The Americana Music Association is finally beginning to pick up the momentum and respect of the music industry. For several years, people didn’t know how to identify “Americana” and/or the music type. All the doubters are coming home to roost. The association has done a good job of exposing acts that we may have been forced to overlook.

On Thursday, John Hiatt will receive the Lifetime Achievement Songwriter award from the AMA and he certainly deserves the honor. Hiatt will also be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on October 26th. This is a “double dose of good” for John. It is very unusual that the same person can win the two biggest songwriting awards in the same year. If you don’t know his style, check out his website and take a listen. He’s in a class of his own and has a singing voice that is very distinctive. He still considers himself less of a writer than Chuck Berry, Guy Clark, Joe Ely, Willie Dixon, Lyle Lovett, etc. His songs have been recorded by Joe Cocker, Iggy Pop, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Willie Nelson, etc. Bonnie Raitt had a hit with Hiatt’s “Thing Called Love.”

Have you been noticing the letters in our monthly E-News? They have been controversial and great in many respects. If you’ve got something you feel everyone would like to know, send it along to us and we’ll be happy to review it for possible printing.