Nashville, Tenn. — The Americana Music Association is proud to announce that eminent Austin City Limits producer Terry Lickona will receive the Jack Emerson Lifetime Achievement Award for an Executive at the organization’s 7th Annual Honors and Awards ceremony, slated for September 18 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

It is impossible to overstate the profound cultural effects of Terry Lickona’s dedication, passion and vision. A native of Poughkeepsie, New York, Lickona made the move to Austin, Texas, in 1974. Originally an employee of Austin’s public radio station KUT, he migrated to PBS and assumed the helm of the still nascent Austin City Limits in 1978. An innovative new breed of televised concert, Austin City Limits first sought to capture key figures propelling the musical renaissance in Texas’ capitol during the 1970s, but the show’s borders quickly expanded to absorb and uniquely celebrate musicians from all over the world. Thirty years later, Lickona has produced more than 800 episodes of the iconic series, and artists featured represent an aesthetically diverse and internationally farmed collection of music’s elite: Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Juanes, Roger Miller, Van Morrison, Townes Van Zandt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Guy Clark, The Killers, Neil Young, Lyle Lovett, the Dixie Chicks, B.B. King, Coldplay and Roy Orbison hint at the depth and prestige of the show’s alumni.

The longest running popular music series on American television, Austin City Limits was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence, in 2003, while this September marks the 7th anniversary of the overwhelmingly successful Austin City Limits Music Festival. Today, Terry Lickona is the Chair Emeritus of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, member of the Latin Recording Academy Board of Trustees and veteran producer of numerous other specials and series for public television, cable, domestic and foreign syndication, home video and DVD.

The 9th Annual Americana Festival and Conference will offer seminars, panels and networking opportunities at the Nashville Convention Center by day, while each evening brings more than 80 stacked Americana showcases. The capstone of the festival will take the form of the annual Americana Music Association Honors and Awards, scheduled for September 18 at the historic Ryman Auditorium. Hosted by Jim Lauderdale and featuring a band led by Buddy Miller, the ceremony will toast winners in six member-voted categories and also recognize iconic troubadour John Hiatt with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Songwriting and Jason and the Scorchers with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Performance. Tickets are available at $45 for the Americana Honors & Awards show at Ticketmaster and the Ryman Box office.

Showcase wristbands granting admission to all four evenings of invigorating live music showcases are now available for only $35 via www.americanamusic.org and Grimey’s New and Preloved Music, 1604 8th Ave. So., Nashville; wristbands will also be attainable at additional Nashville music retailers and other locations in early August. Registration for the Americana Music Festival & Conference is $350 for AMA members and $450 for non-members until August 13th. Fees will increase after that date. Registration includes access to all panels and presentations, the trade show, select meals, invitations to all sanctioned parties, a conference program guide, goody bag, a ticket to the Honors & Awards ceremony, showcase wristband and more.

For the latest additions to showcase lineups, ticket purchasing and more information about the Americana Music Festival and Conference, please visit www.americanamusic.org.

About the Americana Music Association

The Americana Music Association is a professional trade organization whose mission is to provide a forum for the advocacy of Americana music and to promote public awareness of the genre to support the creative and economic viability of professionals in this field. Dedicated to building and promoting the Americana genre and the individuals who participate in that industry, the Americana Music Association works closely with artists, labels, radio stations, retailers, print media, festivals, agents, publishers and more to help organize and build the infrastructure necessary for the Americana genre to achieve success both creatively and financially.

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