Vince Gill Awarded 2026 Ken Burns American Heritage Prize

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Vince Gill receives Ken Burns American Heritage Prize.

Vince Gill was recently awarded the 2026 Ken Burns American Heritage Prize at an event held on May 6 at the American Museum of Natural History.

The honor recognizes an individual whose body of work has advanced our collective understanding of the indomitable American spirit.

“Tonight, we are celebrating two vital American traditions—the arts and conservation, both of which act as a kind of conscience to our nation,” Burns shared from the stage. “This is why I’m particularly delighted to present this prize to Vince Gill tonight. I can spot the kinship of a storyteller a prairie mile away.”

“In Country Music, we explored the idea that this quintessentially American art form is simply ‘three chords and the truth.’ But every once in a while, an artist comes along who elevates that truth into something transcendent,” he continued. “He is a master of his craft, a keeper of the flame, and quite simply, one of the finest souls I’ve had the privilege to work with, document, and learn from. It is my distinct honor to present this year’s American Heritage Prize to a man whose heart is as big as the Montana sky.”

“With a grateful heart, thank you for this amazing honor,” Gill shared. “I think the world of Ken Burns and I think the world of what you’re doing – and you’re trying to make this place better, trying to make it matter, trying to make us have some reverence for what’s been around for a long, long time.”

Throughout the night, Sting, Rosanne Cash, Marty Stewart, Keith Urban and Amy Grant shared well wishes through videos. Gill took the stage to perform “One More Last Chance” and “Whenever You Come Around.”

Burns, a revered visual historian and documentary filmmaker, has directed and produced films including The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, The War, The National Parks, America’s Best Idea, Prohibition, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, The Vietnam War, Country Music, The U.S. and the Holocaust, The American Buffalo, Leonardo da Vinci, and The American Revolution.

 

Lauryn Sink
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