History was made on Jan. 20 with the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden as the 46th President of the United States and Kamala D. Harris as the first female, African-American and Asian-American Vice President in our country’s history. Also, for the first time, the ACL family was part of the celebration. During the inauguration primetime special broadcast, Austin’s own Black Pumas performed their Grammy Record of the Year nominee “Colors” from ACL Live at the Moody Theater, in front of the classic Austin City Limits skyline backdrop. We can’t think of a more appropriate way to salute the incoming presidential administration. Watch the full performance below.
Live music beaconAustin City Limits offers a glorious hour of uplifting music for troubled times, featuring two of live music’s most powerful voices: husband-and-wife duo The War And Treaty and 2021 Grammy nominee, singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster. The new installment premieres Saturday, January 16 as part of the iconic series Season 46 – check your local listings for showtimes. The episode will be available to music fans everywhere to stream online beginning Sunday, January 17 @10am ET at pbs.org/austincitylimits. With live music on hold, ACL continues to provide viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance. The program airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings for times) and full episodes are made available online for a limited time at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding future tapings, episode schedules and select live stream updates.
Known for a live show that’s almost revival-like in its intensity, Nashville-based breakout act The War And Treaty showcase gems from their acclaimed 2020 album Hearts Town. Named Americana Music Awards 2019 Emerging Act of the Year, partners and collaborators Michael and Tanya Trotter deliver an impassioned ACL debut with their earthy, rock-infused Southern soul. “America, it’s time to unite. We need each other,” says Trotter from his piano bench as he leads the 10-piece ensemble and the pair drive home the plea for unity in times of division on “Beautiful.” The duo shine on “Take Me In,” a stunning anthem of inclusion, adding a verse from the Ray Charles version of “America the Beautiful” to powerful effect. The dynamic act reach new heights with a show-stopping number inspired by Charles, “Hey Pretty Moon,” closing out in dazzling harmony.
Blues and soul luminary Ruthie Foster returns to ACL for the first time in nearly two decades with a career-spanning set in a radiant performance. The Austin American-Statesman hails this homegrown treasure as “a transcendent singer with uncommon power and emotion” and she shines in a sparkling set accompanied by her 4-piece band and a trio of backing vocalists. Foster’s uplifting songs blend blues, folk, gospel and soul, including the jewels “Brand New Day” and “Feels Like Freedom.” Foster fondly calls her live shows “Hallelujah Time,” and a set highlight is the feel-good empowerment anthem “Phenomenal Woman” from 2007’s The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, showcasing her powerhouse vocals and contagious joy. She dips into the catalog of the mighty Staples Singers for “The Ghetto,” a gorgeous, piercing tune of history and social commentary.
photo by Scott Newton
“Given the troubled state of our country today, this may well be our most meaningful show of the season,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “There’s a message and a spirit behind the music that we all need to hear right now. We are also proud to once again celebrate Austn’s most passionate musical voice, Ruthie Foster.”
The War And Treaty setlist:
Five More Minutes
Beautiful
Take Me In
Jubilee
Hey Pretty Moon
Ruthie Foster setlist:
Brand New Day
Phenomenal Woman
Feels Like Freedom
The Ghetto
Runaway Soul
Season 46 Broadcast Schedule:
January 9Foo Fighters Rock Austin City Limits
January 16The War And Treaty | Ruthie Foster
January 23Ray Wylie Hubbard
January 30The Best of Spoon
February 6Texas Icons: Jerry Jeff Walker & Billy Joe Shaver
February 13Allen Toussaint: New Orleans Legend
ACL’s Season 46 premiered in October with standout performances from2021 Grammy nominee Rufus Wainwright, UK country-soul sensation Yola, rock and country trailblazers The Mavericks, acclaimed Austin standout Jackie Venson, salutes to late ACL legends John Prine and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a celebration of 50 years of Asleep at the Wheel and more.
Tune-in, log on, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter, IG and TikTok.Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.
About Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 46th Season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic KLRU Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.
Austin City Limits is produced by Austin PBS, KLRU-TV and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, RigUp, the Austin Convention Center Department and Cirrus Logic. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.
Live music beaconAustin City Limits resumes Season 46 with an electrifying hour: Foo Fighters Rock Austin City Limits, celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the rock superstars and in anticipation of their 10th studio album, Medicine At Midnight, which is set to be released on February 5th. Experience the communal magic of live music with the best, the best, the best of Foo Fighters, featuring a hit parade of classics from the powerhouse band’s two unforgettable ACL appearances, originally broadcast in 2009 and 2015. The must-see hour premieres Saturday, January 9, as ACL’s Season 46 returns with six installments. Check your local PBS listings for broadcast times. The episode will be available to music fans everywhere to stream online beginning Sunday, January 10 @10am ET at pbs.org/austincitylimits.
