Plant & Krauss, Joan Baez, more win at Americana Awards

Festivus

[Above: Alison Krauss and Robert Plant]

Alison Krauss & Robert Plant—the roots-music queen and the former Led Zep banshee—pulled down Album of the Year and Duo/Group of the Year honors Thursday night at the Americana Music Awards, a loose and congenial affair held at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the so-called “mother church of country music.”

[Above: Buddy Miller and Robert Plant]

The awards show served as a reminder of just how tightly knit this community is. Buddy Miller led the house band throughout the night, taking a quick break to win Instrumentalist of the Year. Levon Helm, the center of a major concert celebration the night before, came back out Thursday to win Artist of the Year. Steve Earle, who was nominated for that same prize, gave the Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award to Joan Baez—and his son, the reedy Justin Townes Earle, performed as a nominee for New Emerging Artist of the Year.

[Above: Joan Baez]

All of which made Krauss & Plant’s victories a little odd. The Americana community, accustomed to nurturing its own artists on the margins of the mainstream music biz, seemed starstruck by having a bona fide rock star in their midst. But Krauss is as central to Americana music as just about anyone. And Plant gamely ingratiated himself, referring to Led Zeppelin in an acceptance speech as “the other band.”

[Above: Levon Helm and Larry Campbell]

In a fun twist, the Krauss & Plant juggernaut was upset in the “Song of the Year” category by former Paste 4 To Watch artist Hayes Carll and his song “She Left Me for Jesus.” The New Emerging Artist of the Year award went to Mike Farris, whose acceptance speech practically required an intermission. The President’s Award went to the late Jerry Garcia, and the show closed with Helm back on stage one more time, drumming and singing the Grateful Dead’s “Tennessee Jed.”