The Grammy nominations for 2016 have been released. Lots of categories and plenty of fame and glamour surrounding the ‘big’ awards. In all, there are eighty three (!) categories and awards to be handed out on 15 February 2016.
Look beyond and you’ll see a small, but critical collection of genres worthy of a serious look, if you are into roots music. Here are those nominees.
Best Alternative Music Album
Category 16
Vocal or Instrumental.
1. SOUND & COLOR
Alabama Shakes
[ATO Records]
2. VULNICURA
Björk
[One Little Indian]
3. THE WATERFALL
My Morning Jacket
[Capitol Records]
4. CURRENTS
Tame Impala
[Interscope]
5. STAR WARS
Wilco
[Anti/Dbpm]
Wilco – Jim Jacob
Best Solo Country Music Performance
Category 26
For new vocal or instrumental solo country recordings.
1. BURNING HOUSE
Cam
Track from: Welcome To Cam Country
[Sony Music Entertainment]
2. TRAVELLER
Chris Stapleton
Track from: Traveller
[Mercury Nashville]
3. LITTLE TOY GUNS
Carrie Underwood
Track from: Greatest Hits: Decade #1
[19 Recordings/Arista Nashville]
4. JOHN COUGAR, JOHN DEERE, JOHN 3:16
Keith Urban
[Capitol Records Nashville]
5. CHANCES ARE
Lee Ann Womack
Track from: The Way I’m Livin’
[Sugar Hill Records]
Lee Ann Womack
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Category 27
For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative country
recordings.
1. STAY A LITTLE LONGER
Brothers Osborne
[EMI Records Nashville]
2. IF I NEEDED YOU
Joey+Rory
Track from: Country Classics
[Gaither Music Group]
3. THE DRIVER
Charles Kelley, Dierks Bentley & Eric Paslay
[Capitol Records Nashville]
4. GIRL CRUSH
Little Big Town
Track from: Pain Killer
[Capitol Records Nashville]
5. LONELY TONIGHT
Blake Shelton Featuring Ashley Monroe
[Warner Bros]
Best Country Song
Category 28
A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see
Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or
Tracks only.
1. CHANCES ARE
Hayes Carll, songwriter (Lee Ann Womack)
Track from: The Way I’m Livin’
[Sugar Hill Records; Publisher(s): Highway 87 Music admin. by
BMG/Chrysalis]
2. DIAMOND RINGS AND OLD BARSTOOLS
Barry Dean, Luke Laird & Jonathan Singleton,
songwriters (Tim McGraw)
Track from: Sundown Heaven Town
[Big Machine Records/McGraw Music; Publisher(s): Songs of Universal,
Inc./Creative Nation Music/Twangin and Slangin Songs/Country
Paper/Pulse Nation/BMG Gold Songs /Glassbean/We Jam Writers Group]
3. GIRL CRUSH
Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose,
songwriters (Little Big Town)
Track from: Pain Killer
[Capitol Records Nashville; Publisher(s): Warner-Tamerlane Publishing
Corp./Songs Of Crazy Girl Music, Songs of Universal, Inc., Hoodie
Songs, HillarodyRathbone Music admin. by BMG Rights Management
(US) LLC]
4. HOLD MY HAND
Brandy Clark & Mark Stephen Jones, songwriters
(Brandy Clark)
Track from: 12 Stories
[Warner Bros Records; Publisher(s): Songs of Parallel/Vista Loma Music
admin. by Amplified Administration and Harlan Howard Songs]
5. TRAVELLER
Chris Stapleton, songwriter (Chris Stapleton)
Track from: Traveller
[Mercury Nashville; Publisher(s): WB Music Corp./Ken Tucky Music]
Best Country Album
Category 29
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new country
recordings.
1. MONTEVALLO
Sam Hunt
[MCA Nashville]
2. PAIN KILLER
Little Big Town
[Capitol Records Nashville]
3. THE BLADE
Ashley Monroe
[Warner Bros.]
4. PAGEANT MATERIAL
Kacey Musgraves
[Mercury Nashville]
5. TRAVELLER
Chris Stapleton
[Mercury Records]
Best Roots Gospel Album
Category 40
This award is given to the artist(s) and any producer(s) or
engineer(s) responsible for at least 51% playing time of an album
containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal,
traditional/roots gospel music, including country, Southern gospel,
bluegrass, and Americana recordings. (Subject to eligibility
criteria)
1. STILL ROCKIN’ MY SOUL
The Fairfield Four
[Fairfield Four Records]
2. PRAY NOW
Karen Peck & New River
[Daywind Records]
3. DIRECTIONS HOME (SONGS WE LOVE, SONGS
YOU KNOW)
Point Of Grace
[Word/Curb]
Best American Roots Performance
Category 45
For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings. This is
for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed
in the American Roots Music field including Americana, bluegrass,
blues, folk or regional roots. Award to the artist(s).
