Sturgill Simpson Wins 2017 Grammy for Best Country Album
“I guess the revolution will not be televised” –Sturgill Simpson after winning Best Country Album during the Grammy’s Pre-Telecast.
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The tables have been flipped and the tide has turned. Sturgill Simpson—the consummate underdog and viciously independent country songwriter and performer whose helped lead the way and kicked down doors for a country music insurgency was awarded the Grammy for Best Country Album Sunday night (2-12) during the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for his 2016 effort A Sailor’s Guide to Earth.
Though country-oriented awards shows such as the CMA’s and ACM’s make it a habit to ignore artists like Sturgill, when given a chance to be voted on beside his peers, Sturgill Simpson came out victorious.
Sturgill Simpson is also up for the all-genre Album of the Year, which at the time of this posting has not been awarded yet. The Best Country Album award, usually handed out during the telecast, was moved to the pre-telecast this year for undisclosed reasons.
“Six years ago I was in Utah working on a railroad writing songs at night, and my wife made me quit that job and move to Nashville. So thank you, babe,” Sturgill said in his acceptance speech. “About the time my last record came out, I spent the first year of his life on the road, missing him and her. And if it hadn’t been for them, I wouldn’t have written this record. So I dedicate this to my family.”
Sturgill Simpson began his country music career with a band named Sunday Valley in his home state of Kentucky. In April of 2012 he walked away from the Sunday Valley name to become a solo performer, and in June of 2013, released his debut High Top Mountain on Thirty Tigers to critical acclaim. This was followed up by Metamodern Sounds in Country Music less than a year later in May of 2014. The sophomore effort rocketed Sturgill to independent music stardom and put him on the radar of the mainstream country music industry.
A Sailor’s Guide to Earth was written like a letter to Sturgill’s son, who was born right as Metamodern Sounds in Country Music was being released. Simpson regretting missing so much time with his family on tour, and wanted to do something special for them. A week before the 2017 Grammy Awards, Sturgill and his wife welcomed their second child into the world. Simpson produced A Sailor’s Guide to Earth himself.
The victory doesn’t come with universal applause from all of Sturgill Simpson’s fans. A small, but vocal minority see it as disappointing that all of this attention is being paid to Sturgill only after he released his most non-country record to date. They would have rather seen one of his first two records, High Top Mountain or Metamodern Sounds in Country Music make the big splash.
But often when it comes to independent artists, the Grammy Awards work in arrears. Despite many pointing to Jason Isbell’s Southeastern as his best album, it wasn’t until he released Something More Than Free in 2015 that the Grammy Awards recognized the Americana songwriter with multiple statuettes. Sturgill Simpson’s signing to major label Atlantic Records before the release of A Sailor’s Guide to Earth likely played a pivotal role in receiving the high-profile Grammy nominations, and helped secure the victory.
Sturgill Simpson’s Grammy victory comes as just another step in country music’s recent memory where the era of Bro-Country fades into the distance, and artists and music of more substance continue to get recognized.
February 12, 2017 @ 3:41 pm
Don’t they always televise Best Country Album? What gives?
February 12, 2017 @ 3:52 pm
They change it up based on who they think is going to win various awards (I think).
February 12, 2017 @ 4:28 pm
Yes, this is usually a televised award, and they switched it around on us. Theories abound as to why. We may find out by the end of the night….
February 12, 2017 @ 3:43 pm
I was rooting fro Loretta Lynn, but I knew he was gonna win.
He surely deserved it, and I loved the way he said “the revolution will not be televised” ahaha.
Humble and Kind won over Urban and Rhett, so it’s going great.
February 12, 2017 @ 3:43 pm
Brandy Clark was my choice but since not her this works just fine.
February 12, 2017 @ 3:46 pm
I think Sturgill also won for most under-dressed.
February 12, 2017 @ 3:51 pm
Oh Sturgill, you’re getting a solo performing slot, that IS the revolution being televised.
BTW this run of Americanna winners feels a little bit like a push back against the countrification of Americanna, maybe it’s just me.
