The 2016 Grammy Awards Complete Preview
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THE 58th ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS
” When: 7 PM Central, 8 PM Eastern, 5 PM Pacific on CBS.
” Where: The Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA.
” Host: LL Cool J
” Pre-Telecast: Streaming at Grammy.com. Starts at 3 PM Eastern.
EARLY WINNERS*
- Best Americana Album – Jason Isbell for Something More Than Free
- Best American Roots Song – Jason Isbell for “24 Frames”
- Best American Roots Performance – Mavis Staples for “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean”
- Best Bluegrass Album – The SteelDrivers for The Muscle Shoals Recordings
- Best Folk Album РB̩la Fleck & Abigail Washburn, self-titled
- Best Country Solo Performance – Chris Stpleton for “Traveller”
- Best Country Duo/Group Performance – Little Big Town for “Girl Crush”
- Best Country Song – Songwriters of “Girl Crush” Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, and Lori McKenna
- Alabama Shakes won for Best Rock Song “Don’t Wanna Fight”
- Buddy Guy also won for Best Blues Album with Born to Play Guitar
THINGS TO WATCH FOR
” More country than in previous years. Though this is not necessarily reflected in the performances, the general consensus is the Grammy Awards this year could be a big night for country music. With Chris Stapleton up for Album of the Year, Little Big Town up for Song of the Year, and other high-profile and important nominations, this is one of the few years country music could come out on top.
” Chris Stapleton up for Album of the Year. For country fans, this will be the biggest intrigue of the night. If Stapleton walks away with the biggest prize, it could meaning the launching of a bona fide superstar. And even if Stapleton doesn’t win, his name recognition will soar simply from the opportunity. The frontrunners are considered Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift. But after Stapleton’s meteoric rise after the CMA Awards in November, he has to be considered a serious candidate, especially since his rise occurred when voters were filling out their ballots. Or, Stapleton could potentially be the dark horse as votes get split between Swift and Lamar, similar to how Beck walked away with the top prize last year.
” Sam Hunt up for Best New Artist. Similarly to how a win for Album of the Year for Stapleton could cement his soaring stature in music, a win by Sam Hunt could do the same for the country/not country star. He faces stiff competition.
” Pre-telecast awards. The majority of the awards that will be of most interest to many traditional and independent country fans will happen in the pre-telecast. This is when the Americana, roots, bluegrass, blues, and many of the song awards for country will be handed out. Stay tuned to Saving Country Music through social network on this preview, and the LIVE blog as we fill you in on the winners. Usually the last award of the pre-telecast is for Producer of the Year, which Dave Cobb is up for.
THE COUNTRY(ish) PERFORMANCES
” Chris Stapleton will perform in a tribute to B.B. King with Gary Clark Jr. and Bonnie Raitt.
” Little Big Town will likely perform “Girl Crush,” which is up for two awards, including Song of the Year.
” Carrie Underwood and Sam Hunt will perform a duet.
” Luke Bryan will sing with John Legend, Demi Lovato, and Meghan Trainor in a tribute to Lionel Richie.
” Surviving Eagles Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, Timothy B. Schmit, and Joe Walsh, along with Jackson Browne, will perform a tribute to Glen Frey.
” Alabama Shakes will also perform.
OTHER GRAMMY PERFORMERS
” Taylor Swift will open the presentation
” Adele
” Joey Alexander
” James Bay and Tori Kelly
” Justin Bieber and Jack Ãœ (Diplo and Skrillex)
” Andra Day and Ellie Goulding
” “Hamilton” Broadway cast
” Hollywood Vampires (Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Joe Perry)
” Lady Gaga will pay tribute to David Bowie
” Kendrick Lamar
” Miguel
” Pitbull, Travis Barker and Robin Thicke
” Rihanna
” The Weeknd
THE PRESENTERS
Cam is the only country presenter.
Other presenters include Stephen Colbert, Common, James Corden, Kaley Cuoco, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Ice Cube, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Anna Kendrick, Seth MacFarlane, Ryan Seacrest, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, and Earth Wind & Fire will honor member Maurice White by presenting the Grammy for Album of the Year.
COUNTRY / AMERICANA / ROOTS AWARDS NOMINEES
Read Saving Country Music’s Observations and Predictions on Nominees
(First four categories will be part of televised broadcast. The others will be handed out pre-telecast.)
