In June, Austin City Limits (ACL) announced that it would induct only one band, the alt-rock group My Morning Jacket, into its Hall of Fame this year. On July 16, it revealed that special guest Cameron Crowe will take the stage to induct the band during their live taping on Friday, August 1.
Crowe is an Oscar-winning filmmaker, journalist, best-selling author, who was chosen for reasons beyond his entertainment track record: he's also a friend of the band.
“Thank you to Austin City Limits for the invitation to help honor My Morning Jacket," said Crowe in a press release. "MMJ has the rarest kind of mastery. Their songs explode with passion and feeling on stage and in the studio. They’ve long been one of my favorite bands. I can’t wait for a chance to see them play again on the ACL stage.”
The release also shares a response from frontman Jim James, as posted on X: "We are so excited to experience this ACL honor with the great Cameron Crowe! We have long loved his beautiful visions in the art of filmmaking, as well as his wisdom and humor in the world of music journalism. His art and friendship has enriched our lives so much over the years and we are so stoked to share the stage with him!"
Even if people think they don't know the rock journalist, they've almost certainly aware of his work. Crowe wrote the book and directed the movie adapation of Almost Famous, a semi-autobiographical story about the youngest-ever contributor at Rolling Stone — that part is true. He's profiled endless musicians, especially in classic rock, directed other famous films including Vanilla Sky and Jerry Maguire, and wrote the books that preceded them, too.
His new memoir The Uncool comes out October 28, 2025, followed by the anthology Hamburgers for the Apocalypse: The Music Journalism of Cameron Crowe in 2026.
My Morning Jacket have played three ACL tapings and are being honored for their constant evolution without losing their early-years spark that slips through so many band's fingers.
This year's induction ceremony is special because it's the first year that the public is invited to attend, and it's the second year that only one artist is joining the ranks that have been growing since 2014. A ticket giveaway held from July 24-29 will determine who gets to attend the show at ACL Live at The Moody Theater. Fans can submit entries when the contest opens at acltv.com.
