Sam Bush. Photo by David McLister.

Nashville, Tenn., — The Americana Music Association will present Sam Bush will  the Lifetime Achievement for Instrumentalist award at the 8th Annual Americana Honors & Awards ceremony, presented by the Gibson Foundation, scheduled for Thurs., Sept. 17th at the historic Ryman Auditorium.

Americana Music Association executive director Jed Hilly praised Bush’s standing as one of the greatest mandolin players ever. “Sam has created his own genre and has become such an integral part of the Americana community,” Hilly said. “It’s a privilege to honor him this year.” As co-founder and leader of the seminal progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival for 18 years, Sam Bush was among the first purveyors of newgrass – the wild bluegrass stepchild that features rock ’n’ roll grooves and extended virtuosic jams – and he continues to burn as one of the genre’s most brilliant lights, both as a sideman and the leader of the Sam Bush Band. Sam’s newest album Circles Around Me will be released, October 20th on Sugar Hill Records.

Others receiving Lifetime Achievement recognition from the Americana Music Association include: Asleep at the Wheel will receive the Lifetime Achievement for Performance award, Jim Rooney will receive the Lifetime Achievement for Producer/Engineer award and Ken Levitan will receive the Jack Emerson Lifetime Achievement for Executive award

“I can’t think of a more deserving outfit for this award,” says the legendary Willie Nelson of Asleep at the Wheel, himself a past award recipient of the AMA’s Lifetime Achievement for Songwriting. Since 1969, the Austin-based Asleep at the Wheel has released over twenty-five albums, charting more than twenty Billboard singles and winning nine Grammy Awards along the way. Led by founder Benson, Asleep at the Wheel is an institution: an ever-shifting lineup (over 80 members to date) of like-minded musicians united under Benson’s unwavering crusade to keep alive the sound of Western Swing. The band’s recent collaboration with Nelson, Willie and the Wheel, has both garnered critical acclaim and become a fixture on the Americana charts since its release earlier this year.

“Jim Rooney is the number one reason I have a career,” says Nanci Griffith, who worked with Rooney on her Grammy-winning Other Voices Other Rooms and Grammy-nominated Last of the True Believers. In a career spanning more than 50 years, veteran Nashville producer Jim Rooney’s elegant musicality has established him as a most vital player in Americana music. Best known for his Grammy-nominated albums with Griffith, John Prine, Iris DeMent, Tom Paxton and Peter Rowan, Rooney’s contributions as an engineer, musician, producer and songwriter have graced nearly 150 albums to date.

Legendary manager Ken Levitan is a unique model of dizzying ingenuity and quiet integrity. The founder and Co-President of Vector Management, his individual role in establishing Nashville’s identity as a diverse music hub is virtually unequalled by any single person in the city’s history, and yet, he avoids applause, shifting attention to the artists he represents. While his search for authenticity and soul-searing talent led him to discover and guide many artists including Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, John Hiatt, Buddy Miller and others who would eventually become pillars of the Americana genre, his savvy ears were also among the very first to recognize Kings of Leon’s immense potential. He is also a Grammy Award-winning producer, recognized for his work on The Apostle soundtrack.

These Lifetime Achievement Awards are four of several career honors that will be handed out during the awards ceremony on September 17th, along with six-member voted best of the year-end categories. Hosted by Jim Lauderdale with Buddy Miller leading his All-Star band, the event has earned a reputation for the best live music awards show around.

Presented by the Gibson Foundation, the Honors & Awards are attended by 2000+ artists, music loving fans and entertainment industry executives in one of America’s musical shrines, the historic Ryman Auditorium. The event has been broadcast internationally via Sirius/XM Radio, BBC2, and Voice of America. The Honors & Awards have featured many amazing moments over the years including Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash’s last live performance together, as well as show-stopping appearances by Lyle Lovett, Rosanne Cash, Solomon Burke, Old Crow Medicine Show with Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, the Avett Brothers, Mavis Staples, Robert Plant, Patty Griffin, Levon Helm and many more.

About the Americana Music Festival & Conference
Slated for Wednesday, September 16 through Saturday, September 19, the 10th annual Americana Festival & Conference will offer daily seminars, panels and networking opportunities at the Nashville Convention Center. The event’s climax will be the 8th Annual Americana Honors and Awards ceremony, slated for Thursday, September 17 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Each evening brings more than 80 stacked Americana showcases to key venues throughout Nashville. Last year, approximately 1,000 industry professionals attended the conference, while more than 12,000 fans enjoyed the festival’s musical events.

About the Americana Music Association
The Americana Music Association is a professional trade organization whose mission is to provide a forum for the advocacy of Americana music and to promote public awareness of the genre to support the creative and economic viability of professionals in this field. Dedicated to building and promoting the Americana genre and the individuals who participate in that industry, the Americana Music Association works closely with artists, labels, radio stations, retailers, print media, festivals, agents, publishers and more to help organize and build the infrastructure necessary for the Americana genre to achieve success both creatively and financially.