Loretta Lynn, Jackson Browne to receive Americana awards

Loretta Lynn, Jackson Browne, Taj Mahal and Flaco Jimenez will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Americana Music Association's Honors & Awards Show on Sept. 17 at the Ryman Auditorium.

Lynn's award comes for songwriting, as she has penned slice-of-life classics including "Coal Miner's Daughter," "Fist City" and "Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)." Jack White has called Lynn the most important female singer-songwriter of the 20th century, and in the new century she won Grammy awards for her White-produced "Van Lear Rose" album.

Browne will be honored by the AMA and the First Amendment Center with the "Spirit of Americana Award" for free speech in music. Jimenez's award comes for his instrumental virtuosity: He played accordion on recordings by Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Doug Sahm and many others, including Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens' hit, "Streets of Bakersfield."

Taj Mahal is being awarded for Lifetime Achievement in Performance. Throughout his career, he has eschewed genre categorization, working with Ry Cooder, the Rolling Stones, Etta James, Cootie Stark, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and many others. He was a formative influence on guitarist Keb' Mo' and his body of work is a template for the roots-inclusive genre of Americana.