Get your lighters out for a head-banging, epic, joyous hour as Austin City Limits celebrates Foo Fighters with a silver anniversary salute. The 30-million-record-selling, eleven-time GRAMMY-winning band plays sold-out arenas and stadiums across the globe, but these rock and roll stalwarts took time in Season 34 — then returned for ACL’s milestone Season 40 — to carve their name in ACL history with superstar-caliber performances. The thrilling hour showcases highlights from the pair of programs as Dave Grohl & company make their ACL debut in 2009 with blistering renditions of early Foo favorites including “My Hero,” “Everlong” and “All My Life” in a fevered rock attack that captures the magnetic energy of the band. In their 2015 encore, Foo Fighters return at the height of their powers to deliver a blitzkrieg of anthems from their canon as frontman Grohl playfully ventures offstage to get close to the fans. The hard-driving band play at full tilt and drive it home with their classic “Best of You,” as the pumped-up crowd thrills to iconic riffs and the Foos close out with an epic blitz of guitar bliss in a performance for the ages.
“I’m sure I can speak for every musician when I say that being asked to come play Austin City Limits is practically like getting a medal,” says Dave Grohl. “As a musician it’s something to aspire to and if you actually achieve that then you wear it like a badge.”
Foo Fighters Rock Austin City Limits setlist:
All My Life (2009)
My Hero (2009)
Everlong (2009)
Monkey Wrench (2009)
The Pretender (2009)
Times Like These (2015)
Rope (2015)
Walk (2015)
Best of You (2015)
Season 46 Broadcast Schedule:
January 9Foo Fighters Rock Austin City Limits
January 16The War And Treaty | Ruthie Foster
January 23Ray Wylie Hubbard
January 30The Best of Spoon
February 6Texas Icons: Jerry Jeff Walker & Billy Joe Shaver
February 13Allen Toussaint: New Orleans Legend
ACL’s Season 46 premiered in October with standout performances from2021 Grammy nominee Rufus Wainwright, UK country-soul sensation Yola, rock and country trailblazers The Mavericks, acclaimed Austin standout Jackie Venson, salutes to late ACL legends John Prine and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a celebration of 50 years of Asleep at the Wheel and more.
Tune-in, log on, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter, IG and TikTok.Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.
About Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 46th Season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic KLRU Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.
Austin City Limits is produced by Austin PBS, KLRU-TV and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, RigUp, the Austin Convention Center Department and Cirrus Logic. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.
The Austin City Limits crew is sad to hear of the death of singer, songwriter and country hitmaker K.T. Oslin at the age of 78. The three-time Grammy-winning artist suffered from Parkinson’s disease for many years, and had been diagnosed with Covid-19 last week.
Raised in Houston, Texas, Oslin majored in drama at Lon Morris and sang in a folk trio with Guy Clark as a young adult in her hometown. She found success appearing in musical stage productions in New York City and starting writing songs in her NY apartment. Her first country singles came out on Elektra Records in the early 80s, but failed to make much of a dent in the charts. It wasn’t until 1987 when, at the age of 45, she hit with her self-penned “80’s Ladies,” her first top-ten, CMA- and Grammy award-winning single, which pushed the album of the same name to the top of the C&W charts. She continued having hits through the early nineties, including her #1 singles “Hold Me” (which won her two further Grammys), “I’ll Always Come Back,” “Come Next Monday” and “Do Ya.” She also wrote songs for the Judds and Gail Davies.
“K.T. brought an edge and an attitude that was missing in Country music in the 80’s and 90’s – especially among female singers,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “There weren’t many singers of any gender singing lyrics like ‘We were stoned rock and rollers in the 60’s.’ She helped pave the way for the new generation of women in Country to come.”
For the rest of her career Oslin alternated between acting and music, releasing six LPs in total, including 2001’s Live Close By, Visit Often, produced by the Mavericks’ Raul Malo, and her final album Simply in 2015. She appeared on Austin City Limits twice, in 1989 and 1992. Here she is with her closing number from the latter year, singing “Do Ya.”
Kick off the New Year with a good ‘un: Austin City Limits presents ACL Hall of Fame: The First 6 Years, a special broadcast featuring a victory lap of some of the finest performances from the first six years of the annual ACL Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, from the inaugural induction celebration in 2014 to 2019’s sixth annual ceremony. The Austin City Limits Hall of Fame was established in 2014 to honor beacons of American music who have played an instrumental role in making the iconic music series a music institution. The 14-song, all-star salute, recorded live in Austin, Texas, features best–in-class performances and collaborations, many never-before-broadcast, from the annual celebrations in a performance-packed hour with Hall of Fame honorees including Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy, Los Lobos, Bonnie Raitt, Rosanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson performing alongside special guests. ACL Hall of Fame: The First 6 Yearspremieres Saturday, January 2 at 8pm CT/9pm ET. Check local PBS listings for times. The special will be available to music fans everywhere to stream online beginning Sunday, January 3 @10am ET at pbs.org/austincitylimits.
