Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song
Awarded for Quality songwriting in the American Roots subgenres (folk, bluegrass, regional roots music, etc.)
Country United States
Presented by National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First award 2014
Currently held by Sierra Ferrell & Melody Walker – "American Dreaming" (2025)
Website grammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song is an award category at the annual Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards,[1] to recording artists for quality songs in the American Roots Music genres such as blues, bluegrass, folk, Americana, and regional roots music. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".[2]

The award was first approved by the board of trustees of the Grammy Awards in Spring 2013.[3]

As with all other songwriting awards at the Grammy's, the award for Best American Roots Song goes to the songwriters of the winning song, not to the artist(s) (except if the artist is also the songwriter).

The award was first presented at the 2014 Grammy Awards ceremony to Edie Brickell and Steve Martin, the songwriters of the awarded song.[4] Jason Isbell is the only person who has won this award more than once, with three wins (as of 2024).

Recipients

Edie Brickell received the inaugural award alongside collaborator Steve Martin.
Jason Isbell (right) has received the award twice.
Vince Gill won the award in 2017.
Year[I] Recipient(s) Work Performing artist(s) Nominees
(Performer(s) in parentheses)[II]		 Ref.
2014 Edie Brickell and Steve Martin "Love Has Come for You" Steve Martin & Edie Brickell
  • Steve Earle for "Invisible" (Steve Earle & The Dukes & The Duchesses)
  • Sarah Jarosz for "Build Me Up from Bones" (Sarah Jarosz)
  • Tim O'Brien & Darrell Scott for "Keep Your Dirty Lights On" (Tim O'Brien and Darrell Scott)
  • Allen Toussaint for "Shrimp Po-Boy, Dressed" (Allen Toussaint)
 [5]
2015 Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal "A Feather's Not a Bird" Rosanne Cash
  • Jesse Winchester for "Just So Much" (Jesse Winchester)
  • Woody Guthrie & Del McCoury for "The New York Trains" (Del McCoury Band)
  • Edie Brickell & Steve Martin for "Pretty Little One" (Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell)
  • John Hiatt for "Terms of My Surrender" (John Hiatt)
 [6]
2016 Jason Isbell "24 Frames" Jason Isbell
  • Raul Malo for "All Night Long" (The Mavericks)
  • Don Henley & Stan Lynch for "The Cost of Living" (Don Henley and Merle Haggard)
  • Chris Eldridge, Paul Kowert, Noam Pikelny, Chris Thile & Gabe Witcher for "Julep" (Punch Brothers)
  • Cory Chisel, Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris for "The Traveling Kind" (Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell)
 [7]
2017 Vince Gill "Kid Sister" The Time Jumpers
  • Robbie Fulks for "Alabama at Night" (Robbie Fulks)
  • Jack White for "City Lights" (Jack White/The White Stripes)
  • Eric Adcock & Roddie Romero for "Gulfstream" (Roddie Romero & The Hub City All-Stars)
  • Lori McKenna & Felix McTeigue for "Wreck You" (Lori McKenna)
 [8]
2018 Jason Isbell "If We Were Vampires" Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
  • David Rawlings & Gillian Welch for "Cumberland Gap" (David Rawlings)
  • Raul Malo & Alan Miller for "I Wish You Well" (The Mavericks)
  • Rodney Crowell for "It Ain't Over Yet" (Rodney Crowell featuring Rosanne Cash & John Paul White)
  • Gregg Allman & Scott Sharrard for "My Only True Friend" (Gregg Allman)
 [9]
2019 Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil and Tim Hanseroth "The Joke" Brandi Carlile
  • Waylon Payne, Lee Ann Womack & Adam Wright for "All the Trouble" (Lee Ann Womack)
  • Jeff Tweedy for "Build a Bridge" (Mavis Staples)
  • Pat McLaughlin & John Prine for "Knockin' on Your Screen Door" (John Prine)
  • Pat McLaughlin & John Prine for "Summer's End" (John Prine)
 [10]
2020 Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan & Sara Watkins "Call My Name" I'm with Her
  • Amythyst Kiah for "Black Myself" (Our Native Daughters)
  • Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal for "Crossing to Jerusalem" (Rosanne Cash)
  • Dan Auerbach, Yola Carter & Pat McLaughlin for "Faraway Look" (Yola)
  • Vince Gill for "I Don't Wanna Ride the Rails No More" (Vince Gill)
 [11]
2021 Pat McLaughlin & John Prine "I Remember Everything" John Prine (posthumous)
  • Laura Rogers & Lydia Rogers for "Cabin" (The Secret Sisters)
  • Sierra Hull & Kai Welch for "Ceiling To The Floor" (Sierra Hull)
  • Sarah Jarosz for "Hometown" (Sarah Jarosz)
  • Tom Overby & Lucinda Williams for "Man Without a Soul" (Lucinda Williams)
 [12]
2022 Jon Batiste & Steve McEwan "Cry" Jon Batiste
  • Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson & Francesco Turrisi for "Avalon" (Rhiannon Giddens & Franceso Turrisi)
  • Linda Chorney for "Bored" (Linda Chorney featuring Becca Byram, EJ Ouellette & Trevor Sewell)
  • Valerie June for "Call Me a Fool" (Valerie June featuring Carla Thomas)
  • Dan Auerbach, Natalie Hemby, Aaron Lee Tasjan & Yola for "Diamond Studded Shoes" (Yola)
  • Jeremy Lindsay & Allison Russell for "Nightflyer" (Allison Russell)
 [13]
2023 Bonnie Raitt "Just Like That" Bonnie Raitt
  • Anaïs Mitchell for "Bright Star" (Anaïs Mitchell)
  • Sheryl Crow & Jeff Trott for "Forever" (Sheryl Crow)
  • Robert Plant & T Bone Burnett for "High and Lonesome" (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)
  • Tim O'Brien & Aoife O'Donovan for "Prodigal Daughter" (Aoife O'Donovan & Allison Russell)
  • Brandi Carlile, Phil and Tim Hanseroth for "You and Me on the Rock" (Brandi Carlile featuring Lucius)
 [14]
2024 Jason Isbell "Cast Iron Skillet" Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
  • Michael Trotter Jr. & Tanya Trotter for "Blank Page" (The War and Treaty)
  • Aaron Allen, William Apostol & Jon Weisberger for "California Sober" (Billy Strings ft. Willie Nelson)
  • Brandy Clark & Michael Pollack for "Dear Insecurity" (Brandy Clark ft. Brandi Carlile)
  • Drew Lindsay, J.T. Nero & Allison Rusell for "The Returner" (Allison Russell)
 [15]
2025 Sierra Ferrell & Melody Walker "American Dreaming" Sierra Ferrell
  • Mark Knopfler for "Ahead Of The Game" (Mark Knopfler)
  • Sam Beam for "All In Good Time" (Iron & Wine featuring Fiona Apple)
  • Aoife O'Donovan for "All My Friends" (Aoife O'Donovan)
  • John Hahn & Will Kimbrough for "Blame It On Eve" (Shemekia Copeland)
 [16]
2026 Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan & Sara Watkins "Ancient Light" I'm With Her
  • Jon Batiste, Mike Elizondo & Steve McEwan for "Big Money" (Jon Batiste)
  • Jason Isbell for "Foxes in the Snow" (Jason Isbell)
  • Jesse Welles for "Middle" (Jesse Welles)
  • Sierra Hull for "Spitfire" (Sierra Hull)
 [17]

