Giddens and Johnson will be the first two recipients of the Legacy of Americana Award, a partnership between the Americana Music Association and NMAAM.
Some of Americana's brightest stars and most talented vocalists teamed up to honor Aretha Franklin with a rendition of "Chain of Fools" during the 2018 Americana Honors & Awards ceremony.
The explosion of music out of FAME Studios in the '60s, '70s and beyond was, in some senses, a cultural snapshot of the day, with many of the hits produced doubling as anthems for the women's rights movement, the civil rights movement and other causes.