The 2017 Grammy Awards Complete Preview

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Make sure to join Saving Country Music for the Grammy Awards LIVE blog.

THE 59th ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

• When: 7 PM Central, 8 PM Eastern, 5 PM Pacific on CBS.

• Where: The Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA.

• Host: James Corden

• Pre-Telecast: Streaming at Grammy.com. Starts at 3 PM Eastern.

EARLY WINNERS*

  • Best Country Album – Sturgill Simpson’s “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth”
  • Best Country Song – Lori McKenna – “Humble & Kind”
  • Best Folk Album – Sarah Jarosz — Undercurrent
  • Best Bluegrass Album – O’Connor Band With Mark O’Connor – “Coming Home”
  • Best Americana Album – William Bell – “This Is Where I Live”
  • Best American Roots Song – Vince Gill and the Time Jumpers – “Kid Sister”
  • Best American Roots Performance – Sarah Jarosz  – “House of Mercy”
  • Best Roots Gospel Album – Joey + Rory – “Hymns”

 

THINGS TO WATCH FOR

• Sturgill Simpson is up for two major awards, and will also have one of only eight solo performance slots on the entire night. He will perform backed up by the famous horn section The Dap-Kings. Sturgill has to be considered the front runner for Best Country Album since he is also up for the all-genre Album of the Year, but nothing is assured. Simpson is considered a long shot for Album of the Year, but with Adele and Beyoncé going head to head for the trophy and siphoning off votes from each other, it could be a year where the dark horse emerges.

• Adele vs. Beyoncé will be the biggest narrative on the night for non Sturgill Simpson fans. Which one will walk away with Album of the Year? If it is anybody but Beyoncé, expect incredible public outcry from the Beyhive, and its sycophants and surrogates in the media. If it’s Adele, there will at least be some understanding since her album 25 performed so well commercially. But if Sturgill Simpson wins, expect the outcry to be deafening. Drake and Justin Bieber don’t have a chance. It’s likely Beyoncé, possibly Adele, and only Sturgill if those two cancel each other out.

• Politics could play a big role in the 2017 Grammy Awards, and will likely put Beyoncé over the top for Album of the Year. Also expect to hear many political statements in acceptance speeches, and politics to play a part of certain performances.

• Maren Morris vs. Kelsea Ballerini for New Artist of the Year also makes for an interesting narrative. To have two country artists, and two females up for the award in the same year is pretty remarkable. If one or the other wins, it could put either right at the top of the list of who the next big female country star could be. But there are also three other nominees. The critical weight is definitely behind Maren Morris, but the commercial monster that is the Chainsmokers will make them hard to beat.

THE COUNTRY(ish) PERFORMANCES

  • Sturgill Simpson (with The Dap-Kings)
  • Kelsea Ballerini
  • Maren Morris with Alicia Keys
  • Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban (likely doing their duet “The Fighter”)
  • William Bell (nominated in Americana) and Gary Clark Jr.

OTHER GRAMMY PERFORMERS

  • Adele
  • Chance The Rapper
  • Lady Gaga and Metallica
  • Lukas Graham
  • Bruno Mars
  • Anderson .Paak and A Tribe Called Quest
  • Katy Perry (performing her new song “Chained to the Rhythm”)
  • The Weeknd with Daft Punk
  • Little Big Town, Demi Lovato, Andra Day, and Tori Kelly doing the music of the Bee Gees for the 40th Anniversary of Saturday Night Fever
  • Cynthia Erivo and John Legend in an In Memoriam tribute performance

THE PRESENTERS

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and Thomas Rhett are the only country presenters.

Other presenters include Camila Cabello, The Chainsmokers, Kelly Clarkson, Laverne Cox, Jason Derulo, Celine Dion, DNCE, Halsey, Taraji P. Henson, Paris Jackson, Nick Jonas, Jennifer Lopez, Katherine McPhee, Pentatonix, Gina Rodriguez, Ryan Seacrest, Snoop Dogg, and John Travolta.

 

COUNTRY / AMERICANA / ROOTS AWARDS NOMINEES

Album Of The Year:

25 — Adele
Lemonade — Beyoncé
Purpose — Justin Bieber
Views — Drake
A Sailor’s Guide To Earth — Sturgill Simpson

Best Country Album:

Big Day In A Small Town — Brandy Clark
Full Circle — Loretta Lynn
Hero — Maren Morris
A Sailor’s Guide To Earth — Sturgill Simpson
Ripcord — Keith Urban

Best New Artist:

Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Chance The Rapper
Maren Morris
Anderson .Paak

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

Cinema — Andrea Bocelli
Fallen Angels — Bob Dylan
Stages Live — Josh Groban
Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin — Willie Nelson
Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway

Best Country Solo Performance:

“Love Can Go To Hell” — Brandy Clark
“Vice” — Miranda Lambert
“My Church” — Maren Morris
“Church Bells” — Carrie Underwood
“Blue Ain’t Your Color” — Keith Urban

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

“Different For Girls” — Dierks Bentley Featuring Elle King
“21 Summer” — Brothers Osborne
“Setting The World On Fire” — Kenny Chesney & P!nk
“Jolene” — Pentatonix Featuring Dolly Parton
“Think Of You” — Chris Young With Cassadee Pope

Best Country Song:

“Blue Ain’t Your Color” — Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey & Steven Lee Olsen, songwriters (Keith Urban)
“Die A Happy Man” — Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett & Joe Spargur, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)
“Humble And Kind” — Lori McKenna, songwriter (Tim McGraw)
“My Church” — busbee & Maren Morris, songwriters (Maren Morris)
“Vice” — Miranda Lambert, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

Best Americana Roots Performance:

“Ain’t No Man” — The Avett Brothers
“Mother’s Children Have A Hard Time” — Blind Boys Of Alabama
“Factory Girl” — Rhiannon Giddens
“House Of Mercy” — Sarah Jarosz
“Wreck You” — Lori McKenna

Best American Roots Song:

“Alabama At Night” — Robbie Fulks
“City Lights” — Jack White
“Gulfstream” — Roddie Romero And The Hub City All-Stars
“Kid Sister” — The Time Jumpers
“Wreck You” — Lori McKenna

Best Americana Album:

True Sadness — The Avett Brothers
This Is Where I Live — William Bell
The Cedar Creek Sessions — Kris Kristofferson
The Bird & The Rifle — Lori McKenna
Kid Sister — The Time Jumpers

Best Bluegrass Album:

Original Traditional — Blue Highway
Burden Bearer — Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
The Hazel And Alice Sessions — Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands
North By South — Claire Lynch
Coming Home — O’Connor Band With Mark O’Connor

Best Folk Album:

Judy Collins & Ari Hest — Silver Skies Blue
Robbie Fulks — Upland Stories
Rhiannon Giddens — Factory Girl
Sierra Hull — Weighted Mind
Sarah Jarosz — Undercurrent

Best Music Film:

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead — Steve Aoki
The Beatles: Eight Days A Week The Touring Years — (The Beatles)
Lemonade — Beyoncé
The Music Of Strangers — Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
American Saturday Night: Live From The Grand Ole Opry — (Various Artists)

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