Jason Isbell

Jason Isbell (born 1979) is widely regarded as the finest American songwriter of his generation. After a stint as guitarist and songwriter in the Drive-By Truckers (2001-2007), he launched a solo career that reached its peak with Southeastern (2013), an album written during his first year of sobriety that is devastating in its emotional honesty. Cover Me Up, Elephant, and If We Were Vampires are among the most acclaimed songs in modern Americana. Something More Than Free (2015) and The Nashville Sound (2017) both won Grammy Awards for Best Americana Album. His guitar playing — technically accomplished, rooted in Muscle Shoals soul and classic country — is often overshadowed by his songwriting but is formidable in its own right. He performs with the 400 Unit and is married to violinist and singer Amanda Shires.