Austin City Limits marks the first six years of its Hall of Fame induction ceremonies with a special retrospective featuring performances by Kris Kristofferson, Jason Isbell, Rosanne Cash, Los Lobos, and more. The 14-song episode culminates in a salute to Stevie Ray Vaughan with an all-star rendition of “Texas Flood” by Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy, Johnny Lang, Lyle Lovett, Lukas Nelson, Robert Randolph, and Doyle Bramhall II.
ACL Hall of Fame: The First 6 Years premieres January 2nd at 9 p.m. ET on PBS. It streams at pbs.org beginning Sunday, January 3rd.
Along with the “Texas Flood” jam, the compilation includes Jason Isbell singing Guy Clark’s “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” Chris Isaak, Brandi Carlile, and Raul Malo honoring Roy Orbison with “Oh, Pretty Woman,” and Kris Kristofferson offering his own “Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again).”
Founded in 2014, the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame celebrates “beacons of American music who have played an instrumental role in making the iconic music series a music institution.” The most recent class includes Lyle Lovett, Buddy Guy, and Shawn Colvin. The 2020 induction was canceled because of the pandemic; the 2021 ceremony is set for October 28th.
Austin City Limits has also announced the lineup for the second half of its current 46th season. The show returns January 9th with the Foo Fighters. Other episodes feature the debuts of Ray Wylie Hubbard and the War and Treaty, and tributes to Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Joe Shaver, who died this past year.