A lineup of about two dozen stars will salute Paul Simon at this year’s annual Americana Music Association pre-Grammys event, happening at the Troubadour the night before the big ceremony, on Feb. 3.
The lineup includes a majority of the artists who are up for Grammys the following night in the Americana, folk and American roots categories. The 2024 nominees set to perform in West Hollywood the night before they head downtown for the awards include Jason Isbell with 400 Unit guitarist Sadler Vaden, Madison Cunningham, Allison Russell, Brandy Clark, Rufus Wainwright, Nickel Creek’s Sara and Sean Watkins, Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor and the Blind Boys of Alabama.
Other favorites scheduled to perform — many with their own history of Grammy wins or nominations — include Jackson Browne, Marcus King, Natalia Lafourcade, Molly Tuttle (performing with Secor), Andrew Bird, Susanna Hoffs with Grace Bowers, Gaby Moreno, Ruthie Foster, Bobby Rush, John Vincent III, Silvana Estrada, Larkin Poe, Brett Dennen and Johnnyswim.
It’s not impossible that a few names might come or go in the lead-up to next Saturday, due to the inevitable flux of Grammy week.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday through the Troubadour website.
The house band will feature Daniel Rhine on bass, Val McCallum on guitar, Jim Oblon also on guitar, Mark Stepro on drums, Lee Pardini on keys, Molly Jenson on vocals, CJ Camerieri on trumpet and Sylvain Carton on sax. Two of the musicians, Oblon and Camerieri, have been in Simon’s band in the past.
The venerable nightspot will be busy during rehearsals for the show, as Yoakam and Chris Hillman will be recording their SiriusXM show in the Troubadour bar, likely roping in some of the performers as they pass through.
Simon himself is mostly retired from live performance and not expected to join the lineup, although he is in Grammy competition with a couple of the performers paying homage to him at the Troubadour. The 82-year-old poet laureate’s latest release, “Seven Psalms,” is nominated for best folk album.
This year’s concert will not be livestreamed. The 2023 tribute to Lucinda Williams did get a webcast, unlike most previous editions. Besides the WIlliams salute, past pre-Grammy shows produced by the AMA have saluted the work of John Prine, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris, Phil Everly and Glenn Frey.
The event is produced by Michelle Aquilato and Jed Hilly, the Americana Music Association’s executive director.