February 12, 2017 @ 6:09 pm
You are absolutely right. It didn’t matter to me if he won an award or not, the important thing to me was him having a performance slot in prime time for the exposure.
Oh, and another thing, SUCK IT CORPORATE NASHVILLE!!
February 12, 2017 @ 9:44 pm
You realize he’s on a “Corporate Nashville” label, right?
February 12, 2017 @ 11:45 pm
Sturgill is not on a corporate Nashville label. He’s on Atlantic out of New York instead of Nashville. That may seem like a small distinction, but it is a vastly different corporate philosophy governing the two imprints.
February 13, 2017 @ 12:47 am
Semantics, man. Atlantic is a sub-label owned by Warner Music. It doesn’t get much more corporate than that. Their shareholders are the only corporate philosophy that matters. Simpson isn’t flying to New York to talk to A&R; Steve Robertson is planted behind his corporate label desk at 20 Music Square East.
I know it doesn’t fit the narrative in the comment section here, but this (insert-trending-derogatory-buzzword-for-Nashville-here) is pretty hard to get away from in this business. It’s why almost anyone in the country music industry (no matter the style or substance) is here during the week chasing down a publishing deal or writing with solid writers.
I think we agree on the philosophy of the business mostly, and I know for a fact there’s a revolution on the horizon, but a lot of your fans and followers here in the comments are completely uneducated and closed-minded when it comes to country music.
“I like that Jesus guy, but not so much his followers”
February 13, 2017 @ 12:53 am
No doubt that Atlantic is a major corporate label, and I think Sturgill’s label had a big hand in him having such a big Grammy season. But trust me, I’ve spoken to many people in the business about this, and there is a huge difference in the philosophical approach to music depending on if the label is based in Nashville or on the two coasts. Sturgill could have never released an album like “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” out of Atlantic Nashville. There’s no model for it. Nashville is all about radio and controlling artists to optimize exposure through that format. Sturgill didn’t have a radio strategy for ASGTE. It’s all about building off of grassroots. I understand it’s still a major label and I’m not trying to soft pedal that. But it’s very much outside of the “corporate Nashville” system.
February 13, 2017 @ 1:23 am
I lost the thread so I’ll just leave it here.
I agree with that. I also think that his label is the only reason he won a Grammy or possibly the only reason he was nominated. Same can be said of Stapleton’s success over the last couple years. They both are extremely talented and insanely creative artists, but to win an industry award like a CMA, ACM, Grammy, Oscar, etc. takes an industry approach and doing things in a somewhat-industry way. These aren’t People’s Choice Awards. Sturgill made two country records that completely kicked ass and sold a metric shit-ton of albums independently. That’s how you piss off a corporate label by showing the other 30,000 singer/songwriters in this town that you don’t have to have a label to sell albums. Then he makes a stellar prog-rock-country(ish) album on a major sub-label that wins a Grammy. If he pissed off AR or WMG tomorrow and walked out, he’d still sell records because he’s a talented SOB with a huge grassroots following, but he isn’t going to get any industry recognition unless he plays the industry game.
These labels, Nashville-based or not, have now started to realize that their regulars aren’t selling physical records anymore, and these outliers are, so they’ve changed their MO and have started embracing the notion of a restructure. That’s when this revolution of sorts will happen. It’s all politics, man. Just like the PTA.
February 13, 2017 @ 8:17 am
“These labels, Nashville-based or not, have now started to realize that their regulars aren’t selling physical records anymore, and these outliers are, so they’ve changed their MO and have started embracing the notion of a restructure.”
As long as Nashville-based major labels are bent over by corporate terrestrial radio, the MO will be the same.
February 13, 2017 @ 1:30 pm
They aren’t bent over by them, they are partners in revenue sharing agreements. They are all one big extended family.
February 13, 2017 @ 2:24 pm
Then the orgy needs to stop. It’s one big incestuous hose fest centered around an outdated business model.
February 12, 2017 @ 3:54 pm
Better late than never I suppose. One more reason why the Grammys continue to be irrelevant in my book. They are always playing catch up. Give it to him now, because he should have won it sooner.
