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Monday September 22nd, 2003

Johnny Cash sweeps Americana Music Awards sponsored by Gibson/Baldwin

A week after his death, Johnny Cash was honored with Artist, Song and Album of the Year awards and Gibson Dobro master Jerry Douglas was named Instrumentalist of the Year at the Americana Music Awards Show in Nashville, TN, Friday night, September 19.

During the show's finale the artists paid tribute to Johnny and June Carter Cash by singing
"Will The Circle Be Unbroken" while a video played from the couple's performance the previous year.
(l to r, Kris Kristofferson, Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Jim Lauderdale, Allison Moorer and Webb Wilder)

Jim Lauderdale was the host of the event.

Gibson and Baldwin Piano sponsored the second annual awards show for the Americana Music Association (AMA), a four-year-old group that promotes more traditional and alternative country music.

Cash won Song of the Year for "Hurt," a stirring anti-drug song written by Trent Reznor of the rock group Nine Inch Nails, and Album of the Year for American IV: The Man Comes Around, the fourth in a series produced by Grammy Award winner Rick Rubin. Cash also was selected Artist of the Year for his work on the song and album.

"We'll never see his like again," said singer-songwriter and actor Kris Kristofferson, who had attended Cashs funeral in Nashville just days before the awards.

Kristofferson, who was Cash's friend for 30 years and wrote his hit "Sunday Morning Coming Down", received the Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award, presented by the First Amendment Center and the AMA. Kristofferson is a longtime activist for social justice and human rights.

Douglas, a Gibson Original Acoustic Instruments Signature artist and "new grass" pioneer, has won five Grammy awards as both a producer and performer as well as 15 International Bluegrass Association trophies and seven Academy of Country Music awards.

Other 2003 Americana winners were the Band singer Levon Helm, Lifetime Achievement award for Performer; country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, President's Award; producer and Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, Lifetime Achievement for Executive; and singer-songwriter John Prine, Lifetime Achievement for Songwriter.

Here's an exclusive photo gallery from the Americana Music Awards:


Kathleen Edwards performs on her Gibson flattop.


Jerry Douglas collects his Gibson headstock for Instrumentalist of the Year


Kris Kristofferson accepts his Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award then performs several songs.





Allison Moorer shines in the spotlight.



Kris Kristofferson returns to the stage to present the Lifetime Achievement for Songwriter Award to John Prine.

J.D. May, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association
presents Prine with a new Custom J-200 Elite from Gibson.


Rodney Crowell


John Carter Cash accepts Tennessee governor's proclamation
of John and June Carter Cash Day on behalf of his parents.




Gram Parson's daughter Polly joins Kristofferson and Crowell.


J.D. May, John Prine, actor David Keith, Jim Lauderdale, and Kris Kristofferson