Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder top Everly Brothers salute tonight

The Americana Music Assn.’s annual Grammy eve show at the Troubadour has rapidly turned into a must-see event for roots-music aficionados. This year’s concert tonight quickly sold out and took on an added emotional dimension as it was quickly framed as a tribute to the Everly Brothers, particularly Phil Everly, who died on Jan. 3 at 74.

Some of those scheduled to venture out to West Hollywood to take part are Bonnie Raitt, Rodney Crowell (who cohosted last year’s stellar show with his longtime friend and musical partner Emmylou Harris), Ry Cooder, Joe Henry, Jim Lauderdale, the Haden Triplets and Carolina Chocolate Drops singer Rihannon Giddens. Show organizers expect a few big surprises as well.

“I do realize our event doesn’t have the glitz and glamour of some of the other Grammy events,” AMA President Jed Hilly told the Los Angeles Times, “but I do think our event may be the one with the most heart and soul and grit.”

PHOTOS: The Everly Brothers through the years

At last year’s show, Harris and Crowell brought together an A-list of friends including Raitt, Joan Baez, the Zac Brown Band, J.D. Souther, Damien Rice, Joan Osborne, Shannon McNally, John Fullbright and Shawn Camp.

This is the first major musical tribute to Everly, whose influence on rock and country music with his brother Don earned the duo a place among the first 10 acts to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but it undoubtedly won’t be the last.

A celebration of Phil Everly’s life was held Jan. 18 at the Merle Travis Music Center in Powderly, Ky., and included performances by Marty Brown and Everly cousins Tim Giageos and David Everly.

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Follow Randy Lewis on Twitter: @RandyLewis2