February 12, 2017 @ 3:57 pm
Congrats to Sturgill, it is well deserved!
February 12, 2017 @ 4:05 pm
This is THE wake up call to “Country radio”…..YOU ARE NOT NEEDED when it comes to MUSICIANS who actually CARE about this genre. Chris Stapleton and Jason Isbel had NO AIR PLAY and won Grammy nominations and awards,now Strugil Simpson. Bye Bye BROS.
February 12, 2017 @ 4:10 pm
Ain’t no bad in this good news. Congratulations, Sturgill. Keep kicking in doors.
February 12, 2017 @ 4:18 pm
about effing time!!!!!! I’m not overwhelmingly fond of his style, his lyrics, and his “Country-ness” can be suspect but the dude is talented, a great thinker, and a great humanitarian who actually cares about art at a time when we need a vocal champion like him.
And also, I would like to recall that I once predicted that the “Country Music Savior” crowd, having found Stapleton would have abandoned Simpson…
I was wrong. I predicted that Simpson had seen his peak by being unfairly heralded as a savior by people looking for a hero.
I, Fuzzy Beefaroni TwoShirts, made an error in judgement.
Super glad for the artist of a generation. he’s beyond earned this and we may well see him standing among folks like Elvis and the Beatles in a couple decades.
at this rate, what’s stopping him?
Forgot the awards were tonight. had a rough few weeks but I’m eight days without a major depression episode, and have plans for Valentine’s Day. Saw on Facebook that Sturgill was winning and came over here to police the live blog and make sure some of the crazy people didn’t ruin the comments.
Good reporting Triggerman. We needed this.
Sturg is gonna kick-ass with his live performance. I bet Farce is gonna have some pretty funny twitter-fails when the bros go ballistic trying to figure out what’s going on.
February 12, 2017 @ 4:19 pm
well deserved and about time!!! We love him, his music, his values and his wife for encouraging him to share his music with the world!
February 12, 2017 @ 4:32 pm
So happy he won Album! Absolutely ridiculous that he didn’t get to receive it on the actual show. Guess that means “Solo” was won by Carrie/Maren/Keith. Typical- Brandy or Miranda had much better solo performances. Anyway, I’m very happy that he will perform & be announced as “GRAMMY winner Sturgill Simpson”!!!
*Does anyone think there is a chance Sturgill gets ACM nominations this week? Stranger things have happened. Fingers crossed we might get a Revolution!
February 12, 2017 @ 4:35 pm
Can someone provide a link with his speech? I have a little viewing party at my place later on to root him on for the big one. Didn’t realize they were going ahead with country album of the year. Good job sturg, I think that most of the SCM readership has a certain level of pride in this.
February 12, 2017 @ 5:36 pm
His speech was pretty short and I transcribed it all here. If I do find a link I will share it.
Actually I just did. Will likely get taken down soon so watch it up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV4MVaB3l3Q
February 13, 2017 @ 3:51 pm
Article has just been updated with official video of Sturgill’s acceptance speech.
February 13, 2017 @ 8:54 pm
Just an interesting side note – (this is relevant, I swear!)… my Women In Music professor claimed that “no one,” including her, had ever heard of Sturgill Simpson, in which I saw a lot of nods of approval from my peers. In my philosophy class, we discussed the meaning of happiness and how success can correlate with that. He discussed how some consider Lady Gaga’s “revival” to be successful but then, surprisingly, introduced the topic of Sturgill winning Best Country Album and how “Metamodern Sounds In Country Music” “blew his mind.”
Although this award didn’t air on the show, I think we should be appreciative of this victory for the genre as a step in the right direction! 🙂
February 12, 2017 @ 4:39 pm
Hey Stu. You just one Best Country Album for a Prog Rock album. Don’t whine about the televization!
February 12, 2017 @ 5:46 pm
I think that he was making a nerdy reference…
February 13, 2017 @ 8:29 am
Prog Rock album? That’s a clown comment, bro.
