Lucinda Williams Married to Her Music

Lucinda Williams photo by Alan Messer, courtesy of Lost Highway.

Sept. 9, 2009 — With three Grammy Awards to her credit, Lucinda Williams ranks among the top artists in Americana music, and she’s got an unusual concert plan slated this month for the night after the annual Americana Honors & Awards.

Lucinda is set to marry Tom Overby on stage during a concert Sept. 18 at First Avenue in Minneapolis, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Tom is originally from the Twin Cities area, though he and Lucinda both currently live in Los Angeles. They’ll tie the knot at the end of her regular set before she delivers the encore. It’s an appropriate way for them to make their commitment: Tom is Lucinda’s manager, and he co-produced her latest album, Little Honey.

"We've had a lot of awesome shows with Lucinda over the years," First Avenue booking agent Nate Kranz told The Star Tribune, "but this one will probably be the most memorable."

Lucinda’s Grammys include a Best Country Song honor for writing the Mary Chapin Carpenter hit "Passionate Kisses," as well as an award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, cited by Entertainment Weekly in 2008 as one of the 100 best albums of the last 25 years in any genre.

Given her impending nuptials, it’s understandable that Lucinda’s not been announced to appear during the 10th annual Americana Music Festival & Conference that same week in Nashville. The festival’s main event is Sept. 17, when the Americana Music Association Honors & Awards are handed out. Buddy Miller is nominated five times. Others who received two or more nominations include Justin Townes Earle, Julie Miller, Alejandro Escovedo, the Flatlanders, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson.