![What Is Americana? Its Artists Define the Genre](http://townsquare.media/site/623/files/2016/09/bonnie-raitt.jpg?w=980&q=75)
What Is Americana? Its Artists Define the Genre
Americana's breadth is as deep as it is wide. The genre embraces artists playing everything from gospel to pop, R&B to country, folk to soul; it's not so much about a particular sound as it is about a particular feeling. But how do you define Americana? How do you explain a type of music that's more about the presence and emotion it evokes than anything else?
Sept. 11-16, the Americana Music Festival will spend a week honoring the artists and industry leaders who define the unique diversity of a musical genre that has spanned decades and includes some of the most-loved and -respected artists. Amid intimate showcases, networking seminars and parties, one of the week's highlights is the Americana Music Awards hosted at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.
On the red carpet prior to the 2016 Americana Music Awards ceremony, The Boot asked stars such as Jim Lauderdale and the Milk Carton Kids, among others, just how they would define their own genre. The results -- as one might expect -- were as varied as Americana music itself. Flip through the gallery below to find out what Emmylou Harris, Andrew Leahey and more had to say.
More From
![Miranda Lambert Spotlights ‘Vulnerable’ Recording Process in ‘The Marfa Tapes’ Documentary](http://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2022/01/attachment-JonMirandaJack.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![The 50 Best Albums and EPs of 2021 from Country, Americana and Beyond](http://townsquare.media/site/623/files/2021/12/attachment-best-of-2021.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Top 10 Country Albums of the 1980s](http://townsquare.media/site/623/files/2018/08/clint-black-rosanne-cash-randy-travis-e1533605670882.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall’s ‘Ghost’ Exorcises an Ex [Listen]](http://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2021/03/am-i-right-or-amarillo.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Interview: Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram + Jon Randall Got Lost and Found in Marfa, Texas](http://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2021/05/marfa-tapes-picture.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram, Jon Randall’s ‘The Marfa Tapes’ Film Will Take Fans to Recording Sessions](http://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2021/03/am-i-right-or-amarillo.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Miranda Lambert: From Nashville to Marfa and Back to ‘Austin City Limits’](http://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2021/04/Miranda-ACL-2021.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Miranda Lambert Fights Back Against ‘Geraldene’ in New Jack Ingram, Jon Randall Collaboration [Listen]](http://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2021/04/2021-acms-photos-53.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall’s ‘Am I Right or Amarillo’ Is a Country Cheating Song [Listen]](http://townsquare.media/site/204/files/2021/03/am-i-right-or-amarillo.jpg?w=980&q=75)