Americana Awards Winners 2023: Billy Strings, Tyler Childers, Bonnie Raitt & More

Guitarist Billy Strings won the Artist Of The Year category for the second year in a row last night at the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards ceremony at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Other big winners were Tyler Childers scoring the Album Of The Year nod for Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?, Bonnie Raitt taking home Song Of The Year for “Just Like That” and The War and Treaty repeating as Duo/Group Of The Year.

Jim Lauderdale presented Billy Strings with the Artist Of The Year award at the 22nd annual Americana Honors. “This is not how I expected the evening to go,” Strings said upon receiving the honor. “Three hours ago I was sitting on my couch watching mindless television.” He told the audience he was just honored to be nominated with the “amazing musicians” in the category and thanked his band.

Childers’ Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven? was a self-produced effort consisting of three discs, each featuring a different version of the same eight gospel tunes. Tyler Childers did not appear in person to collect the award.

Other winners were S.G. Goodman for Emerging Act Of The Year, SistaStrings for Instrumentalist Of The Year and Allison Russell for Spirit of Americana/Free Speech in Music Award. Additionally, the Trailblazer Award was bestowed upon The Avett Brothers and Nickel Creek, while Patty Griffin received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting and Bettye LaVette took home the Legacy Of Americana Award.

Logan Ledger kicked off the festivities by paying tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett by performing “Come Monday.” The night ended with Margo Price, The Avett Brothers, Nickel Creek, Billy Strings and many others honoring the late Robbie Robertson with an all-star take on The Band’s “Up On Cripple Creek.” Other performances included Griffin’s “Shine A Different Way,” Price’s “Been To The Mountain,” 49 Winchester’s “Russell County Line” and Adeem The Artist’s “Middle Of The Heart.”

Watch the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards below:

Americana Awards Winners 2023 List

Album Of The Year: Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?, Tyler Childers, Produced by Tyler Childers

Song Of The Year: “Just Like That,” Bonnie Raitt, Written by Bonnie Raitt

Artist Of The Year: Billy Strings

Duo/Group Of The Year: The War & Treaty

Emerging Act Of The Year: S.G. Goodman

Instrumentalist Of The Year: SistaStrings

Legacy of Americana Award (in partnership with the National Museum of African American Music): Bettye LaVette

Trailblazer Award: The Avett Brothers, Nickel Creek

Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting: Patty Griffin

Spirit of Americana/Free Speech in Music Award: Allison Russell

Jack Emerson Lifetime Achievement for Executive: George Fontaine Sr.