Brittany Howard, Jason Isbell to be honored by Alabama Humanities Alliance

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Next week, two of Alabama’s biggest songwriters will take part in a special conversation as part of the Alabama Humanities Alliance.

Brittany Howard, a Grammy award-winning singer who formerly led Alabama Shakes before embarking on a solo career, and the similarly Grammy-heralded Jason Isbell, who was part of Drive-By Truckers, will meet in Huntsville Monday night to be honored by the group.

Howard and Isbell –both of whom grew up in Athens and Green Hill respectively– will perform at the Von Braun Center, where they will be named Alabama Humanities Fellows and speak on their home state and music.

Patterson Hood, songwriter and Drive-By Truckers front man, will present the awards to Howard and Isbell while Ann Powers, author and NPR music critic, will moderate the conversation.

Howard first shot to fame as the lead singer and guitarist of Alabama Shakes, winning four Grammys between 2016 and 2018, including Best Alternative Music Album for “Sound & Color.” By 2018, Howard embarked on a solo career and has since released two albums, “Jaime” and “What Now. ” In 2021, she won the Grammy for Best Rock Song for “Stay High.”

Isbell was 22 years old when he joined DBT in 2001, contributing songs on the band’s next three albums, “Decoration Day,” “The Dirty South” and “A Blessing and a Curse.” In 2007, Isbell left the band and released his first solo album, “Sirens from the Ditch” with his new band, The 400 Unit. However, it wasn’t until Isbell’s “Southeastern” in 2013 that he began to receive major airplay, reaching 23rd on the U.S. Billboard 200 charts. Isbell has since won six Grammys and performed at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago earlier this week.

The Alabama Humanities Alliance is a nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities that puts on public programs and grant funding to support the arts throughout the state.

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday. Tickets can be bought here .

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