The Americana Music Association has announced its Lifetime Achievement, Trailblazer and Legacy Award honorees for the upcoming 22nd Annual Americana Honors & Awards show on Sept. 20.

The Avett Brothers, George Fontaine Sr., Patty Griffin, Bettye LaVette and Nickel Creek will all be honored for their achievements during the ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium, which serves as the hallmark event of the association’s annual AmericanaFest, taking place Sept. 19-23 in Nashville.

“This year’s Lifetime Achievement honorees represent the diverse sounds that contribute to the American roots music canon,” says Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association and Foundation. “Our honorees have inspired this community individually and have collectively changed the landscape of the music industry. We are truly humbled to be in the same room with them.”

In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Awards, the association will also honor distinguished members of the music community with six member-voted annual awards, revealing the winners during the ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium. A list of this year’s nominees can be found here.

For more than two decades, the ceremony has celebrated pioneering mainstays and trailblazing newcomers while featuring unforgettable moments in musical history, including Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash’s last live performance together, as well as show-stopping appearances by k.d. lang, Van Morrison, Mavis Staples, Bob Weir, Buddy Guy, George Strait, Don Henley, the late John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, Gregg Allman, The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, Alabama Shakes, the late Dr. John with Dan Auerbach, Irma Thomas, Levon Helm, Robert Plant and many more.

OnRamp Program Members Celebrate Hip-Hop At Nashville Showcase

The Academy of Country Music hosted a showcase celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at The Basement in Nashville on Wednesday (Sept. 6) featuring live performances by members of the inaugural class of the Academy and the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC)’s celebrated OnRamp professional development program: Roz Malone, Daisha McBride, Qualls and Kendall “Ken-Say” Warner. The show, which drew a packed house, was hosted by television and radio host, executive producer and entrepreneur Averianna the Personality.

OnRamp focuses on improving inclusivity and equity within Music City and aims to empower the next generation of leaders in the early stages of their careers by granting access to professional development opportunities, mentorship, industry exposure and other resources. Each participant will receive a monthly stipend for one year. Half of this year’s inaugural class are artists; the other half come from across the industry and range from attorneys to audio engineers, publicists to business managers.

Concord Music Publishing Hosts ‘100% Hungate’ Event

Last week, Concord Music Publishing hosted “100% Hungate,” an event that featured a special acoustic live set of singer-songwriter Lauren Hungate‘s music, at their Nashville studios.

Hungate primarily creates within the country space, but has garnered a few pop, Christian, R&B and folk cuts as well. The BMI Buzz Class of 2020 member co-wrote Ashland Craft’s “When a Cowboy’s Heart Breaks” as well as Lily Rose’s single “Overnight Sensation,” which amassed more than nine million views on TikTok.

She has also earned cuts with Elle King, Chrissy Metz, Kimberly Perry, Carter Faith, Spencer Crandall and Lauren Watkins, among others, and has collaborated with Little Big Town, Charles Kelley, Jake Owen, Sasha Sloan, Carly Pearce, Maddie & Tae, Raelynn, Cam, Corey Kent, MacKenzie Porter, Nate Smith and more.

Photo Finish Records Signs Colby T. Helms

Photo Finish Records has signed Virginia-based artist Colby T. Helms.

The 21-year-old began dreaming of making music at age 12, when a group of bluegrass players performed at his father’s funeral. Helms then taught himself guitar, banjo and mandolin by watching local performers and YouTube videos. By age 18, he was a veteran performer in the Blue Ridge/Appalachian Mountains region alongside his band, The Virginia Creepers. Helms plans to share his debut single “Higher Ground,” a song he wrote about his experiences as a touring musician, on Wednesday, Sept. 13.

“Photo Finish Records couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Colby,” shares Matt Galle, Founder & CEO, Photo Finish Records. “After months of trying to track him down, we flew down to his hometown in Franklin County, Virginia in mid-December 2022 to meet him at his underground home built by his late father. We got a small glimpse into his life from hearing stories about his dad, seeing his vast instrument collection, and learning about the local music community that raised him. Colby is an incredible, raw talent with a super unique voice—he doesn’t conform to any popular standards or trends. Colby writes and performs music that captivates the listener with his storytelling. Mike [Marquis], myself and the Photo Finish team are proud to be working alongside him and are extremely excited to help him tell his story.”

The Gatlin Brothers Sign With CDX Records, The Orchard & Sony For Distribution

The Gatlin Brothers have signed with CDX Records, The Orchard and Sony for distribution.

The sibling trio, made up of brothers Larry, Steve and Rudy Gatlin, have earned a Grammy for Best Country Song, three ACM Awards for Single of the Year and Album of the Year as well as five nominations for CMA Vocal Group of the Year, Single, Album and Male Vocalist of the Year, among other accolades, throughout their over 65-year career.

“We didn’t think there was much reason to make new music, but then we met Joe Kelly and the other great folks at CDX Records, and we feel about them the way we felt about Fred Foster and the good folks at Monument back in ’71…It’s a sweet feeling,” says The Gatlin Brothers.

“I am overly excited for CDX Records to be the musical home for new music from Larry, Steve and Rudy…The Gatlin Brothers,” says Kelly, President, CDX Records. “They are country music royalty and deserve their rightful place in the fabric of our industry for what they have accomplished in the past, what they are doing in the present (fabulous new music coming soon!) and what their mighty future holds.”

To celebrate what would have been Patsy Cline‘s 91st birthday today, MCA Nashville/UMe have announced they will release a vinyl update of her chart-busting, 10x Platinum-selling Greatest Hits album on Nov. 10.

Available to purchase exclusively at uDiscover Music, Sound of Vinyl and via UMG Nashville, this collector’s edition will be pressed on white vinyl and presented with newly-created contemporary pink cover art and packaging.

Greatest Hits was certified double-Platinum by the RIAA in 1989, making Cline the first female in country to sell more than two million albums. In 2001, Cline’s Greatest Hits was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for the album, which at the time, had stayed the most weeks on the U.S. Country Chart by a female artist—an incredible 722 weeks after it first entered. The record spent nearly five years at No. 1.

Originally released in 1967 by Decca Records, four years after her untimely death in a plane crash, Cline’s Greatest Hits is an encapsulation of her Top 10 hits between 1957 and 1963, featuring her first hit single, “Walkin’ After Midnight,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard country chart and hinted at Cline’s crossover appeal as it hit No. 12 on the pop chart in 1957. It also includes her first No. 1 hit, “I Fall To Pieces,” which also peaked at No. 12 on the pop chart and additionally was ranked by Billboard as the No. 2 song of 1961 in its year-end charts, and the crossover hit, “Crazy,” which peaked at No. 2 on the country chart and No. 9 on the pop chart in the fall of 1961. It also includes her third country-pop crossover hit, “She’s Got You,” which resulted in her second No. 1 country smash when released in January 1962.

The 12-track collection also boasts her hits “So Wrong,” “Strange,” “Why Can’t He Be You,” “Back In Baby’s Arms,” “You’re Stronger Than Me” and the posthumously released “Sweet Dreams (Of You),” “Faded Love” and “Leavin’ On Your Mind,” which all became Top 10 country hits after her passing.

Dustin Lynch wrestles with some very relatable life questions on his upcoming sixth studio album, Killed The Cowboy, due out Sept. 29 via Broken Bow Records.

The brooding title track, which captures a romantic duel where only one will walk away penned by Jordan Reynolds, Devin Dawson, and Anderson East, is out today.

The 12-track journey contemplating the single life on Killed The Cowboy includes highlights like the introspective “If I Stop Drinkin’,” the shadowy ballad “Blue Lights,” and the yearning come-on “Lone Star.” Fans will also find a friend at the party via some rowdy anthems, from “Honky Tonk Heartbreaker” and “George Strait Jr.,” to “Chevrolet”—a nostalgic dirt road rocker with Jelly Roll.

“When I’m off the road and working on my farm, I have a lot of inner dialogue. It’s a boxing match inside of me, between living in the moment and enjoying where I am, versus what’s the best version of me five, 10, or 20 years down the road,” Lynch explains. “What do I want to be? What do I want life to look like? Who do I want to be around? Killed The Cowboy is that back-and-forth. It’s me asking myself, ‘Am I okay? Or am I weird for not having found my person yet? And is she even out there?’ My hope is that this album finds someone who needs to hear it. I want Killed The Cowboy to embrace the single people of the world and lift them up, to let them know that you don’t have to live a ‘normal’ life to still be happy in your own skin.”

Killed The Cowboy Track List:
1. “Killed The Cowboy” (Jordan Reynolds, Devin Dawson, Anderson East)*
2. “Honky Tonk Heartbreaker” (Dustin Lynch, Hunter Phelps, Zach Crowell, Ben Johnson)+
3. “George Strait Jr.” (Dustin Lynch, Hunter Phelps, Jordan Reynolds, Andy Albert)*
4. “Chevrolet (feat. Jelly Roll)” (Chase McGill, Jessi Alexander, Hunter Phelps, Mentor Williams)^
5. “If I Stop Drinkin’” (John Morgan, Dallas Davidson, Kyle Fishman, Jordan Minton)*
6. “Only Girl In This Town” (Devin Dawson, Josh Thompson, Kyle Fishman)#
7. “Breakin’ Up Down” (Hunter Phelps, Zach Crowell, Blake Pendergrass, Brent Anderson)*
8. “Trouble With This Truck” (Dustin Lynch, Hunter Phelps, Ashley Gorley, Zach Crowell)*
9. “Blue Lights” (Jameson Rodgers, Jake Mitchell, Brent Anderson, Hunter Phelps)*
10. “Lone Star” (Devin Dawson, Jordan Reynolds, Alysa Vanderheym)*
11. “Listen To The Radio” (Dustin Lynch, Hunter Phelps, Randy Montana, Ben Johnson)*
12. “Long Way Home” (Dustin Lynch, Kyle Fishman, Andy Albert)*

* Produced by Zach Crowell
+ Co-Produced by Zach Crowell and Ben Johnson
^ Co-Produced by Zach Crowell and Ben Phillips
# Co-Produced by Zach Crowell and Kyle Fishman