At a glittering event at Omeara in London, the Americana Music Association (AMA-UK) announced the UK Americana Awards 2022 nominations, and the special award winners. These awards will be given during the UK Americana Awards 2022 ceremony at Hackney Empire on January 27, 2022.
AMA-UK special award winners
Musician and actor Kiefer Sutherland will attend to perform a tribute to Lucinda Williams who will be the International Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Williams was thrilled to hear the news: “I am so honoured to be the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association UK. Coming now, at the end of a rollercoaster year and a half of both the professional challenges that we’ve all faced as well as a serious personal health issue. Let me just say that it feels especially rewarding…You have no idea how much this means to me right now.”
The Trailblazer Award will go to Beth Orton. She said “I am thrilled to be recognised as a trailblazer by the board of the Americana Music Association. Classic Americana songwriters from Glen Campbell and Emmylou Harris to Lucinda Williams and John Prine have always been songwriters I hold in the highest esteem. I have drawn inspiration from the wellspring of that timeless music and to have that acknowledged means a great deal to me.”
The International Trailblazers 2022 exclaimed: “The Long Ryders are thrilled to the gills at receiving the International Trailblazer Award from our friends at Americana Music Association UK. We truly are honoured at being noticed by such a distinguished crowd and cannot wait for the big night in January. This is complete proof of the old saying, “you stick around long enough you become respectable and admired!”
Legendary presenter ‘Whispering Bob’ Harris, who presents The Country Show on BBC Radio 2, has selected Lauren Housley as the recipient of the Emerging Artist award for 2022. This marks a full-circle moment for Housley, whose debut single was added to the Radio 2 playlist in 2015.
Tom Bridgewater, founder of seminal Americana record label Loose Music, will receive the Grass Roots Award.
UK Americana Awards 2022 nominations
As well as honouring these legends, there will be plenty of surprise on the night too because the winner of all these awards will be announced:
UK Album of the Year
Click Click Domino by Ida Mae (produced by Christopher Turpin)
Good Woman by The Staves (produced by John Congleton)
The Wandering Hearts by The Wandering Hearts (produced by Simone Felice, David Baron, Mike Mogis and The Wandering Hearts)
Stand For Myself by Yola (produced by Dan Auerbach)
International Album of the Year
Wary + Strange by Amythyst Kiah (produced by Tony Berg and Amythyst Kiah)
Outside Child by Allison Russell (produced by Dan Knobler)
Arrivals by Declan O’Rourke (produced by Paul Weller)
Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! by Aaron Lee Tasjan (produced by Aaron Lee Tasjan and Gregory Lattimer)
UK Song of the Year
This Ain’t The Life by Lauren Housley (written by Lauren Housley)
Eye to Eye by John Smith feat. Sarah Jarosz (written by John Smith and Sarah Siskind)
Latchkey by Memorial (written by Jack Watts and Oliver Spalding)
Willing by Lady Nade (written by Lady Nade)
International Song of the Year
Never Said A Word by Judy Blank & Dylan Earl (written by Judy Blank & Dylan Earl)
Sweet Misery by Tré Burt (written by Tré Burt)
Right on Time by Brandi Carlile (written by Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth)
Jeremiah by Sierra Ferrell (written by Sierra Ferrell)
UK Artist of the Year
•Elles Bailey
•The Staves
•John Smith
•Yola
International Artist of the Year
•Rhiannon Giddens
•Amythyst Kiah
•Allison Russell
•Taylor Swift
UK Instrumentalist of the Year
• Thomas Dibb
• Joe Harvey-Whyte
• Mark Lewis
• Michele Stodart
Excited? You can buy your tickets for the 2022 awards ceremony now!
Check out our review of the AMA-UK Americana Awards ceremony in 2021.