckless Kelly – WINNER
- Supersuckers
Musician Of The Year
- Eleanor Whitmore – Fiddle
- Floyd Domino – Piano
- Jason D Williams – Piano – WINNER
- Kullen Fox – Horn
- Lisa Pankretz – Percussion
Ameripolitan Venue Of The Year
- American Legion Post 82, Nashville TN
- Gruene Hall, New Braunfels, TX – WINNER
- Skinny Dennis, Brooklyn, NY
- Southgate House revival, Newport KY
Ameripolitan DJ Of The Year
- Ashli Dansby on KMHT RADIO 103.9, MARSHALL, TEXAS
- Del Villareal on WCBN FM ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – WINNER
- The Morning Crew on KCWM, TEXAS
- Tracy Pitcox on KNEL RADIO, BRADY TEXAS
Ameripolitan Festival Of The Year
- HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS
- SYMCO WEEKENDER, SYMCO – WINNER
- OUTLAW COUNTRY CRUISE
- WESTERN SWINGOUT
All photos by Kyle “Trigger” Coroneos


February 19, 2024 @ 1:21 am
Fuck yeah Billy Don!
February 19, 2024 @ 4:11 am
This is so refreshing to see REAL, TRUE country being represented. This is probably the main point of divergence I have with Trigger, but I say let the powers that be keep the label country. We all know it has been stripped of its roots long ago. Praise be to Dale Watson for Ameripolitan. It shows that the music just simply has been transplanted to a new name. As long as all of those involved keep Ameripolitan grounded and rooted, TRUE country music will endure.
I just wish Ameripolitan would also incorporate Cajun and Western genres. People like Jo-El Sonnier and Wiley and the Wild West would for sure fit into the realm of Ameripolitan.
Trigger, if you read this, I wanted to ask your opinion of the group Riders in the Sky. Thank you for your time.
February 19, 2024 @ 8:29 am
TX Brian,
Western music has by default ended up in the western swing category. Farmer and Adele is a Western act who has actually won in that category. I’m thinking Colter Wall may have been nominated at one point. Cajun music is such a unique and particular fanbase, I don’t see a lot of honky- tonk or rockabilly fans into that genre…at all. It’s kind of in a separate universe. Budget continues to be a big issue with Ameripolitan. They really need some deep pocket contributors each year to help finance this. It isn’t exactly cheap to put on something of this scale. Many of the performers and nominees cannot afford to totally fund a weekend trip to Ameripolitan, so Dale gets sponsors to try and help with some of the costs when possible. It literally runs on fumes from year to year. If you add another genre to this event, the costs will go up. Also, the length of the program would be an issue. Ameripolitan isn’t a catch- all like Americana attempts and fails to be. It’s a much more focused and streamlined organization. That’s my two cents anyway.
February 19, 2024 @ 9:00 am
Also, Cajun music is so specific to southern Louisiana that it would be awkward for non-Cajuns in another state to try to host Cajun awards. For western music awards, the IWMA and AWA have been around for decades.
February 19, 2024 @ 11:31 am
I have to say, the Grammy Awards to a good job covering Cajun music. They have a category called “Regional Roots” that covers Cajun and Zydeco, Hawaiian music, Native American music, and other very specific regional music forms. You’d be surprised how many real deal Cajun guys you’ve never heard of have Grammys on their mantle.
As for Western, that might make a good Ameripolitan category with all the Western artists coming up right now.
At the Grammy Awards, Western, Western Swing, Rockabilly, etc. all get lumped in with “Americana,” which means they’re competing with Jason Isbell and Brandi Carlile. So basically, they get buried. Same with the Americana Music Awards.
February 19, 2024 @ 12:38 pm
Yes, one of the regional roots Grammy winners this year was Buckwheat Zydeco, Jr and the Ils Sont Partis Band. I saw them last year at Texas Fiddlers Frolics in Hallettsville. It’s an annual old-time fiddle contest, but they bring in bands from various genres for evening entertainment.
