The Americana Music Awards Conference is more than just a gathering of the biggest names in roots, folk and Americana; it’s also where the AMA honors the biggest names in roots music every year. This past year, we had a healthy number of great roots records, so the organizers of the Americana Honors & Awards had their work cut out for them. Fortunately, the nominees for this year’s Honors are artists whose work has wowed us.

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell lead the pack of nominees this year with three nominations for their album Old Yellow Moon, as do up-and-comers Shovels & Rope, whose O’ Be Joyful garnered them three nominations. Also nominated are Richard Thompson, The Milk Carton Kids, The Lumineers, Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, and Buddy Miller & Jim Lauderdale. Miller and Lauderdale will also serve as the bandleader and host of the awards ceremony, respectively.

For a full list of nominees, check out the Americana Music Association’s website. The awards ceremony takes place during the AMA Conference on September 18, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee.