The Americana Music Association Honors Iconic Artist Jim Lauderdale

George Strait to Present Lifetime Achievement Award at Americana’s
15th Annual Honors & Awards Show, September 21, 2016

Beloved songwriter, singer, and artist Jim Lauderdale will be the 2016 recipient of the Americana Music Association’s Wagonmaster Award, a special lifetime achievement honor reserved for the most valuable contributors to the course and history of America’s only broad roots music format. The award, named for country music icon Porter Wagoner, will be presented on September 21, 2016 by Country Music Hall of Fame member George Strait, a global star who has recorded more than a dozen of Jim Lauderdale’s songs. 

Jim Lauderdale is the most prolific and consistently excellent performing songwriter in Americana music, having released nearly 30 albums since his debut in the business in 1991. He’s an artist who has helped define the Americana format as much as anyone while adding significantly to the larger legacies of the Country and Bluegrass genres. He was a child of the Carolinas whose first loves were the banjo and Bluegrass music. As his unique songwriting voice emerged, it became clear that he was bound for success in a wider musical scope. He’s written and/or recorded with a remarkable range of roots music icons including Ralph Stanley, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Patty Loveless, Robert Hunter, The North Mississippi All-Stars, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Donna The Buffalo, and Buddy Miller. His compositions have been widely recorded by marquee artists including George Strait, Vince Gill, Shelby Lynne and many more. He’s received two GRAMMY Awards and he was the recipient of the very first Americana Artist of the Year prize when the association launched its prestigious Honors and Awards. He has hosted that show at the Ryman Auditorium for 14 years. His humor and quick personality have made him a favorite in broadcasting and emcee roles. 

Jim’s relationship with George Strait has been especially fruitful and extraordinary. He’s penned 14 songs for the Texas icon including “Where The Sidewalk Ends,” “What Do You Say To That,” and “Twang.” The Wagonmaster Award was created in honor of the late, great Porter Wagoner, a country music pioneer and star of the Grand Ole Opry from the 1950s to the 2000s. Like Lauderdale, Wagoner was known for his sincerity, his mentorship of fellow artists, and his western style.  

Mr. Strait will present the honor to Jim at the 15th Annual Americana Honors & Awards show, held at the Ryman Auditorium, on Wednesday, September 21, 2016. Fan packages and conference registrations for the 17th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference can be purchased here. Tickets to the Honors & Awards show can be purchased with a conference registration. 

For more information on the 17th Annual AmericanaFest (Sept 20-25 in Nashville) please visit www.americanamusic.org. 

A Full List of Jim Lauderdale Songs Recorded by George Strait:
"The King of Broken Hearts" from Pure Country Soundtrack | 1992
"Where the Sidewalk Ends" from Pure Country Soundtrack | 1992
"I Wasn't Fooling Around" from Easy Come, Easy Go | 1993
"Stay Out of My Arms" from Easy Come, Easy Go | 1993
"Nobody Has to Get Hurt" from Lead On | 1994
"What Am I Waiting For" from Lead On | 1994
"Do the Right Thing" from Blue Clear Sky | 1996
"We Really Shouldn't Be Doing This" from One Step at a Time / Latest Greatest Straitest Hits | 1998 / 2000
"One of You" from Always Never The Same | 1999
"What Do You Say to That" from Always Never The Same | 1999
"Don't Make Me Come Over There (and Love You)" from George Strait | 2000
"She Used to Say That to Me" from Honkytonkville | 2003
"Twang" from Twang | 2009
"I Gotta Get to You" from Twang | 2009