Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson and the late John Prine were among those receiving kudos at Wednesday night’s 20th annual Americana Honors & Awards, which returned to an in-person ceremony at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium after being announced online last year due to the pandemic.
Even without having a new album out — yet (there’s one coming Oct. 1) — Carlile was named artist of the year, an honor she previously picked up in 2019. During the pandemic, Carlile notably stood as a model of how to keep an audience engaged through livestreams, from formal recreations of her studio albums to informal live campfire sessions. She had also been celebrated in the last year for her memoir, “Broken Horses,” and a new single, “Right on Time,” released in advance of her forthcoming “In These Silent Days” album.
.@AmericanaFest Artist Of The Year @brandicarlile uses her speech to shout out @outsidechild13 @amythystkiah @iamyola @ThevalerieJune @joyoladokun
