4th Annual Americana Music Awards (2005)

The 4th Annual Americana Music Association Honors & Awards aired on GAC in 2005!

Steve Earle, Mary Gauthier and Tift Merritt each have received three nominations for the 4th Annual Americana Honors & Awards. Buddy Miller earned two nominations, and a track from Miller's nominated album Universal United House Of Prayer, "Worry Too Much" by Mark Heard, is nominated for Song Of The Year.

Also scoring nominations in the five member-voted categories were (alphabetically) Alison Brown, Hayes Carll, Jerry Douglas, the Duhks, Tom Gillam, Sonny Landreth, Gurf Morlix, John Prine and Martha Wainwright.

The announcements were made by recording artists Todd Snider and Mary Gauthier at an AMA reception presented by BMI on June 16.

Hosted by two-time Americana Honors & Awards recipient Jim Lauderdale, the Americana Honors & Awards ceremony will be presented at the Ryman Auditorium on Friday, September 9, 2005 at 7pm. The two-hour event, including numerous artist performances, will be produced and directed by Tamara Saviano and Paul Whitfield, respectively. This year's event will be telecast for the first time on Great American Country (GAC), and broadcast live on XM Satellite Radio and later in September on both Sirius Satellite Radio and BBC Radio 2.

This is the third time that Buddy Miller has been nominated for Album Of The Year, as Midnight And Lonesome (Hightone) scored a nod in 2003, while Buddy & Julie Miller's self-titled release on Hightone received the Album honors in 2002; the duo were also nominated for Artist Of The Year in 2002. An Instrumentalist nominee in 2003, Miller is now the AMA's most-nominated artist in the organization's history, now having received six in the Honors & Awards' four-year history.

It is the fourth consecutive year that Jerry Douglas has been nominated for Instrumentalist Of The Year (he received the Award in 2002 and 2003). Those four nominations place Douglas second all-time in AMA Honors & Awards nominations. Gurf Morlix picked up his second Instrumentalist nomination, having also been recognized in 2003.

Steve Earle's three nominations in the Album, Artist and Song Of The Year categories are his first for the Americana Music Honors & Awards. Earle was presented with the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center's Spirit Of Americana Free Speech Award in 2004.

John Prine, up for Album Of The Year, was recognized by the AMA for Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriter in 2003.

"We are proud to recognize these outstanding artists in a year full of great music and congratulate them on their nominations," said Americana Music Association Executive Director Jeff Green. "We're all looking forward to a magical night of remarkable performances."

Here is a summary of the 2005 Honors & Awards nominees:

Album Of The Year:
Steve Earle – The Revolution Starts Now (E-Squared/Artemis)
Mary Gauthier – Mercy Now (Lost Highway)
Tift Merritt – Tambourine (Lost Highway)
Buddy Miller – Universal United House Of Prayer (New West)

Artist Of The Year:
Steve Earle
Tift Merritt
Buddy Miller
John Prine

Instrumentalist Of The Year:
Alison Brown
Jerry Douglas
Sonny Landreth
Gurf Morlix

New/Emerging Artist Of The Year:
[There was a tie in this category, resulting in five nominees]
Hayes Carll
The Duhks
Mary Gauthier
Tom Gillam
Martha Wainwright

Song Of The Year (presented to songwriter):
Steve Earle – "The Revolution Starts ? Now" (E-Squared/Artemis)
Mary Gauthier – "Mercy Now" (Lost Highway)
Mark Heard – "Worry Too Much" (New West)
Tift Merritt – "Good Hearted Man" (Lost Highway)

During the Honors & Awards, the AMA will also present five additional awards:
Lifetime Achievement Award for Executive
Lifetime Achievement Award for Performer
Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriter
First Amendment Center/AMA Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award
President's Award