Songwriters with multiple wins

3 wins
  • Jason Isbell

Songwriters with multiple nominations

4 nominations
  • Jason Isbell
  • Sarah Jarosz
  • Pat McLaughlin
  • Aoife O'Donovan
3 nominations
  • John Prine
2 nominations
  • Dan Auerbach
  • Jon Batiste
  • Edie Brickell
  • Brandi Carlile
  • Rosanne Cash
  • Rodney Crowell
  • Vince Gill
  • Phil and Tim Hanseroth
  • Sierra Hull
  • John Leventhal
  • Raul Malo
  • Steve Martin
  • Steve McEwan
  • Tim O'Brien
  • Allison Russell
  • Sara Watkins
  • Yola

See also

  • List of Grammy Award categories

References

  1. ^ "Grammy Awards at a Glance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  2. ^ "Overview". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  3. ^ Lawless, John (June 8, 2013). "Grammy announces Best American Roots Song category". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  4. ^ "Steve Martin And Edie Brickell Win Best American Roots Song". Grammy Award. January 26, 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  5. ^ "Jay Z Tops 56th GRAMMY Nominations With Nine". GRAMMY.com. May 2, 2017.
  6. ^ List of Nominees 2015
  7. ^ "Grammy Awards 2016: Kendrick Lamar made history with an unapologetically black album". Los Angeles Times. December 7, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  8. ^ "59th Annual GRAMMY Awards Winners & Nominees". GRAMMY.com. December 6, 2016. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  9. ^ Lynch, Joe (November 28, 2017). "Grammys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  10. ^ Grammy.com, 7 December 2018
  11. ^ 2020 Grammy Awards nominations list
  12. ^ 2021 Nominations List
  13. ^ "2022 GRAMMYs Awards: Complete Nominations List". GRAMMY.com. 2021-11-23. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  14. ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Winners & Nominees List (Updating Live)". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  15. ^ "2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List | GRAMMY.com". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  16. ^ "2025 GRAMMYs: See The OFFICIAL Full Nominations List | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  17. ^ Phillips, Jevon; Crust, Kevin (1 February 2026). "Grammys 2026: The complete winners list". LA Times. Retrieved 2 February 2026.