Album of the Year
- Sound & Color Alabama Shakes
- To Pimp A Butterfly Kendrick Lamar
- Traveller Chris Stapleton
- 1989 Taylor Swift
- Beauty Behind The Madness The Weeknd
Song of the Year
- “Alright” Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
- “Blank Space” Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
- “Girl Crush” Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Little Big Town)
- “See You Again” Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth & Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth)
- “Thinking Out Loud” Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge, songwriters (Ed Sheeran)
Best New Artist
- Courtney Barnett
- James Bay
- Sam Hunt
- Tori Kelly
- Meghan Trainor
Best Country Album
- Montevallo Sam Hunt
- Pain Killer Little Big Town
- The Blade Ashley Monroe
- Pageant Material Kacey Musgraves
- Traveller Chris Stapleton
Best Country Song
- “Chances Are” Lee Ann Womack, writer Hayes Carll
- “Diamond Rings and Old Barstools” Tim McGraw, Barry Dean, Luke Laird & Jonathan Singleton, songwriters
- “Girl Crush” Little Big Town, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters
- “Hold My Hand” Brandy Clark, Brandy Clark & Mark Stephen Jones songwriters
- “Traveller” Chris Stapleton, Chris Stapleton songwriter
Best Americana Album
- The Firewatcher’s Daughter Brandi Carlile
- The Traveling Kind Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
- Something More Than Free Jason Isbell
- Mono The Mavericks
- The Phosphorescent Blues Punch Brothers
Best Country Solo Performance
- Lee Ann Womack “Chances Are”
- Cam “Burning House”
- Chris Stapleton “Traveller”
- Carrie Underwood “Little Toy Guns”
- Keith Urban ” John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”³
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
- Brothers Osborne “Stay A Little Longer”
- Joey + Rory “If I Needed You”
- Charles Kelley (with Eric Paslay & Dierks Bentley)- “The Driver”
- Little Big Town “Girl Crush”
- Blake Shelton with Ashley Monroe “Lonely Tonight”
Best American Roots Performance
- “And Am I Born To Die” Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
- “Born To Play Guitar” Buddy Guy
- “City Of Our Lady” The Milk Carton Kids
- “Julep” Punch Brothers
- “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” Mavis Staples
Best American Roots Song
- “All Night Long” The Mavericks Raul Malo, songwriter (The Mavericks)
- “The Cost Of Living” Don Henley & Merle Haggard Don Henley & Stan Lynch, songwriters
- “Julep” Punch Brothers Chris Eldridge, Paul Kowert, Noam Pikelny, Chris Thile & Gabe Witcher, songwriters
- “The Traveling Kind” Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell Cory Chisel, Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris, songwriters (Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell)
- “24 Frames” Jason Isbell Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)
Best Bluegrass Album
- Pocket Full Of Keys Dale Ann Bradley
- Before The Sun Goes Down Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
- In Session Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
- Man Of Constant Sorrow Ralph Stanley & Friends
- The Muscle Shoals Recordings The Steeldrivers
Best Folk Album
- Wood, Wire & Words Norman Blake
- Béla Fleck And Abigail Washburn Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
- Tomorrow Is My Turn Rhiannon Giddens
- Servant Of Love Patty Griffin
- Didn’t He Ramble Glen Hansard
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Dave Cobb is nominated in this category for: Delilah (Anderson East), Little Neon Limelight (Houndmouth) Smoke (A Thousand Horses) Something More Than Free (Jason Isbell), Southernality (A Thousand Horses), 3 (Honeyhoney), Traveller (Chris Stapleton)
February 15, 2016 @ 8:50 am
Ohhh I â¤â¤â¤Bonnie Rait! She and Stapleton should be a great match up!
February 15, 2016 @ 9:00 am
Also glad to see that Kanye isn’t performing. Security needs to keep a close eye on that crazy bastard tonight if he attends. He’s seriously about one rant away from climbing the bell tower and taking people out. If I was Taylor Swift, I would have a taser in my purse tonight for sure.
February 15, 2016 @ 9:08 am
What, no Don Felder? Bwahahahaha.
Chris Richards, that eminent wit who is a pop music writer for the Washington Post, recently referred to Stapleton as the “Nashville approved country beardie.” Nice.
The B.B King tribute sounds promising. Glad they’re having such a thing, too.
February 15, 2016 @ 9:16 am
WHY does Luke Bryan have to demonstrate that he has no singing voice standing next to a Legend like Lionel Richie? I guess the only time in his career so far he’s been invited to the Grammy awards is this year? Hopefully this is about as close as he comes to Ever gracing the GRAMMY awards stage.
