With a musical parade up the Ryman Auditorium's center aisle, Old Crow Medicine Show kicked off the 2017 Americana Music Awards: three hours of star-packed performances and sentimental awards acceptance speeches. The annual event took place on Wednesday night (Sept. 13) in downtown Nashville, and John Prine, Amanda Shires and more took home trophies.

In their 16th year in 2017, the Americana Music Awards -- officially dubbed the Americana Music Association Honors & Awards -- recognized a diverse set of acts: Prine and Shires, along with Rodney Crowell, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Sturgill Simpson and Charlie Sexton all took home trophies this year in the awards show's six main categories. Additionally, numerous Lifetime Achievement Awards winners -- Van Morrison and Graham Nash among them -- were recognized with special speeches and performances.

Among the standout performances during the 2017 Americana Music Awards were those from Emerging Artist of the Year nominee Aaron Lee Tasjan, Artist of the Year nominee Margo Price and Album of the Year nominee Hurray for the Riff Raff. Billy Bragg and Joe Henry offered up their version of Glen Campbell's "Gentle on My Mind" in tribute to the late legend, while the ceremony concluded with host Jim Lauderdale, Jack Ingram, Brandy Clark and others jamming to "Tulsa Time" by Don Williams, who died on Friday (Sept. 8).

A complete list of 2017 Americana Music Awards winners is below; readers can flip through the photo gallery above to see pictures from the event.

2017 Americana Music Awards Winners

Album of the Year: A Sailor's Guide to Earth, Sturgill Simpson (produced by Sturgill Simpson)

Artist of the Year: John Prine

Group / Duo of the Year: Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives

Song of the Year: "It Ain't Over Yet", Rodney Crowell (feat. Rosanne Cash & John Paul White) (written by Rodney Crowell)

Emerging Artist of the Year: Amanda Shires

Instrumentalist of the Year: Charlie Sexton

Spirit of Americana / Free Speech in Music Award: Graham Nash

Lifetime Achievement Award, Trailblazer: Iris Dement

Lifetime Achievement Award, Songwriting: Van Morrison

Lifetime Achievement Award, Performance: Robert Cray

Lifetime Achievement Award, Instrumentalist: Hi Rhythm Section

Lifetime Achievement Award, Executive: Larry Sloven and Bruce Bromberg