1. AND AM I BORN TO DIE
Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
Track from: Béla Fleck And Abigail Washburn
[Rounder]
2. BORN TO PLAY GUITAR
Buddy Guy
Track from: Born To Play Guitar
[RCA Records/Silvertone Records]
3. CITY OF OUR LADY
The Milk Carton Kids
Track from: Monterey
[Anti]
4. JULEP
Punch Brothers
Track from: The Phosphorescent Blues
[Nonesuch]
5. SEE THAT MY GRAVE IS KEPT CLEAN
Mavis Staples
Track from: Your Good Fortune
[Anti]
Punch Brothers – photo Jim Jacob
Best American Roots Song
Category 46
A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk
or regional roots songs. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see
Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or
Tracks only.
1. ALL NIGHT LONG
Raul Malo, songwriter (The Mavericks)
Track from: Mono
[The Valory Music Co.; Publisher(s): Big Machine Music/Raul Malo
Music]
2. THE COST OF LIVING
Don Henley & Stan Lynch, songwriters (Don Henley &
Merle Haggard)
Track from: Cass County
[Capitol Records; Publisher(s): Wisteria Music (GMR) admin. by
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./Matanzas Music]
3. JULEP
Chris Eldridge, Paul Kowert, Noam Pikelny, Chris
Thile & Gabe Witcher, songwriters (Punch Brothers)
Track from: The Phosphorescent Blues
[Nonesuch; Publisher(s): Chris Thile Music, Money Baby Music, Noam
Tunes, Silver Hammer Music, Paul Kowert]
4. THE TRAVELING KIND
Cory Chisel, Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris,
songwriters (Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell)
Track from: The Traveling Kind
[Nonesuch; Publisher(s): Criterion Music o/b/o Coolwell Music/Almo
Music Corp. o/b/o Poodlebone Music/Chisel Publishing]
5. 24 FRAMES
Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)
Track from: Something More Than Free
[Southeastern Records; Publisher(s): Songs Of Emchant]
Raul Malo of The Mavericks
Best Americana Album
Category 47
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or
instrumental Americana recordings.
1. THE FIREWATCHER’S DAUGHTER
Brandi Carlile
[ATO Records]
2. THE TRAVELING KIND
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
[Nonesuch]
3. SOMETHING MORE THAN FREE
Jason Isbell
[Southeastern Records]
4. MONO
The Mavericks
[The Valory Music Co.]
5. THE PHOSPHORESCENT BLUES
Punch Brothers
[Nonesuch]
Best Bluegrass Album
Category 48
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or
instrumental bluegrass recordings.
1. POCKET FULL OF KEYS
Dale Ann Bradley
[Pinecastle Records]
2. BEFORE THE SUN GOES DOWN
Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
[Compass Records Group]
3. IN SESSION
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
[Mountain Home Music Company]
4. MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW
Ralph Stanley & Friends
[Red River Entertainment]
5. THE MUSCLE SHOALS RECORDINGS
The Steeldrivers
[Rounder]
Best Blues Album
Category 49
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or
instrumental blues recordings.
1. DESCENDANTS OF HILL COUNTRY
Cedric Burnside Project
[Cedric Burnside Project]
2. OUTSKIRTS OF LOVE
Shemekia Copeland
[Alligator Records]
3. BORN TO PLAY GUITAR
Buddy Guy
[RCA Records/Silvertone Records]
4. WORTHY
Bettye LaVette
[Cherry Red]
5. MUDDY WATERS 100
John Primer & Various Artists
[Raisin Music Records]
Bettye LaVette – photo Jim Jacob
Best Folk Album
Category 50
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or
instrumental folk recordings.
1. WOOD, WIRE & WORDS
Norman Blake
[Plectrafone Records]
2. BÉLA FLECK AND ABIGAIL WASHBURN
Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
[Rounder]
3. TOMORROW IS MY TURN
Rhiannon Giddens
[Nonesuch]
4. SERVANT OF LOVE
Patty Griffin
[PGM]
5. DIDN’T HE RAMBLE
Glen Hansard
[Anti]
Rhiannon Giddens
Best Regional Roots Music Album
Category 51
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or
instrumental regional roots music recordings.
1. GO GO JUICE
Jon Cleary
[FHQ Records]
2. LA LA LA LA
Natalie Ai Kamauu
[KEKO Records]
3. KAWAIOKALENA
Keali’i Reichel
[Punahele Productions]
4. GET READY
The Revelers
[The Revelers]
5. GENERATIONS
Windwalker And The MCW
[MCW Productions / PK Productions LLC]
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