Luke Bryan paying tribute to one of the Legends of Popular music…..Why? I will be watching for all the other performers for this tribute to Lionel Richie.
February 15, 2016 @ 9:50 am
I read this right after I read the Vince Gill review, so I read this thinking about the ties he has to so many of the other artists, from producing Ashley Monroe’s nominated album to including guest appearances by Cam and Little Big Town on his own new album. Vince Gill has apparently won the most Grammy awards over the years among country male artists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_records
For the bluegrass category, it’s worth noting that Dr. Ralph Stanley turns 89 this month.
February 15, 2016 @ 10:41 am
I really hope Joey + Rory win the grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
For Best Country Album – it has to be either Kacey, Chris or Ashley to win that award.
I would really like to see Lee Ann Womack (Chances Are) win Best Country Solo Performance.
February 15, 2016 @ 10:43 am
The Best Regional Roots Music Album also has a great band worth watching: https://www.grammy.com/nominees
The Revelers are a great freaking band from Louisiana http://revelersband.com/ with Louisiana music in both English and French.
February 15, 2016 @ 11:15 am
Okay, that’s a new one to me. At first listen, I’m reminded a bit of the great Jo-El Sonnier.
February 15, 2016 @ 12:39 pm
There’s a lot of good music coming out of the scene around Lafayette. Bands like Pine Leaf Boys, Lost Bayou Ramblers, The Revelers, Bonsoir Catin are all awesome. In fact, lately, when I want some good music I can two step and waltz to I’m more likely to but on some Cajun music, even though I can’t understand a word, than anything else.
February 15, 2016 @ 1:35 pm
Thanks for some more bands to check out. When my brother moved to Texas, I started listening to some of the Spanish-language stations, even though I can’t understand the words. I remember being surprised when I heard “Mi Cucu,” because I recognized the tune from the Louisiana zydeco song “My Toot Toot.”
February 15, 2016 @ 11:07 am
Considering I haven’t watched a Grammy broadcast since the mid 90s, I’m quite surprised to admit that I’ll actually be watching this one. Looking forward to the Eagles and BB King tributes in particular.
February 15, 2016 @ 12:54 pm
Why is Lionel Ritchie getting a tribute?
February 15, 2016 @ 2:09 pm
It’s for an organization called Musicares. Lionel Richie is being honored for his dedication to the music industry. EVERY year this award is handed out. This Organization was started by Daivd Crosby. David Crosby was a member of the 60’s rock group Crosby,Stills and Nash. Later In the 70’s Neil Young would join the group.
February 15, 2016 @ 2:13 pm
Right? Didn’t he have a whole tribute show not to long ago? I seem to remember some sort of TV special with his daughters there and people singing his songs… I don’t know. I would enjoy seeing Luke Bryan singing Dancing On The Ceiling though, just for shits and giggles.
February 20, 2016 @ 11:22 am
He’s one of the most prolific singer/songwriters in pop/soul history, even if that fact is lost on some here. Well beyond ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’, he’s written & composed some of the best ballads in History, solo & while with iconic band, The Commodores. Feel free to Google this at any time to confirm….
February 15, 2016 @ 2:09 pm
Pretty sure I heard LL Cool J say that a surprise big performance was happening at the end. Wonder what it is
February 15, 2016 @ 3:13 pm
August Burns Red deserves Best Metal…. Wait wrong place, whoops.
February 15, 2016 @ 4:22 pm
I’m hoping for Ashley Monroe or Kacey Musgraves to win country album of the year, but I expect that Chris Stapleton will win this.
I’m also pulling for Brandy Clark for country song of the year.
February 15, 2016 @ 5:08 pm
Sam Hunt, being interviewed by Guiliana Rancic for E tv just caught himself from saying “I didn’t have the abil(ity) when speaking about how he got into music. Too funny.
February 15, 2016 @ 6:51 pm
Sorry even Lionel Richie doesnt deserve the Full Bryan treatment.
February 20, 2016 @ 11:28 am
If you’re familiar with Lionel’s history of masterful songwriting (ballads in particular), solo and while performing with iconic band, The Commodores, you’d know that he didn’t deserve any of the mediocre performers who were oddly asked to pay tribute to him. Tyrese has a beautiful voice but “Brickhouse” wasn’t the song to showcase it…