The 2015 Grammy Awards will be a big one for country music, and for some very deserving stars. Not every year are the biggest categories of the night—Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist—relevant to country. But this year, country artists make in into all three categories, including a huge nod for Chris Stapleton for Album of the Year.
Bob Dylan is pretty notorious for not speaking publicly very often, either in speeches or to the press. But after being honored at a Grammy Awards’ MusiCares event a week ago, and the impending melee that resulted from the 30-minute speech in which he specifically criticized Merle Haggard and Tom T. Hall among others, Dylan was forced into another public disposition with Rolling Stone on Friday.
Why do the Grammy Awards matter? Well even if you don’t win anything, the exposure as a performer is just about priceless for those that get the opportunity. Brandy Clark was up for Best Country Album for her ’12 Stories’ release, and Best New Artist, and walked away with neither. But her performance with Dwight Yoakam on her song “Hold My Hand” landed Brandy the largest single percentage gain in song sales.
Taylor Swift right now is at that same juncture as your favorite little company that has grown so big their founding philosophy begins to flounder, and they start to alienate the same customers and principles that got them to where they are. The problem with money is that you can always have more of it, and for many, the more money they have, apparently the more they think they need.
Welcome ladies and gentlemen as we join together as disenfranchised music fans to commiserate, contemplate, and at times downright mock the spectacle that will transpire in front of our very eyes at the 57th Grammy Awards, while not completely dismissing the idea of giving credit when something of merit occurs, or recognizing someone worthy of recognition when they actually get recognized.
All you need to know about the 2015 Grammy Awards. Despite the country genre rising to become arguably the biggest genre in popular music right now, there’s just not a whole lot of country to be featured on the show this year. This year’s country performance slots are cut in half, with the only collaboration being between Brandy Clark and Dwight Yoakam.
In the windup to Sunday night’s Grammy Awards presentation, Bob Dylan was the honoree at a Friday evening event (2-6) naming him the 2015 MusiCares Person of the Year. During Dylan’s 30-minute acceptance speech, he laid out much praise for his fellow songwriters, while unceremoniously lashing out at others, including Tom T. Hall and Merle Haggard. Merle has since responded.
Within the new rules is the establishment of only one new category for the 2015 awards, but it is one that will benefit many of America’s roots musicians. An award for “Best American Roots Performance in the American Roots Music Field” will be handed out for the first time in 2015, and both the nominees and winner will enjoy the distinction of being recognized….
A long-planned, and even longer-rumored album and grouping of Willie, Merle, and Kris called “The Musketeers” has been in the works for years. Saving Country Music first reported on the potential supergroup in January of 2011 when the three men were assembled as part of Merle Haggard’s recognition by the Kennedy Center Honors. We’re working on one now,” says Willie Nelson.
Kacey Musgraves was the big winner of the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, but her success does not exist in a bubble. You put this next to George Strait’s win for Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards in November, and so many of the other positive signs for country music that have been transpiring recently, and you begin to understand that things are changing.
Unfortunately for Taylor Swift, she didn’t walk away with any hardware at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards held on Sunday night (1-26) in Los Angeles, but for the night’s top prize, the coveted Best Album award, Taylor Swift was very, very close. So close in fact when the award winner was announced, it had Taylor Swift and her entourage leaping out of their shorts.
Here we are once again ladies and gentlemen, joined together as disenfranchised music fans to commiserate, contemplate, and at times, downright mock the spectacle that will transpire in front of our very eyes at the 56th Grammy Awards. So instead of hard cussing our televisions all alone, let’s unite together and let our voices be one in dissent in another LIVE blog.
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards transpire tonight at 7 PM Central, 8 PM Eastern, 5 PM Pacific on CBS. This is your rundown for things to watch for, the country performances and collaborations, a rundown of the nominees and my picks and prognostications.
If you want to find some snark and sarcasm from the 2012 Grammy Awards, you should check out the official Saving Country Live Blog from last night. Yes, Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj supplied some gag reflex moments, but there was also a lot of substance and lessons to be taken from the night’s festivities. Here are the top three things I learned.