February 12, 2017 @ 4:47 pm
Not surprising. Now if he wins album of the year I’ll be mildly surprised. And I was right in every prediction I made so far, including Superbowl score, so I’m pretty satisfied with myself. If Stapleton didnt win album of the year against Taylor swift, it’s hard to bet on Sturgill against Beyonce and Adele. He wasn’t marketed as hard in the mainstream as Stapleton. But good luck anyway.
February 12, 2017 @ 5:00 pm
Willie just won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
February 12, 2017 @ 5:20 pm
So he releasea a country album and he’s americana. Then he releases a decidedly non counrry album and he wins best country album.
Fuck me
February 12, 2017 @ 9:09 pm
Genres dont seem to matter much anymore and thats ok with me
February 17, 2017 @ 11:10 am
See Matt …this viewpoint on the genre thing is troubling to me on several counts .
First off …it was the ” genre’s don’t seem to matter ” thing that unleashed the plague known as Bro-Country to COUNTY radio . Apparently , a demographic nerve was hit so radio just kept playing it regardless of its lack of trad continent. Fine ….radio is a business and they manufacture what sells and I use that word ”manufacture” in it truest sense . Generic music of little substance or traditional elements sold to a youthful audience . So do cartoons and frosted flakes. BUT the saddest part of this ”re-tooling” by radio and the industry was the loss of jobs ( airplay ) to REAL experienced , qualified , knowledgeable , passionate and SMART writers , performers , producers and musicians and the potential loss of an art form to a non-descript ” product” which implements NONE of the quality elements and skilled ” workers” I’ve just listed . If the newer product had been better on various fronts ( better writing , more exciting instrumentally by combining the new with the old traditions real country music is identified with , GREAT vocalists who could move us emotionally with their performances …and narratives that resonated with people over 15 years old then there MAY be reason to celebrate the ” genre ” statement ” in part . But it didn’t . And if that’s OK with you, terrific . You aren’t alone . But that brings me to my second point .
If music , in general , and ” country’ music in particular continues down this ” genres don’t matter ” road and the earmarks of styles are eventually lost to this ” evolution ” do you see how music would eventually be so watered down and homogenized ( the mono genre , as its been called ) that artists would have NOTHING of substance to draw from in terms of inspiration , education and sheer dedication to the power the respective genres hold to evoke responses based on an individual listener’s likes , preferences , experiences and personal narrative . CHOICE IS IMPORTANT for us as artists and listeners . Do we all really want to wear the same grey shoes and eat the same Science-Fiction burger ? If country radio and the industry driving it had its way that choice and diversity would be all but gone . Sam Hunt is as country as Miles Davis . Urban is as country as Gaga , if you look at the industry’s approach to marketing the music with no regard to tradition and the unique viewpoint various genres bring . Once those traditions are completely eradicated by a genre-less ‘ art-form ‘ , so too is the heart of the art-form ….the sincerity , the honesty and the skills and artistry which ,organically, initially defined it . When will we say ‘ enough is enough ‘ because we don’t recognize ourselves , our heritage , our personal or family narratives or our hearts in an industry that forces ‘art’ upon us with the sole intention of making money by making little girls excited at the site of buffed Ken-doll ”entertainers” who have no idea or concern about where their ‘ artistic’ roots stem from . In the last year we had Cindi Lauper , Steven Tyler and other “outsiders” claiming authenticity in a genre they had NEVER been a part of for their entire careers . How long until Andrea Bocelli or the Metropolitan Opera Company jump into the ‘country ‘ fray . And hey while we’re at it ….why not have Luke Bryan release a duet with that Opera Company and just call it …I don’t know …..REGGAE ?
Certainly elements of various genres of music have cross-polinated in the past , but at least there have been various genres to draw from in executing those experiments Forsaking genres completely , however , is a risky experiment which , I believe , cheats listeners and future artists of the opportunity to be inspired in an honest , from-the-heart way and not only homogenizes our music but our natures , our individuality and consequently our capacity to be inspired by uniqueness.
February 12, 2017 @ 5:37 pm
Well good for him! I’m not a Sturgill fan (I know, I know…cue the SCM crowd with their pitchforks), nothing against him, I just never could get into his sound, but I think he’s very talented and would never deny he’s a great musician…just not for me. I cannot deny this seems to be a deserving win (especially over a couple of the other nominees). Congrats to Sturgill.
