Singer-songwriter Tommy Prine is poised to release a promising debut album that neither runs from nor depends heavily on his father’s legacy.

Words.

Welcome to Lindeville, a fictional town for quirky small-town characters created by Ashley McBryde and her songwriting buddies.

Olivia Rodrigo praised prior female songwriters and music artists for giving her strength while accepting Billboard’s 2022 Woman of the Year honor.

Musical multi-hyphenate Brandi Carlile has another trophy for her shelf as she won artist of the year at the 2021 Americana Honors and Awards show.

President Joe Biden is nominating Cindy McCain to be the U.S. representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.

Singer-songwriters Jason Isbell and Amythyst Kiah are both up for three nominations at this year's Americana Honors and Awards Show.

Beyonce, left, and Megan Thee Stallion accept the award for best rap song for "Savage" at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish made history at the Grammy Awards. Just as joyously, dozens of creators largely sidelined for a year due to the pandemic got to make music again. 's topical “I Can't Breathe” won song of the year and Megan Thee Stallion was named best new artist. Further crowding the family trophy case is husband Jay-Z, whose songwriting on “Savage” earned him his 23rd Grammy on Sunday, and even their 9-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, who won best music video together with mom.

Brandi Carlile performs during the "In Memoriam" section of the 63rd Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)LOS ANGELES – Brandi Carlile paid tribute to John Prine, Bruno Mars celebrated Little Richard and Lionel Richie honored Kenny Rogers during an in memoriam segment on Sunday night's Grammy Awards that featured an especially long list of names after a year of the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier Sunday, Prine won two posthumous Grammys for best American roots song and best American roots performance, a year after receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys. Carlile told The Associated Press that it didn't bother her to be performing without an audience at the pandemic-restricted Grammys because "this time I’m just performing for John Prine. Corea, who died of a rare form of cancer at age 79, won the trophy for best improvised jazz solo and best jazz instrumental album.

Billie Eilish arrives at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)NEW YORK – The Latest on the Grammy Awards (all times local):8:45 p.m.Billie Eillish has won the Grammy Award for record of the year for the second straight year. Beyoncé broke the record with her victory Sunday night for best R&B performance for “Black Parade,” surpassing the 27 Grammys won by Alison Krauss. DaBaby says he “feels like it’s going to touch everybody.”Ad— Marcela Isaza at the Grammy Awards (@misaza)___3:15 p.m.Brandi Carlile is excited to perform at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, even if there isn’t an audience. “Jojo Rabbit” and the “Joker” soundtrack also won Grammys in the segment of the show that awarded music created for visual media.

In this March 3, 2020, file photo, a man walks by The Basement East, a live music venue, on March 3, 2020, after a tornado hit Nashville, Tenn. Could Basement East really be destroyed? As the virus raged on, the dream of once again packing Basement East full of music lovers seemed shakier than ever. Basement East first opened its doors in 2015, but it took nearly five years for the venue to turn a profit. “The magic of music,” Brown said.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Highwomen won three awards, including album, song and duo/group of the year, at the Americana Honors and Awards. The late John Prine was given artist of the year honors. The Americana Music Association announced the winners online on Tuesday this year after their awards show, normally held in Nashville, Tennessee, was cancelled because of the pandemic. Prine, who died in April due to complications from COVID-19, was a titan among the Americana music community, having won artist of the year three times previously and received a lifetime achievement award in 2003. The band is also nominated for three Grammys this year, including album of the year and record of the year.

The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.

And it earned him his first Grammy nomination in six years. 3 spot on the pop charts — is up for best rap song and best rap performance. And Anderson .Paak's “Lockdown," about police brutality and racial injustice, is up for best melodic rap performance and best music video. JAY-Z, THE SONGWRITERS, SHINESHappy wife, happy life: Jay-Z has lent his songwriting hand to his wife Beyoncé and he's earned Grammy nominations for it. PAUL McCARTNEY, THE ART DIRECTORPaul McCartney scored his 79th Grammy nominations this year — as an art director.

