By Ken Paulson
As Jerry Douglas prepared to introduce an artist at the Americana’s Cross-Country Lines event at the Factory in Franklin, Tennessee tonight, he said “And next year we’ll have a festival.”
He’s right, of course. The Americana Music Association will be staging an annual festival in addition to its always impressive Americana Music Conference and Honors Awards. But given the talent we saw tonight, the festival is already here.
The fundraiser for the Americana Music Association featured co-hosts Jerry Douglas and Alison Krauss, plus solo performances from Sarah Jarosz, Angel Snow,
Jerry Douglas
Teddy Thompson, Amos Lee, Shawn Colvin and Gabe Dixon. It was a rich and rewarding evening, and a testament to both the growth and maturity of the Americana music genre.
Highlights were plentiful, but we were particularly struck by two covers: Jarosz’s rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Ring Them Bells” and Thompson’s stirring take on “She Thinks I Still Care,” made famous by the late George Jones. A great evening all around.
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