The Hall of Fame celebration captures one-of-a-kind performances and emotional moments as the hour kicks off with the very first inductee into ACL’s inaugural Hall of Fame in 2014: Willie Nelson, who appeared on ACL’s pilot episode in 1974, and performs his classic “On the Road Again” joined by special guests Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett. Blues giant Buddy Guy, a 2019 inductee, performs an electrifying take on his gem “Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues” joined by a longtime friend, bluesman Jimmie Vaughan. For her induction in 2017, Rosanne Cash shares the stage with friends Elvis Costello and Neko Case, trading verses on her early chart-topping anthem “Seven Year Ache,” joined by legendary guitarist Ry Cooder. A trio of music’s most expressive vocalists, Chris Isaak, Brandi Carlile and Raul Malo, join forces to celebrate the legendary Roy Orbison’s 2017 induction with a joyous rendition of the pioneering rocker’s signature “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Acclaimed singer-songwriter Jason Isbell performs a moving solo rendition of Texas singer-songwriter Guy Clark’s classic, “Desperados Waiting For A Train,” saluting the 2015 inductee. Bonnie Raitt celebrates her induction in 2016 teaming up with handpicked guests Mavis Staples and Taj Mahal on a blazing rendition of her smash “Thing Called Love.” Kris Kristofferson, a fellow 2016 inductee, lights up the stage with a moving, solo acoustic performance of his early 70s classic “Lovin’ Her Was Easier.” Celebrating her induction in 2019, Shawn Colvin delivers a captivating performance of her early gem “Diamond In the Rough,” from her 1989 debut Steady On, joined by a pair of Texas singer-songwriters, Sarah Jarosz and fellow inductee Lyle Lovett. The queen of country music, Loretta Lynn, who first appeared on the series in 1983, is celebrated during her 2015 induction by country singer Patty Loveless, with a stirring rendition of the living legend’s first number one country hit “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’”.
Photo by Gary Miller
The “first family of funk,” The Neville Brothers, the first New Orleans act to appear on ACL in 1979, are saluted by Trombone Shorty and members of the next-generation Nevilles Band for a scorching NOLA-style tribute to the influential funk ‘n’ soul collective in honor of their 2017 induction. Legendary Texas singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt is inducted in 2015 with an all-star tribute of his “White Freightliner Blues” with music greats Lyle Lovett, Ray Benson, Vince Gill, Gillian Welch, Dwight Yoakam and more trading verses on the classic. Blues-rock star Gary Clark Jr. puts down his guitar for the occasion and steps up to the mic to pay vocal tribute to 2018 inductee Ray Charles, delivering a radiant “Night Time Is the Right Time” while vocalists Ruthie Foster, Carolyn Wonderland and Shelley King do The Raelettes proud with show-stopping backing chorus. American originals Los Lobos join the fifth class of inductees in 2018 performing a classic from their celebrated four-decade career, “La Pistola Y El Corazon”. The broadcast comes to an epic close saluting blues-rock icon Stevie Ray Vaughan’s 2014 induction into the first class of inductees, as a murderers’ row of guitar greats, including Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy and Johnny Lang, perform a blistering “Texas Flood,” the Lone Star classic Vaughan made famous when he performed it on his now-classic 1983 ACL debut, in a performance for the ages.
Austin City Limits Hall of Fame: The First Six Years setlist:
Willie Nelson w/ Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett “On the Road Again”
Buddy Guy w/Jimmie Vaughan “Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues”
Rosanne Cash w/Elvis Costello, Neko Case, Ry Cooder “Seven Year Ache”
Chris Isaak w/Brandi Carlile, Raul Malo “Oh Pretty Woman”
Jason Isbell “Desperados Waiting For A Train”
Bonnie Raitt w/ Mavis Staples, Taj Mahal “Thing Called Love”
Kris Kristofferson “Lovin’ Her Was Easier”
Shawn Colvin w/Lyle Lovett & Sarah Jarosz “Diamond in the Rough”
Patty Loveless “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’”
The Nevilles Band w/Trombone Shorty “Meet De Boys on De Battlefront”
All-Star Cast f. Lyle Lovett, Ray Benson, Vince Gill, Gillian Welch, Dwight Yoakam “White Freightliner Blues”
Gary Clark Jr. w/Ruthie Foster, Carolyn Wonderland, Shelley King “Night Time Is the Right Time”
Los Lobos “La Pistola Y El Corazon”
All-Star Finale f. Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy, Johnny Lang, Lukas Nelson, Doyle Bramhall II, Robert Randolph “Texas Flood”
Photo by Scott Newton
Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding future tapings, episode schedules and select live stream updates.
About Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 46th Season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic KLRU Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.
ACL Hall of Fame: The First 6 Years is produced by Austin PBS, KLRU-TV and funding is provided in part by AXS, Dell Technologies, and Cirrus Logic. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.
Live music beaconAustin City Limits announces the second half of Season 46, with six new installments to begin airing in January 2021 as part of the program’s thirteen-episode season. ACL has featured some of the most iconic performances in live music for over four and a half decades, and continues to bring viewers a stellar slate of broadcast episodes featuring a mix of new performances (taped during the current Covid-19 pandemic without an audience) and installments featuring highlights from ACL favorites, continuing Austin City Limits’ run as the longest-running music television show in history. The program returns on Saturday, January 9 at 8pm CT/9pm ETwith an epic hour celebrating the 25th Anniversary of rock superstars Foo Fighters.
Season 46 returns in January with a must-see hour, Foo Fighters Rock Austin City Limits, a silver anniversary celebration of the rock superstars, featuring a hit parade of classics from the powerhouse band’s two unforgettable ACL appearances in 2008 and 2014. ACL spotlights one of modern rock’s finest bands, Austin’s own Spoon, with The Best of Spoon, offering a fascinating look at the band’s evolution dating back to their debut on the series in 2003 to the recent present via highlights from the four-time ACL veterans. Blues and soul luminary Ruthie Foster, a 2021 Grammy Award nominee, returns for the first time in nearly two decades. Dynamic husband-and-wife duo The War And Treaty, Americana Music Awards 2019 Emerging Act of the Year, deliver a show-stopping ACL debut.
A season highlight is the long-awaited debut of ‘70s outlaw country legend Ray Wylie Hubbard, currently enjoying one of the greatest second acts in music, in an epic hour. In a year of profound loss, ACL salutes a pair of Texas icons we lost during 2020, Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Joe Shaver, pioneers of Austin’s cosmic cowboy movement in the mid-1970s, in an hourlong installment featuring historic highlights from the influential troubadours’ multiple appearances on the ACL stage. Season 46 closes out with one of the most-requested episodes in the ACL archive: a vintage hour with the late New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, performing iconic gems from across his half-century career, originally broadcast over a decade ago during ACL’s Season 35, and remains one of the most enduring, entertaining hours in ACL’s history.
photo by Scott Newton
“In a year like no other, we’re proud that we were able to capture seven brand-new performances for our 46th season,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “As always, they include a mix that’s eclectic, electric and even a touch eccentric. On top of that, we were able to pull some gems out of the ACL goldmine to celebrate some highlights from the past, and honor those who helped to create the ACL legacy.”
Season 46 Broadcast Schedule:
January 2ACL Hall of Fame: The First 6 Years
January 9Foo Fighters Rock Austin City Limits
January 16The War And Treaty | Ruthie Foster
January 23Ray Wylie Hubbard
January 30The Best of Spoon
February 6Texas Icons: Jerry Jeff Walker & Billy Joe Shaver
February 13Allen Toussaint: New Orleans Legend
A special broadcast, ACL Hall of Fame: The First 6 Years,premieres Saturday, January 2 at 8pm CT/9pm ET. Check local PBS listings for times. Austin City Limits celebrates the first six years of the annual ACL Hall of Fame, from the inaugural induction celebration in 2014 to 2019’s sixth annual ceremony. The 14-song, all-star salute, recorded live in Austin, Texas, features best–in-class performances and collaborations, many never-before-broadcast, from the annual celebrations in a performance-packed hour. Hall of Fame honorees including Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy, Los Lobos, Bonnie Raitt, Rosanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson perform alongside special guests.
ACL’s Season 46 premiered in October with standout performances from2021 Grammy nominee Rufus Wainwright, UK country-soul sensation Yola, rock and country trailblazers The Mavericks, acclaimed Austin standout Jackie Venson, salutes to late ACL legends John Prine and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a celebration of 50 years of Asleep at the Wheel and more. The series will continue to broadcast fan-favorite encore episodes through the end of 2020.
Tune-in, log on, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter, IG and TikTok.Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.
photo by Scott Newton
About Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 46th Season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic KLRU Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.
Austin City Limits is produced by Austin PBS, KLRU-TV and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, RigUp, the Austin Convention Center Department and Cirrus Logic. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.
