Over-the-top Americana breakout star Sierra Ferrell won the night at the 23rd Annual Americana Honors & Awards at Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday.
Ferrell, a West Virginia native who is known to lean into theatrical old-timey outfits and traditional sounds, won both of the night’s top honors– Artist of the Year and Album of the Year) for Trail of Flowers.
To win Artist of the Year, Ferrell bested Allison Russell, Tyler Childers, Charley Crockett, and Noah Kahan.
“People give me way too much credit,” Kahan said before the awards. “I don’t have any plans. I literally wake up late for my alarm every day and stumble out of my house feeling gross. I look at my Google calendar and go wherever I’m told. But I love songwriting so much and always have. I think Nashville does appreciate stories and great songs. I think they’ve taken me in based on my passion for that, and that’s been very cool.”
While Kahan didn’t win, he was one of the more than 20 performers on the program. Duane Betts opened the show with Allman Brothers’ classic, “Blue Sky,” to honor his father, Dickey Betts, who died in April 2024. Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell closed the evening with “Return of the Grievous Angel” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gram Parsons’ Grievous Angel.
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Other performers on the show included The Blind Boys of Alabama, Brandy Clark with SistaStrings, Charles Wesley Godwin, Dwight Yoakam, Kaitlin Butts, Larkin Poe, and Wyatt Flores.
Clark took home her first Americana Award Tuesday night. Her “Dear Insecurity” (feat. Brandi Carlile) won Song of the Year.
“It is personal,” Clark told American Songwriter of “Dear Insecurity.” “It became more personal as it went on. Because we made changes to it in the studio so that every word of it would be me. Then it got a little scarier. Someone told me years ago to write the thing about yourself that you don’t want anyone to know because that’s how everyone feels.”
The night’s other winners include sister duo Larkin Poe for Duo/Group of the Year. The Red Clay Strays won Emerging Act of the Year, and guitar phenom Grace Bowers was crowned Instrumentalist of the Year.
“We’re so honored to be here,” Larkin Poe said. “It’s such a gift to live in this city and come to an event in such an iconic place. This reminds us why Nashville is Nashville. To be recognized and among the ranks is such a gift.”
The Americana Awards dedicated a sizeable portion of the night to honoring musical veterans with lifetime achievement awards. For 2024, the artists honored are Dave Alvin, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Rev. Gary Davis, Shelby Lynne, Don Was, and Dwight Yoakam.
“Tonight was a powerful and heartfelt evening,” Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association, said Wednesday night. “It represented the commitment to community, which exemplifies the spirit of Americana. This legacy has stood strong for 25 years and will continue for decades to come.”
2024 Honors & Awards Winners:
Album of the Year: Trail of Flowers, Sierra Ferrell; Produced by Eddie Spear and Gary Paczosa
Artist of the Year: Sierra Ferrell
Duo/Group of the Year: Larkin Poe
Emerging Act of the Year: The Red Clay Strays
Song of the Year: “Dear Insecurity,” Brandy Clark (feat. Brandi Carlile); Written by Brandy Clark and Michael Pollack
Instrumentalist of the Year: Grace Bowers
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Americana Music Association)
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