Hosts, Performers, Musical Director Announced For 17th Annual Americana Honors & Awards

The Americana Music Association announced today that The Milk Carton Kids will be on hand to host and Buddy Miller will return as musical director for the 17th annual Americana Honors & Awards ceremony. This year’s show will take place at 6:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

Legends and longtime fan-favorites line up alongside present-day buzz generators including k.d. lang, Buddy Guy, Irma Thomas, Rosanne Cash, John Prine, Robert Earl Keen, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, I’m With Her, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Margo Price, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Mary Gauthier, Anderson East, Lilly Hiatt, Tyler Childers and Courtney Marie Andrews as confirmed performers for the Honors & Awards show.

The ceremony is the capstone event for the 19th annual AMERICANAFEST, held at various venues throughout Nashville during the week of Sept. 11-16.

For the first time, Americana award-winning and GRAMMY-nominated duo The Milk Carton Kids, Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, will host the critically acclaimed program, while Americana’s most-awarded artist, songwriter, musician and producer Buddy Miller takes the reins of musical direction for the Americana All-Star Band featuring Don Was, Jerry Pentecost, Joe Pisapia, Ian Fitchuk, Lillie Mae, Joshua Grange, Jim Hoke and the McCrary Sisters.

A live video stream of the 2018 Honors & Awards show will be webcast via NPRMusic.org. Additionally, CMT is set to broadcast a special featuring performance highlights on Nov. 28 at 8 p.m. CT; followed by a special broadcast of the television series Austin City Limits on PBS in February 2019.

“Each year this show is so special, driven by the passion of music-loving artists and fans, it is truly a humbling event,” said Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association, adding, “it’s an honor to produce this event with the best team in the biz, Michelle Aquilato, Martin Fischer and Edie Hoback and thrilled to expand our collaboration team to include Terry Lickona (Austin City Limits), Margaret Comeaux and Ellie Chandler from CMT.”

“We’ve been supported by and supporters of Americana since our inception,” said Pattengale and Ryan. “And the thought of hosting this event with so many of our friends and idols performing and receiving honors thrills us to no end. We’ve been working hard on the program and are excited to help present a memorable night. We hope, additionally, that we don’t blow it.”

In addition to the annual “Of the Year” awards presented during the program, the 2018 Honors & Awards Show will include this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award honorees: lang, Guy, Thomas, Cash and Olivia Records pioneers Judy Dlugacz and Cris Williamson.

A live audio simulcast of the Honors & Awards show will also be available via SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country, and on Nashville area terrestrial radio stations: WRLT (100.1 FM), WSM (650 AM) and WMOT (89.5 FM).

Confirmed performers for the 2018 Americana Honors & Awards, in alphabetical order:

Courtney Marie Andrews
Brandi Carlile
Rosanne Cash
Tyler Childers
Anderson East
Mary Gauthier
Buddy Guy
Lilly Hiatt
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Robert Earl Keen
k.d. lang
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
Margo Price
John Prine
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
Irma Thomas