During AmericanaFest last month, NPR Music's Ann Powers and contributor Jewly Hight got together with musicians at Nashville's historic Union Station Hotel for a series of intimate "Americana Alphabet" performances. Throughout the week, they hosted Dawes and Lydia Loveless, Billy Bragg and Joe Henry, The Lumineers, Lori McKenna, Shovels & Rope and Bobby Rush, all of whom set up in the ornate hotel in various stripped-down configurations.
Each of these performances celebrates Americana music by challenging artists to engage with some of the genre's most treasured keywords. Watch the sessions below.
Bobby Rush
Billy Bragg & Joe Henry
Shovels & Rope
Lori McKenna
The Lumineers
Dawes & Lydia Loveless
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