Tyler Childers’ Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven was named album of the year at the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards, which were held Wednesday (Sept. 20) at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
The album consists of three discs, each containing different remixes of eight gospel music songs. The “Hallelujah” versions were recorded live in the studio; the “Jubilee” versions incorporate horn and string sections; and the “Joyful Noise” versions incorporate remixes and sampling. Three of the songs are public domain. Childers wrote the other five. The album reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and No. 8 on the Billboard 200. It was Childers’ first top 10 album on the Billboard 200.
Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” won song of the year, nearly eight months after it won in the same category at the 65th annual Grammy Awards. It’s the first song written by a solitary writer to win here since Jason Isbell’s “If We Were Vampires” five years ago.
Billy Strings won entertainer of the year for the second year in a row. He’s the first artist to win two years running since John Prine in 2017-18.
The War and Treaty won duo/group of the year last year for the second year in a row. They’re the first act to win two years running since the Avett Brothers in 2010-11. The husband-and-wife duo is up for vocal duo of the year at the upcoming CMA Awards.
S.G. Goodman won for best emerging act. Many previous winners have gone on to do very well, including The Avett Brothers (2007), Mumford & Sons (2011), Alabama Shakes (2012), Sturgill Simpson (2014) and Margo Price (2016), Amanda Shires (2017), Childers (2018), The War and Treaty (2019) and Black Pumas (2020).
The Americana Music Association also presented its lifetime achievement, trailblazer and legacy award honorees. The recipients were Grammy-winning artists Patty Griffin and Nickel Creek; Grammy-nominated artists The Avett Brothers and Bettye LaVette; and George Fontaine Sr., co-founder and owner of New West Records.
The program is the marquee event of AmericanaFest, which returns for its 23nd year on Sept. 19 and runs through Sept. 23.
Here’s the full list of nominees for the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards, with winners marked:
Album of the year
Big Time, Angel Olsen; Produced by Angel Olsen and Jonathan Wilson
WINNER: Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, Tyler Childers; Produced by Tyler Childers
El Bueno y el Malo, Hermanos Gutiérrez; Produced by Dan Auerbach
The Man from Waco, Charley Crockett; Produced by Bruce Robison
Strays, Margo Price; Produced by Margo Price and Jonathan Wilson
Song of the year
“Change of Heart,” Margo Price; Written by Jeremy Ivey, Margo Price
“I’m Just a Clown,” Charley Crockett; Written by Charley Crockett
WINNER: “Just Like That,” Bonnie Raitt; Written by Bonnie Raitt
“Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan; Written by Zach Bryan
“You’re Not Alone,” Allison Russell featuring Brandi Carlile; Written by Allison Russell
Artist of the year
Charley Crockett
Sierra Ferrell
Margo Price
Allison Russell
WINNER: Billy Strings
Duo/group of the year
49 Winchester
Caamp
Nickel Creek
Plains
WINNER: The War and Treaty
Emerging act of the year
Adeem the Artist
WINNER: S.G. Goodman
William Prince
Thee Sacred Souls
Sunny War
Instrumentalist of the year
Isa Burke
Allison de Groot
Jeff Picker
WINNER: SistaStrings (Chauntee and Monique Ross)
Kyle Tuttle
