Hats off to the Americana Music Association for a sublime moment at the end of this year’s awards show. Instead of the usual all-acts-on-stage sing-along, they paid tribute to the song and songwriter who must certainly be considered among the founders of this nebulous genre.

Gram Parsons’ “Return of the Grievous Angel” was released 50 years ago, four months after his untimely death at the age of 26. It was a jangly homage to old time country music at a time when the rest of the world was listening to anything but, and it featured a young singer Parsons had discovered in New York a few years earlier, Emmylou Harris.

It also features as good a country music lyric as you’ll ever hear:

“Twenty thousand roads, I went down, down, down

And they all lead me straight back home to you”

Harris, herself, reprised her role in the duet, this time joined by Rodney Crowell.

They were introduced by Margo Price, herself wearing a stage costume inspired by Parson’s legendary marijuana-themed, Nudie Cohn-designed suit from his days with the Flying Burrito Brothers.

The moment almost overshadowed the news of the night, which was the coronation of Sierra Ferrell, who took home – in an antebellum gown worthy of Scarlett O’Hara – both Artist of the Year and Album of the Year (“Trail of Flowers” produced by Eddie Spear and Gary Paczosa), three years after winning “Emerging Artist of the Year.”

The Milk Carton Kids’ Kenneth Pattengale, as he introduced Ferrell, admitted that he named her as the most underrated artist on the stage that evening. He defended that choice, noting that “everyone in the world knows who Dolly Parton is. Once she gets a few more years under her belt, everyone in the world will know who Sierra Ferrell is.”

Other winners included Larkin Poe for Duo/Group of the Year, the Red Clay Strays for Emerging Act of the Year, Brandy Clark and Brandi Carlisle’s “Dear Insecurity” for Song of the Year, and 18-year-old Grace Bowers for Instrumentalist of the Year.

Lifetime Achievement honorees were presented to The Blind Boys of Alabama, former Blasters frontman Dave Alvin, the late Rev. Gary Davis, Shelby Lynne, Don Was, and Dwight Yoakam.

T Bone Burnett, introducing a performance by Larkin Poe, offered inspiration for the Ryman Auditorium crowd.

“If you want to know what’s good about the United States, listen to our music,” he said. “People with different dreams and experiences listen to each other, and make harmony.”

Honoree Shelby Lynne also offered as good a definition of Americana as any in accepting her lifetime achievement award.

“I am proud to be part of Americana,” she said. “If I was ever to fit anywhere, it was with the misfits, storytellers, outlaws and truth-tellers.”

Among the highlight performances were breakout stadium-filler Noah Kahan, Waxahatchee, the War and Treaty, the Milk Carton Kids, and Sarah Jarosz. Duane Betts kicked off the show with the Allman Brothers’ “Blue Sky,” a tribute to Dickey Betts, his late father. 

Emerging Artist Nominees Kaitlin Butts, Wyatt Flores, Charles Wesley Godwin, and Jobi Riccio also planted their flags with stand-out performances.

All photos used in this article are courtesy of Getty Images for Americana Music