Isbell wins Americana honors, Prine takes Entertainer of the Year

In winning Album of the Year for "The Nashville Sound," Isbell said, "I'm very very grateful for this."

Producer Dave Cobb, "It's just such an amazing opportunity to continue working with this family...Thank you guys for buying honest music."

"This is an exciting thing for me, and it's also kind of unfair that they'd have Brandi up here singing 'The Joke'," Isbell said after winning Song of the Year for "If We Were Vampires." "Everybody in the category had beautiful songs and beautiful voices and beautiful stories to tell." He thanked his wife Amanda Shires for being the inspiration and motivation for the song. "I was sitting on my ass and watching "Hoarders on Television the Friday before we were going into the studio." He said she told him he needed to write another song.

"I believe I got this year," Prine said. "I'm really proud to get this Artist of the Year award."

Tyler Childers took the honor for Emerging Artist, while Molly Tuttle took Musician of the Year.

Rosanne Cash took the Spirit of America/Free Speech in Music Award. During her acceptance, she said, ""We are the premiere service industry for the heart and soul... Women are not small inferior versions of men."

Chris Williamson and Judy Dlugacz of Olivia Records won the Americana Jack Emerson Lifetime Achievement Award for Executive. Dlugacz said her speech that women "were not seen as viable" in the '70s. "We helped change the way women were heard and seen in the music industry."

Williamson, a singer, said, "Women get very used to be invisible." She praised the Americana Music Association for "bravery" in selecting them for the honor. "This is the first time we've been honored by the music industry," she said. "This is a big deal for us."

Bluesman Buddy Guy took the Lifetime Achievement Award for Instrumentalist. kd lang took the Trailblazer Award. "I'm only just a car in the train," lang said, before thanking Emmylou Harris. lang also sang "Trail of Broken Hearts."

Irma Thomas won the Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance.

The annual event features performances and awards. Prine ("Come on Home"), Thomas , Courtney Marie Andrews and Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real were among the performers.