The Grammies are Coming
I am a little disappointed
by the apparent lack of Irish or Celtic music in the list of nominees
for this year's Grammy Awards. It is heartening however to see the wealth
of Bluegrass, Americana and all round good roots and folk that we at
JigTime love so much. The only Irish music I can find in the list
is by U2 from the Gangs of New York Soundtrack and although The
Hands that Built America is a great song it doesn't really fall into any category
we would look at.
I am so happy to see that Warren
Zevon is getting some
well deserved respect. Zevon sadly passed away earlier this year but
his legacy will live in the hearts of people for a long time to come.
He was a modern day folk singer and storyteller. His songs are sung by
generations of people already and his legend can only grow in years to
come. The awards he is nominated for are;
Song Of The Year and Best
Male Pop Vocal Performance for Keep Me In Your Heart
Also
Best Rock Performance
By A Duo Or Group With Vocal and Best Rock
Song for Disorder In The House with Bruce
Springsteen.
All the tracks are from the latest album The
Wind.
Sara McLachlan is nominated for Best
Female Vocal performance for
Fallen. Bob Dylan is nominated in the Best
Pop Collaboration with vocals for Gonna
change my way of thinking from an album of Dylan's gospel songs.
The wonderful Bonnie Raitt is in there amidst those vying for Best
Female Rock Vocal Performance.
It is nice to see some traditional sounds in
among the glitz of Nashville in the Best Female
Country Vocal Performance Category. June
Carter Cash gets a nomination as do Patty
Loveless and
Dolly Parton. Lyle
Lovett and Randy Travis make a welcome return to the
list in the Best Male Country Vocal category.
One of my favorite songs A Simple
Life is in for Ricky
Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder in the Best
Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. For Best
Country Collaboration With Vocals we have
Temptation by June
Carter Cash & Johnny Cash a track from Wildwood
Flower and James Taylor with Alison Krauss are
in with How's
the World Treating You. Alison Krauss is also in the Best
Country Instrumental Performance with her wonderful Union
Station for Cluck Old Hen and
Ricky Skaggs is back with Earl
Scruggs and Doc Watson and Pick Along from
their Three
Pickers project.
Lyle Lovett is also nominated in the
Best Country Album category for My
Baby Don't Tolerate and is up against
a great compilation album called Livin', Lovin',
Losin' - Songs Of The Louvin Brothers.
Then we have the full list of nominations in a couple
of categories close to my heart.
Best Bluegrass Album (Vocal or Instrumental.)
• Live - Alison Krauss & Union Station
• It's Just The Night - The
Del McCoury Band
• Live At The Charleston Music Hall - Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky
Thunder
• Christmas On The Mountain - A Bluegrass Christmas
- Various Artists
• One Step Ahead - Rhonda Vincent
Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album
• Wondrous
Love - Blue Highway
• The Walk - The Crabb Family
• A Cappella - Gaither Vocal Band
• Always Hear The Harmony: The Gospel
Sessions - Engelbert Humperdinck, The Blackwood Brothers Quartet, The
Jordanaires & The
Light Crust Doughboys
• Rise And Shine - Randy Travis
Best Traditional Folk Album
• Wildwood Flower - June
Carter Cash
• Any Old Time - Steve Forbert
• Bon Reve - Steve Riley & The Mamou
Playboys
• The Three Pickers - Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson & Ricky
Skaggs
• Seeds: The Songs Of Pete Seeger, Volume 3 - Pete Seeger & Friends
Best Contemporary Folk Album
• Rules Of Travel - Rosanne Cash
• Stumble Into Grace - Emmylou Harris
• Looking For The Moon - Tom Paxton
• World Without Tears - Lucinda Williams
• The Wind - Warren Zevon
Best Native American Music Album
• Reveal His Glory - Tom Bee
• Flying Free - Black Eagle
• Brotherhood - Black Lodge Singers
• Sanctuary - R. Carlos Nakai
• Still Rezin' - Northern Cree
So lots of good
traditional and roots based music to choose from and plenty of fresh
stuff too from our favorite artists in all these genres. Maybe next year
the Celts will rise again but for now there is enough quality music out
there and happily alive and well and in the hands of the greats.
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