Carrie Underwood accepts the entertainer of the year award in a tie with Thomas Rhett during the 55th annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

This combination photo shows, from left, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Carrie Underwood, nominees for entertainer of the year at the 55th ACM Awards. (AP Photo)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a pre-pandemic world, the Academy of Country Music Awards advertised itself as country music’s night to party with gambling, after-parties and a Las Vegas-style attitude. This year the red carpet, crowds and gambling are all r eplaced with COVID-19 tests, temperature checks and face masks. Swift, who makes her first return to the ACM stage in seven years, was the last female artist to win ACM entertainer of the year in 2011. “I certainly believe that she’s been an entertainer of all entertainers and brought so much grace and class and elegance to country music,” said Bryan.

Brandi Carlile performs at the To Nashville, With Love Benefit Concert at Marathon Music Works on Monday, March 9, 2020, in Nashville, TN. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)NASHVILLE, Tenn. Singer songwriter Brandi Carlile has had a productive year and that's led her to be the leading nominee at the Americana Honors and Awards for her roles as a solo artist, a member of the group The Highwomen, as a producer and as a songwriter. Also nominated as artist of the year were Tanya Tucker and Yola. The Americana Music Association said the winners will be announced during its awards show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sept. 16, but said plans are still unfolding for the show. Album of the year nominees include Tucker's comeback album, While I'm Livin,'" which was produced by Carlile, The Highwomen's self-titled debut, Tyler Childer's Country Squire, and Nathaniel Rateliff's It's Still Alright.___Online: https://americanamusic.org/awards

The passage of a milestone 100,000 lives lost due to the coronavirus in the United States has brought attention to how news organizations are trying to tell the stories behind the numbers. Yet since the pandemic started, the nation's obituary writers have tried to tell the world about Lopez, Morgan and thousands like them, to make clear there's a life behind every number. The Times was well-prepared to deal with the lives of the famous and accomplished. Its the one area, sadly, of advertising thats booming, says Los Angeles Times obituaries editor Steve Marble. Rocca said that the current crisis might mark a resurgence in interest about obituaries and finding out about people's lives.

The region around the Spanish capital has seen the highest increase in estimated fatalities, the National Statistics Institute said. The figure for excess deaths is seen as a more accurate reflection of the toll wreaked by the pandemic. Health minister Venko Filipce posted on Twitter Wednesday that 101 new cases and four deaths were recorded in the previous 24 hours. ___BERLIN A plan to close one of Berlins two airports in mid-June has been dropped because passenger numbers are expected to rise as coronavirus restrictions ease. It comes as other European countries reopen their borders and ease travel restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. The wife of singer-songwriter John Prine, who died from complications of COVID-19, urged lawmakers Tuesday to expand absentee voting so Tennesseans would not have to put their health at risk to exercise their right to vote. This is not nor should it be a partisan issue, said Whelan Prine, who spoke over a video livestream and did not attend in person. Shortly after Whelan Prine finished speaking, the Senate committee spiked an absentee ballot expansion proposal. The state has more than a dozen categories that qualify someone for an absentee ballot, from being sick to being 60 or older. The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the Campaign Legal Center also have sued in federal court seeking absentee voting for all voters this year.

It’s hard to believe that one of folk and country music’s greatest legends, John Prine, died earlier this week from complications due to COVID-19. “Over here on E Street, we are crushed by the loss of John Prine,” Springsteen tweeted. We send our love and prayers to his family.”Over here on E Street, we are crushed by the loss of John Prine. — Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) April 8, 2020Raitt, who sings “Angel From Montgomery,” a song penned by Prine, tweeted, “Words can’t even come close. https://t.co/VPpBn4UJLV — Seth Meyers (@sethmeyers) April 8, 2020My heart hurts learning that John Prine has passed away.