I agree with you about the western categories getting buried at the Grammys, Americana, etc.
When the Grammy awards got rid of the polka category, the polka people were supposed to be able to compete in other categories, but that hasn’t happened. Polka is also absent from Americana. The majority of the old Texas dance halls were built by the Germans and Czechs and polka music shows up on the early country charts in the 1940s. It’s hard to find much yodeling and autoharp in country music anymore, but there are polka bands that still have these things.
February 19, 2024 @ 8:53 am
I was there for the weekender shows and it was invigorating after a week of Beyonce DISCOURSE to see people of all ages, races, and backgrounds gather together to enjoy some good ol fashioned honkey-tonk, rockabilly, and western swing. It proves that you don’t need to water down the sound to appeal to a broader audience. Though I’m totally in agreement that Ameripolitan could expand their categories a bit: tejano and regional Mexican music is having a moment right now and the genre slots perfectly within the ethos the awards is going for.
February 19, 2024 @ 1:54 pm
“tejano and regional Mexican music is having a moment right now”
Can you (or Trigger, or anyone else who may be in the know) point me towards some artists worth listening to in that vein? Current artists. I’m definitely familiar with Augie Meyers and Flaco Jimenez and I’m glad to see that they’re both still alive and kicking.
February 19, 2024 @ 4:30 pm
I suggest looking at the San Antonio scene specifically. Check out the weekly lineups at venues like El Honk Y Tonk and the Thirsty Horse.
Also check out the day stage lineups at the San Antonio Rodeo.
Los Texmaniacs are one of the most versatile and accessible conjunto bands. I’ve seen them with Flaco, but also with Peter Rowan. Josh Baca has his own group The Hot Tamales, and they combine conjunto with zydeco, but I’ve also heard them cover country artists from Hank Sr to Johnny Bush.
I will also put in a good word for Stephanie Urbina Jones, who combines mariachi and honky tonk country. She has played the Grand Ole Opry.
February 19, 2024 @ 6:04 am
A lot of my good friends in all those categories! It was a tough call because all of those men and women are incredible artists, and great friends!
February 19, 2024 @ 6:04 am
…winning an award at the “ameripolitans” – where do go on from there?
March 5, 2024 @ 4:18 am
Who knows ? Maybe ask Cody Jinks or Charley Crockett, lol
February 19, 2024 @ 7:03 am
It feels like there were more big names this year as well. Awesome to see Reckless Kelly win something
February 19, 2024 @ 8:22 am
Wow! Such a great gathering of wonderful artists! The only awads show that really matters!
February 19, 2024 @ 8:23 am
thats my Boston accent…awads….meant awards!
February 19, 2024 @ 9:00 am
Shoutout to the Lovesick Band who came down all the way from Italy to play a fantastic western swing set with Dale Watson. They played so fast that Dale had trouble keeping up
February 20, 2024 @ 3:12 am
yes as an italian it’s great to see them there, they are phenomenal musicians! Lovesick Duo (now a trio).
February 19, 2024 @ 10:47 am
Really glad to see Brennen Leigh scoop up an award. Well deserved.
February 19, 2024 @ 1:23 pm
Nice to see Dale Watson and Junior Brown–two favorites of mine from the ’90s.
That must be Junior’s new double neck git-steel?? I recall reading (possibly here) that the one that he was always seen playing, got stolen.
February 19, 2024 @ 1:37 pm
Yes, he mentioned last night that the stolen one was never recovered, and presumed destroyed. There was another one that was in a museum that they got to him so he could perform with it, but I believe the one he played last night is a new build. Don’t quote me on that though.
February 20, 2024 @ 10:18 am
Tammi Savoy is awesome. I missed a chance to see her perform live and regret it.
February 21, 2024 @ 11:32 am
Billy Don Burns for Outlaw Male! So deserving & worthy of this award! One of the few remaining original country music outlaws that we have left.