The Americana Music Festival has released the first wave of artists slated to play in venues across Nashville Sept. 13-17. The 89 acts announced represent less than half of the festival's 200+ acts scheduled to play. As has always been the case with Americanafest (you can find our coverage from the 2021 festival here) the initial lineup is a mix of some of Americana's biggest names, long-time festival favorites, and young artists on the rise.

Heading up the initial lineup are Western swing pioneers Asleep at the Wheel, who are celebrating 52 years of defining what Texas Americana was before the genre even had a name. Joining them atop the lineup are beloved troubadour James McMurtry and dobro master Jerry Douglas, who has worked with everyone from Alison Krauss to Sarah Jarosz.

If it's fan favorites you're looking for, Americanafest is serving up a slate of artists who have long been popular attractions among festival patrons. Jim “Mr. Americana” Lauderdale makes his annual appearance. The longtime face of the Americana Music Association, Lauderdale has also been a popular collaborator with everyone from Grateful Dead songwriter Robert Hunter to Nashville producer and instrumentalist to the stars Buddy Miller, with whom he shares as Sirius XM show weekly. Willie Watson is a former member of Old Crow Medicine Show who, as a solo act, has become one of the genre's most reliable historians, unearthing long lost roots music gems and giving them new life. Watkins Family Hour is the collaborative project of siblings Sara and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. If you want surprise guests, this is the show to be at. Henry Wagons is a veteran of Americanafest's Australian contingent and a popular book at festivals like Bonnaroo.

If you're looking for popular young acts, Americanafest has you covered there too. Guitar wizard Molly Tuttle will join Golden Highway to capitalize on their recent album Crooked Tree. If you've never seen Tuttle or don't think “monster” applies to an acoustic guitarists, be ready to have your mind changed. Jake Blount is carrying the mantle of both black string music and queer country into the next generation with exhaustively researched songs from deep in the well of black string music. Rainbow Girls are the kind of goofy fun set you look for in a festival environment.

Tickets for Americanafest 2022 are on sale now. Passes come in two forms. One is the Conference and Pass ticket which allows you to enter all music showcases and also to participate in the keynote interviews and panel discussions aimed toward industry professionals. The second is the Festival Pass, which allows access to all nighttime showcases and many daytime ones. You can buy both here.

Americanafest 2022 Initial Lineup Includes Asleep at the Wheel, Molly Tuttle