Yahoo Lifestyle AmericanaFest Pre-Grammy Event Pivots to Become MusiCares Fire Relief Benefit, With John Hiatt as Subject of All-Star Tribute (EXCLUSIVE)
Each year, the Americana Music Association takes over the Troubadour on Grammy eve to salute a legend in the field, and this year’s event will be a tribute to John Hiatt, with the program pivoting to become a benefit for the L.A. wildfire relief efforts of the Recording Academy’s MusiCares program.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on the Troubadour website Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT, with a minimum donation of $200.
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The annual AmericanaFest program has been only loosely affiliated with the Recording Academy in the past, existing with the Academy’s blessing but not its official imprimatur. This year, the affiliation is going official, with MusiCares welcoming the Americana Music Association’s suggestion to have the show go on as a fundraiser.
“We were deeply saddened and troubled by the magnitude of the fires,” says AMA executive director Jed Hilly. “We’re not a huge corporation that could cancel an event and donate a million dollars. We don’t necessarily have tens of thousands of dollars to donate. But by shifting this, we’re doing what we can. (Recording Academy CEO) Harvey Mason Jr. had released a statement where he talked about the healing power of music, and we agree with Harvey. We hope that our event will give some people the opportunity to heal in some ways, and to get out of the zone that so many people are in. We contacted the Recording Academy and MusiCares, and they gave us their blessing, and we have a QR code fthat is going to go straight to MusiCares, and we’re happy about that.”
Hilly continued, “I went to The Grammys when we started this more than 10 years ago and asked permission because I didn’t want them to think I was poaching on their territory.The American roots music world isn’t necessarily the one that gets the most attention, but truth be told, the Recording Academy was happy when we started this because they knew that too, and they saw our event as a way to give a home around the Grammys for those Grammy nominees that might not otherwise be immediately seen in mainstream media. But to have the actual sanctioning and blessing for this event definitely takes it to another level. Before, it was like, ‘We think that’s great. No problem.’ But this time it was like, ‘Use the logo.’ I’m truly humbled that they’ve given us the support to do this as a fundraiser. I know that Laura Segura and Harvey Mason Jr. are moved and grateful that we’re doing this, and to be sanctioned by them means the world to me.
“In years past, we’ve done this event not really to make any money, but because the Americana Music Association and Foundation wanted to acknowledge the artists who had won Grammys in the past or who were nominated at the time. It’s been really fun to put these incredibly talented musicians together and task them with choosing a song from an incredible songwriter, from John Prine to Willie Nelson to Loretta Lynn to (last year’s honoree) Paul Simon.”
A solid lineup for the Hiatt tribute is already in place, but for the moment, at least, the roster is being held back, partly because some of those who are signing on have themselves been affected by losses suffered in the fires, and the AMA is not wanting to pressure anyone who still hasn’t determined for sure whether they can appear on the program.
Hiatt is expected to follow in the footsteps of some of the honorees of the past that have showed up to enjoy and perform at their own tribute, as John Prine and some others have done.
The singer-songwriter already received a lifetime achievement award from the Americana Music Association back in 2008. His catalog, which dates back to the mid-1970s, should provide a rich source for material in the show. A tribute album released in 2007 included Hiatt songs recorded by, among others, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash and Patty Griffin.
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