Ten Years of the Americana Music Association
In its first decade, the Americana Music Association has helped American roots music assume a more elevated and secure place in the artistic and commercial life of the nation and put on some memorable shows to boot. What began as an informal gathering of dedicated colleagues has grown into a movement endorsed by major media, iconic artists and the Recording Academy, which recently created a new Americana Grammy Award. The AMA has been a refuge for artistry in a time of tumult for popular music and a resource for hundreds of uncompromising artists, songwriters, musicians and producers.
Before it was an association, convention, festival or awards show, Americana was a radio format. In 1994, broadcaster Rob Bleetstein approached radio trade paper Gavin with a proposal for a new chart that would reflect and foster airplay of roots music that didn't have a natural home in the AAA format or country. Nashville record promoter Jon Grimson coined the term Americana to encompass traditional country and its related genres, and Bleetstein became the first editor of the chart, which debuted in January of 1995 with Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, Nick Lowe, The Mavericks and Jim Lauderdale among the top ten.
In 1996 and '97, a group of about 30 volunteers from radio, record labels and media met informally at the South by Southwest music industry conference in Austin, Texas to discuss collective action that could help the Americana community, including the possibility of a trade association. A facilitated retreat in October 1999 galvanized the idea, and the AMA was born.
Early the following year, AMA hosted its first annual Americana Night at South by Southwest, and then in September 2000, the AMA held its first convention at the Hilton Suites in downtown Nashville, featuring showcase performances by Sam Bush, Rhonda Vincent, Rodney Crowell and Jim Lauderdale. At that meeting, the new board approved hiring the first organization executive director. J.D. May, general manager of Dead Reckoning Records, took the helm at the AMA at the end of the year.
May's first big challenge was negotiating the hasty rescheduling of the second convention, which was set to start on Sept. 14, 2001. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, AMA officials knew that cancellation and refunds would have killed the young organization, but working with the hotel and local music venues, the conference was moved to early November. The slate included more top flight performers including Guy Clark, Delbert McClinton and Gillian Welch.
The Americana Honors and Awards were added to the convention in year three, and the evening proved moving and historic. Americana icons Emmylou Harris, Billy Joe Shaver and T Bone Burnett were given lifetime achievement awards for performing, songwriting and executive achievement respectively. And after much behind-the-scenes planning, the audience was treated to a surprise performance by Johnny and June Carter Cash with members of the Cash family. Johnny accepted the AMA's first-ever "Spirit of Americana" Free Speech Award with a stunning recitation of his song-poem "Ragged Old Flag," and then, despite failing health, he and June led their family band through a set of songs that reached back through time. It turned out to be the last public performance the Cashes would ever give together.
Over time, the Fall event attracted ever-larger groups of fans and industry conferees. In response, the organization formally changed the name of its event to the Americana Music Festival and Conference, welcoming not just those in the business but anyone with a passion for music. By 2008, the event had expanded to four days, moved its awards show to the historic Ryman Auditorium and attracted nearly 1,000 industry professionals, plus a cumulative total over 12,000 visitors to the night-time showcases.
Each year's emotionally charged musical performances have been as varied as Americana itself: Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint dueting on the Ryman stage; Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives crooning gospel in rhinestone suits in a packed Mercy Lounge; Grace Potter and the Waybacks channeling the Grateful Dead at the Cannery Ballroom; John Doe, founder of X, and soul songwriting giant Dan Penn joining the Hacienda Brothers on stage at Nashville's famous Basement; newcomer Mike Farris introducing himself with shocking power as he interpreted "Green Green Grass of Home" with nothing but a guitar at a tribute turned wake for the great Porter Wagoner; and an unannounced duet by Robert Plant and Buddy Miller, which drove noted acerbic music industry blogger Bob Lefsetz to gush, "Their passion was palpable. My only desire was to get closer. My only hope was that the music would never end."
Indeed, the annual fall convention has attracted some of the most important figures in the history of American roots music, including Mavis Staples, Judy Collins, John Prine, Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Solomon Burke and Lyle Lovett. International media have noticed as well, including the New York Times which lauded the Americana movement as "the coolest music scene today."
Besides the convention and awards, the AMA has branched selectively into presenting key concerts, starting with 2007's memorable "Ramble At The Ryman" with Levon Helm and his band. A second Helm show in 2008 was filmed for broadcast in the summer of 2009 on more than 200 public television (PBS) stations.
AMA has also had success advancing its cause with the Recording Academy, sponsor of the Grammy Awards. In 2007, the Grammys added Americana to its Contemporary Folk Award, and two years later it went one better, granting Americana its own album of the year category under the category or field name of American Roots which will debut in January 2010.
