THROUGH THE LENS: Americana Honors & Awards Nominees: It’s About the Music, Stupid

In 2018 Varda was one of 82 women in the film industry who, on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, protested the festival’s gender inequality. In that article Dargis “wondered how many [of those women] understood what Varda — through her example, her will and her art — had done to pave the way for them.”

Upon seeing the this year’s slate of Americana Honors & Awards nominees, I did not wonder for a moment if the other nominees for Artist of the Year were aware of how influential the also-nominated Mavis Staples was in paving the way for for their careers and their own nominations. Not just Staples, but other women as well, such as Memphis Minnie, Kitty Wells (who even at the height of her fame was still expected to have supper on the table for her husband), Loretta Lynn, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, and so many more.

Was I surprised by the number women artists nominated this year? Or that all of the Artist of the Year nominees were women? In a word, no; rather, I was pleased, extremely pleased. The strength of women in the genre is something fans and journalists have seen for years. For instance, in Nashville Scene‘s 2018 Country Music Critics Poll, 10 of the top 15 albums were by woman artists.

Readers of this column may recall that I have before called out the Americana Music Association voting members, radio programmers, and others for not seeing what I, along with thousands of other fans, have witnessed at live shows: women artists are just as big a draw, and the audience’s response is just as enthusiastic, as the men. It is evident to me that the AMA board is well aware of this, as there is a level of diversity in the AmericanaFest official showcases, as well as the daytime events, that you will not find elsewhere.

In this regard, the board, the fans, and many of the journalists who cover AmericanaFest have been ahead of the curve, and the voting members behind it. Sometimes I wonder how much music some of those members actually see and hear.

Is this year a sign that things have changed? Is it an aberration? A fluke? Or is it an acceptance of the obvious: The outstanding artists and albums of the year were by women artists. While it is hard to fathom the reasoning and rationale behind the thinking of numerous individuals of any voting bloc, what I do know is this: It’s about the music, the stories we tell, the stories that have to be told, the roads traveled, and the hardships endured along the way. If it’s honest, real, and presented in an intelligent manner, it’s my experience that Americana listeners will respond accordingly. It takes others some time to catch up.

Below is a gallery of photos that includes nearly all of this year’s nominees for the 2019 Americana Honors & Awards. The winners will be named at the AmericanaFest awards ceremony Sept. 11 in Nashville.