# Grammy Award for Best Americana Album

The Grammy Award for Best Americana Album is an honor presented to recording artists for quality albums in the Americana music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
In 2009, the Academy announced that the award for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album would be split into two separate categories: Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Americana Album. The distinction between the two award categories is based on the use of acoustic versus electric instruments; acoustic instruments predominate in "contemporary folk" and electric instruments are characteristic of Americana. Jed Hilly, executive director of the Americana Music Association, called the new category's inclusion "a huge acknowledgment" of the music genre. Hilly admitted to working hard at convincing the Academy to include Americana as its own category. The music industry had been using the term "Americana music" for about 15 years before the new award was created. Following is the award's purpose, according to the category description guide from the 2018 Grammy Awards:
   Americana is contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music and vocal styles, including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B and blues, resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw. While acoustic instruments are often present and vital, Americana also often uses a full electric band.
The award was first presented in 2010 to Levon Helm at the 52nd Grammy Awards for the album Electric Dirt. Lucinda Williams is the artist with most nominations (three) without a win (see below for a table with artists with most wins and nominations).

## Recipients

| Year | Performing artist(s) | Work | Nominees | Ref. |
| 2010 | Levon Helm | Electric Dirt | Bob Dylan – Together Through Life Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel – Willie and the Wheel Wilco – Wilco (The Album) Lucinda Williams – Little Honey | |
| 2011 | Mavis Staples | You Are Not Alone | Rosanne Cash – The List Los Lobos – Tin Can Trust Willie Nelson – Country Music Robert Plant – Band of Joy | |
| 2012 | Levon Helm | Ramble at the Ryman | Linda Chorney – Emotional Jukebox Ry Cooder – Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain Lucinda Williams – Blessed | |
| 2013 | Bonnie Raitt | Slipstream | The Avett Brothers – The Carpenter John Fullbright – From the Ground Up The Lumineers – The Lumineers Mumford & Sons – Babel | [12] [13] |
| 2014 | Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell | Old Yellow Moon | Steve Martin and Edie Brickell – Love Has Come for You Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale – Buddy and Jim Mavis Staples – One True Vine Allen Toussaint – Songbook | |
| 2015 | Rosanne Cash | The River & the Thread | John Hiatt – Terms of My Surrender Keb' Mo' – BLUESAmericana Nickel Creek – A Dotted Line Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern Sounds in Country Music | |
| 2016 | Jason Isbell | Something More Than Free | Brandi Carlile – The Firewatcher's Daughter Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell – The Traveling Kind The Mavericks – Mono Punch Brothers – The Phosphorescent Blues | |
| 2017 | William Bell | This Is Where I Live | The Avett Brothers – True Sadness Kris Kristofferson – The Cedar Creek Sessions Lori McKenna – The Bird and the Rifle The Time Jumpers – Kid Sister | |
| 2018 | Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit | The Nashville Sound | Gregg Allman – Southern Blood Brent Cobb – Shine on Rainy Day Iron & Wine – Beast Epic The Mavericks – Brand New Day | |
| 2019 | Brandi Carlile | By the Way, I Forgive You | Bettye LaVette – Things Have Changed John Prine – The Tree of Forgiveness Lee Ann Womack – The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone The Wood Brothers – One Drop of Truth | |
| 2020 | Keb' Mo' | Oklahoma | J.S. Ondara – Tales of America Yola – Walk Through Fire Madison Cunningham – Who Are You Now Calexico & Iron & Wine – Years to Burn | |
| 2021 | Sarah Jarosz | World on the Ground | Courtney Marie Andrews – Old Flowers Hiss Golden Messenger – Terms of Surrender Marcus King – El Dorado Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels | |
| 2022 | Los Lobos | Native Sons | Jackson Browne – Downhill From Everywhere John Hiatt & the Jerry Douglas Band – Leftover Feelings Allison Russell – Outside Child Yola – Stand For Myself | |
| 2023 | Brandi Carlile | In These Silent Days | Dr. John – Things Happen That Way Keb' Mo' – Good to Be... Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raise the Roof Bonnie Raitt – Just Like That... | |
| 2024 | Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit | Weathervanes | Brandy Clark – Brandy Clark Rodney Crowell – The Chicago Sessions Rhiannon Giddens – You're The One Allison Russell – The Returner | |
| 2025 | Sierra Ferrell | Trail of Flowers | T Bone Burnett – The Other Side Charley Crockett – $10 Cowboy Sarah Jarosz – Polaroid Lovers Maggie Rose – No One Gets Out Alive Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood | |