Remembering Gregg Allman with this touching cover of Jackson Browne’s “Song for Adam.”
Tag: Gregg Allman
Rounder, New West, Lost Highway top Americana labels
Among the joys of Americana music is the range of artists and labels. Indie labels often break through, leading to dark horses and pleasant surprises.
Yet this year’s Americana Music Association list of the top 100 albums from November 16, 2010 through November 14, 2011, serves as a reminder that the bigger labels still play a major role.
An analysis of both the number of charting albums and their relative position in the charts suggests that five labels are dominant, accounting for the top six releases of the year and more than a quarter of all charting albums:
1.Rounder is the top player in Americana music radio. The label placed a total of nine albums in the top 100, including two in the top 20 and 6 in the top 25, including Alison Krauss and Union Station’s Paper Airplane (4), Gregg Allman’s Low Country Blues (6) the Jayhawks’ Mocking Bird Time (12), Robert Plant’s Band of Joy (17) Abigail Washburn’s City of Refuge (24) and Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers’ Rare Bird Alert (25)
2. New West had six albums on the Americana music charts, with two in the top 10 and three in the top 20. They include Steve Earle’s I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive (3), John Hiatt’s Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (8), Buddy Miller’s Majestic Silver Strings (13) and the Old 97s’ The Grand Theatre (30.)
3. Lost Highway had four albums on the Americana chart, including the top two slots, Hayes Carll’s KMAG YO-YO and Lucinda Williams’ Blessed. Their other charting albums were Robert Earl Keen’s Ready for Confetti (19) and 19 and Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses’ Junky Star (40.)
4. Nonesuch was the fourth most influential label, with five albums in the top 100, including Emmylou Harris’ Hard Bargain (5) and Wanda Jackson’s Party Ain’t Over (Third Man/ Nonesuch) at 23.
5.Sugar Hill also fared well in the annual chart with five albums, including Sarah Jarosz’s Follow Me Down (20) and Kasey Chamber’s Little Bird (31)
Americana music 2011: No Depression’s 50 favorites
No Depression has released its list of the Top 50 favorite albums of 2011, as voted by its fan community. It’s an interesting mix, with Gillian Welch’s The Harrow and the Harvest at the top, followed by a remarkable range of artists, genres, styles and ages.
Some have complained that it’s a surprisingingly mainstream list for an alt-country site, but that’s the nature of a “favorites” list. Name recognition goes a long way, although we don’t see any names on the list that you can’t make a case for.
Here are the top 25. You’ll find the full list here.
Gillian Welch – The Harrow & the Harvest
The Decemberists – The King Is dead
Wilco – The Whole Love
Lucinda Williams – Blessed
Steve Cropper – Dedicated
Tom Waits – Bad as Me
Dave Alvin – Eleven Eleven
Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers – Starlight Hotel
Jason Isbell – Here We Rest
Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
Hayes Carll – KMAG YOYO
Eilen Jewell – Queen of the Minor Key
Drive By Truckers – Go-Go Boots
The Deep Dark Woods – The Place I Left Behind
Jayhawks – Mockingbird
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Revelator
Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
Gregg Allman – Low Country Blues
Buddy Miller – Majestic Silver Strings
Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What
Sarah Jarosz – Follow Me Down
Nick Lowe – The Old Magic
Ry Cooder – Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings – Kings & Queens
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Hayes Carll tops 2011 Americana music airplay chart
The Americana Music Association has just released its list of the 100 most-played Americana music albums, with Hayes Carll’s KMAG YOYO in the top slot.
Their top 20:
1) Hayes Carll, KMAG YOYO / Lost Highway
2) Lucinda Williams, Blessed / Lost Highway
3) Steve Earle, I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive / New West
4) Alison Krauss & Union Station, Paper Airplane / Rounder
5) Emmylou Harris, Hard Bargain / Nonesuch
6) Gregg Allman, Low Country Blues / Rounder
7) Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Here We Rest / Lightning Rod
8. John Hiatt, Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns / New West
9) Decemberists, The King Is Dead / Capitol
10) Band of Heathens, Top Hat Crowns and the Clapmaster’s Son / BOH Records
The AMA offers a full list of the top 100 albums of the past year here, but be forewarned that you’ll need to search for the link and the download will be straight out of your accountant’s office.
Registration opens for 2012 Americana Music Festival in Nashville
Early registration for the 13th annual Americana Music Association Festival and Conference, set for Sept. 12-15, 2012 in Nashville is now open.
This is one of the best music festivals in the nation, and always attracts an intriguing mix of artists. This year, Gregg Allman, Robert Plant, the Civil Wars and a Muscle Shoals tribute were all on the bill.
The AMA is offering an early bird registration of $250 for association members and $350 for non-members. Registration at the convention hotel is also now open.
ACL’s Terry Lickona recaps best of Americana Music Festival
The Americana Music Festival edition of Austin City Limits is being seen across the country on PBS stations this week, and Brian Atkinson interviewed ACL producer Terry Lickona for the Austin American-Statesman about how the show came about.
You’ll find the full interview at the American-Statesman site, but here’s what he had to say about the highlights of the evening:
“I’m huge fan of the Avett Brothers. The fact that they did a new song that night was definitely a standout. Robert Plant and his Band of Joy with our own Patty Griffin was a great moment. I think probably the emotional highlight of the show came at the very end when Gregg Allman performed “Melissa.” We literally didn’t know until the morning of the show whether he was even going to be there because he’s had some pretty serious health issues. That was certainly a poignant moment and a great way to close out the hour.”
Nov. 19: Americana Music Festival on Austin City Limits
The national television debut of the Americana Music Festival is scheduled for Nov. 19 on Austin City Limits, which has released this show setlist, beginning with Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Buddy Miller, Jerry Douglas and Don Was singing “I’ll Fly Away.”
- The Avett Brothers – The Once and Future Carpenter
- Lucinda Williams – Blessed
- Amos Lee – Cup of Sorrow
- Elizabeth Cook- El Camino
- Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues
- Jessica Lea Mayfield – For Today
- Buddy Miller – Gasoline and Matches
- The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
- Candi Staton – Heart on a String
- Jim Lauderdale – Life by Numbers
- Robert Plant – Monkey
- Gregg Allman – Melissa
It captures the best moments of the evening, although we wish Hayes Carll had made the cut. Nashville area viewers were able to watch the full version live and in a couple of early morning repeats.
As we’ve noted, national television exposure is critical to the future growth of Americana music and there’s arguable no better showcase than Austin City Limits. Check your local PBS station for show times.
Photo gallery: 2011 Americana Music Festival
The 2011 Americana Music Festival and Conference featured four full days of performances. Here’s a sampling of photos from the Honors and Awards show at the Ryman, showcase events and some special events at other Nashville venues.
(Photos copyright Ken Paulson, 2011)
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Americana Music Lifetime Achievement winners named
The Americana Music Association has named Lucinda Williams, Gregg Allman, Jerry Douglas and executive Rick Hall as this year’s lifetime achievement award winners, and will recognize them on Oct. 13 at its annual awards ahow at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Also to be honored: radio host and journalist Bob Harris, who will receive the AMA’s trailblazer award.