February 12, 2017 @ 5:37 pm
Congrats Sturgill!!!! And to all of us, for keeping country music alive and well.
February 12, 2017 @ 8:38 pm
what’s gonna happen if he releases a real country record?
February 12, 2017 @ 9:13 pm
You mean the record he is currently sitting on but decided to release SGtE first? Good stuff, good stuff will happen
February 13, 2017 @ 7:18 am
Where did you hear this, Captain?
February 13, 2017 @ 7:37 am
I guess I’m glad he won, but the album wasn’t country and wasn’t very good. Its better than Slim McCraw or that little show pony winning, though.
February 13, 2017 @ 8:18 am
Why am I awaiting moderation?
February 13, 2017 @ 8:46 am
Don’t know. Perhaps you switched devices from the last time you commented. It’s approved now.
February 13, 2017 @ 9:24 am
Thanks, Trig. I have only one device. My phone has a low IQ. It doesn’t talk to me and it doesn’t hook up to the interstate.
February 13, 2017 @ 4:38 pm
I can only begin to imagine what Loretta Lynn must be thinking about the other nominees in her category …..especially SS . Thank God she is still being recognized ….if only for the education of everyone else who thinks the Urbans and SS are actually playing country music . And as an inspiration to up and coming COUNTRY songwriters .
February 15, 2017 @ 4:58 pm
I’m with you. I don’t see how the “purists” are raving about Simpson – just saw him on some PBS music show last week and his band came with a horn section and in the interview segment he said his music was “soul” as much as it is “country” (more IMO) or something like that.
February 13, 2017 @ 8:15 am
“I guess the revolution will not be televised.” I love this freaking guy!
February 13, 2017 @ 9:31 am
Best country album should have gone to cody jinks, obviously.
February 13, 2017 @ 9:50 am
The reason Sturgill Simpson’s nominations and wins are so important is because they open up the door for the possibility of artists like Cody Jinks and others to receive these accolades in the future.
February 14, 2017 @ 11:39 pm
I love how some on here judge the Sturgill’s whole career (and future career) on this current recognition, album, and his current record label situation. They clearly don’t know much about Sturgill.
Do those people know that Sturgill is basically laughing at the recognition because he himself has said, “I made a cliche filled album for my son, and it went to the top. The industry has no idea what’s coming.” He is wagging the dog with his talent. He isn’t controlled by the big label he now is signed to, and Sailor’s Guide isn’t hardcore country, he isn’t trying to sell it as such.
This guy is just taking his time. So many are quick to write people off when they see a hint of something that looks odd or too “mainstream”. There are a few other artists just waiting in the background as the industry starts to change significantly over the next few months and years.
Sturgill, Stapleton, Johnson…they are sitting back and waiting. They won’t be rushed into the next album and put through a processor. Long careers is what they are set for.
A lot great music out there right now, but if anyone thinks Sturgill has hit the peak and now is a label man….god bless you, cause you are grossly wrong.
February 14, 2017 @ 11:54 pm
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Sturgill’s best days are still in the offing. His next album very well might be his masterpiece.
February 22, 2017 @ 8:26 am
Congrats to Sturgill.But I was pulling for Loretta!
I do add though.I agree with the person who said this should be a wake up call to Country Radio.Aside from Sturgill winning,the fact that both he & Loretta was nominated for a grammy says a lot.Not to mention,people are still purchasing their CD’s,going to their concerts,etc.
Also,while my favorite Loretta did not win,she at least got a grammy nomination,so,speaking for myself,I’m happy about that.(That’s better than no nomination at all).And,to a point,it proves the Grammys recgoinze the legends far more than the CMA’s & ACM’s do 99.9 percent of the time.
Keep in mind,even George Jones got a grammy nomination with his CD “Hits I Missed and one I didn’t”.While the CD did not win,just the fact that he got a nomination before his passing proves,at least the Grammys recognize the legends far more than the CMA’s,ACM’s,etc.