AmericanaFest Announces Keynote Speaker Details

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AmericanaFest has announced the keynote speakers for the upcoming conference at The Westin Nashville Sept. 20-22.

Panelists including Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, Bettye LaVette & Steve Jordan, Lyle Lovett, Marty Stuart, Rufus Wainwright & Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams.

Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal: The Wheel 30-Year Anniversary
Tuesday — 3 p.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater

On the heels of launching their co-founded new record label, RumbleStrip Records, Cash and Leventhal will discuss their extensive history together as artist and producer. The duo will highlight the 30th anniversary reissue of Cash’s 1993 album, The Wheel (the couple’s first collaborative effort), as well as Leventhal’s upcoming solo debut. Cash is a recipient of the Americana Music Association’s Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award and has won the organization’s Song of the Year and Album of the Year honors. Leventhal was also named the Americana Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year in 2015.

The World of Marty Stuart
Wednesday — 12 p.m.

Following the release of his new album, Altitude, Stuart explores a cosmic country landscape of dreamers and drifters, misfits and angels, honky-tonk heroes and lonesome lovers. The Country Music Hall of Famer, five-time Grammy winner and Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement honoree will sit with music journalist and broadcaster David Fricke to discuss his fifty-year career spanning music, photography, history, artifact collection and his latest museum project to revitalize his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Becoming Lyle Lovett: A Keynote Conversation
Thursday — 10 a.m.

With a career spanning nearly four decades, Lovett will provide a reflection on his songs, recordings and international tours. He will offer insight into moments throughout his career when he had to dig deep to find the next version of himself. The careful balance of continuity and change is at the heart of any long career, and Lovett stands as a master of taking it forward without losing sight of home.

Reunited in Music: Bettye LaVette & Steve Jordan  
Thursday — 1 p.m.

LaVette and Jordan will come together again to discuss their latest collaboration for her album LaVette! The two will discuss their accomplished careers and creative processes as well as what led to recording an album of songs by Randall Bramblett. LaVette! arrived in June on Jay-Vee Records, the label co-founded by Jordan and Meegan Voss.

Telling Secrets: A Conversation with Lucinda Williams
Thursday — 3 p.m.

Grammy-winning artist Williams will sit down with music journalist and author Holly George-Warren to participate in an engaging discussion about her illustrious life and career. After several years of playing hardscrabble clubs, Williams gained solid footing to record a self-titled album that would become a touchstone for the embryonic Americana movement – helping launch a thousand musical ships.

Friends of Folk: A Conversation with Rufus Wainwright & Emmylou Harris
Friday — 2 p.m.

Wainwright’s new album, Folkocracy, pays tribute to his Canadian and American folk roots through an array of cover songs. Harris will join him to discuss their approach to music and storytelling, drawing from their decades of experience in the industry. Together, they will talk candidly about their musical heritage, personal growth and lessons learned.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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