Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
UPDATED
This week’s top 3 scores:
14/14 – Andrea, Erik North
12/14 – Matt B.
11/14 – pselby, J.R. Journey, Aaron, BLL, CMW
…And finally, the total rankings for this month. It was a very close showdown, and you should all be very proud of your showings. That said, please join me in congratulating our very first prize-winner:
Monday, January 19th, 2009
Updated for 2009
While the Grammys have honored country music from the very first ceremony in 1959, they did not begin honoring by gender until 1965, when the country categories were expanded along with the other genre categories. This year, the 45th trophy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance will be awarded.
In a continuation of our Grammy Flashback series, here is a rundown of the Best Country Vocal Performance, Male category. It was first awarded in 1965, and included singles competing with albums until the Best Country Album category was added in 1995. When an album is nominated, it is in italics, and a single track is in quotation marks.
As usual, we start with a look at this year’s nominees and work our way back. Be sure to vote in My Kind of Country’s Best Male Country Vocal Performance poll and let your preference for this year’s race be known!
2009
As with the album race, this year’s contenders for Best Male Country Vocal Performance are a combination of unrecognized veterans and promising newcomers. In fact, none of this year’s nominees have won in this category, and only one of them – Brad Paisley – has a Grammy at all.
First, the veterans. Paisley has numerous ACM and CMA victories to his credit, including two each for Male Vocalist. Although he’s been nominated for this award twice before, this is the first time he’s contended with a cut that can’t be dismissed as a novelty number. The touching self-penned “Letter to Me” is his best shot yet at taking this home.
Trace Adkins has been at this a bit longer than Paisley, but this is his first Grammy nomination. His crossover exposure from Celebrity Apprentice might help him out here, along with the fact that the song was considered strong enough by voters to earn a nomination of its own.
But the real veteran to watch out for is George Strait. After being nominated only twice for this category in the first 25 years of his career, voters have now given him three consecutive nominations. This is one of four nods he’s earned for the 2009 ceremony, and “Troubadour” is essentially the story of his epic career distilled into a radio-length song. It would be the perfect way to honor the man and his music in one fell swoop.
However, there’s a newcomer that might be a Grammy favorite already. We just haven’t found out yet. Not James Otto, of course, who is nominated for his charming romantic romp “Just Got Started Lovin’ You”, but rather, Jamey Johnson. The recent Nashville Scene critics’ poll further confirmed the depth of his support among tastemakers, and his nominations for Best Country Song and Best Country Album indicate that he’s very much on the academy’s radar. It helps that he has the most substantial track of the five, and it’s the obvious choice for traditionalists, who have little reason to split their votes in this category. If voters aren’t considering legacy when making their selections, he has a great shot at this.
2008
The often offbeat Grammy voters have been surprisingly mainstream in this category for the past three years, a trend best exemplified by this lineup, which was the first in more than a decade to feature only top ten radio hits. Tim McGraw and Keith Urban were the only two who had won this before, and it was Urban who emerged victorious. ”Stupid Boy” was a highlight of his fourth studio album, and this was the only major award that the impressive collection would win.
2007
Vince Gill returned to win in this category for a ninth time with “The Reason Why.” Not only is he, by far, the most honored artist in this category, his wins here account for nine of the nineteen Grammys currently on his mantle.
2006
Urban’s biggest and probably best hit launched his second album to triple platinum and established him as a crossover artist. He gave a killer performance of the song on the show. Toby Keith was a first-time nominee here, and while he publicly groused that the Grammys put too little emphasis on commercial success in picking their nominations, he lost to the only track that was a bigger hit than his own.
Category Grammys
Tags: Aaron Neville, Alan Jackson, Ben Colder, Billy Dean, Billy Gilman, Bob DiPiero, Bobby Bare, Bobby Lewis, Brad Paisley, Buck Owens, Carl Belew, Charley Pride, Charlie Rich, Cheryl Wheeler, Clay Hart, Clint Black, Dan Seals, David Ball, David Houston, Delbert McClinton, Dierks Bentley, Doug Stone, Dwight Yoakam, Earl Thomas Conley, Eddie Rabbitt, Eddy Arnold, Elvis Presley, Faith Hill, Freddie Hart, Freddy Fender, Garth Brooks, George Burns, George Hamilton IV, George Jones, George Strait, Glen Campbell, Hank Locklin, Hank Williams Jr., Henson Cargill, Jack Greene, James Otto, Jamey Johnson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jerry Reed, Jim Ed Brown, Jim Reeves, Joe Nichols, John Anderson, John Berry, John Denver, John Michael Montgomery, Johnny Cash, Johnny Lee, Johnny Paycheck, Johnny Russell, Josh Turner, Junior Brown, Keith Urban, Keith Whitley, Kenny Rogers, Kris Kristofferson, Larry Gatlin, Lee Greenwood, Lyle Lovett, Mac Davis, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mel McDaniel, Merle Haggard, Pat Green, Patty Loveless, Porter Wagoner, Ralph Stanley, Randy Travis, Ray Benson, Ray Charles, Ray Price, Rick Rubin, Ricky Skaggs, Rodney Crowell, Roger Miller, Ronnie Milsap, Roy Clark, Ryan Adams, Sammi Smith, Sonny James, Steve Earle, Steve Wariner, Tammy Wynette, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Tom T. Hall, Trace Adkins, Travis Tritt, Vern Gosdin, Vince Gill, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson
Sunday, November 9th, 2008
2009
Among the nominees for this newcomer award are a previous winner of the CMA for Song of the Year (Jamey Johnson) and the lead singer from the band that won the Best New Artist Grammy in 1996 (Darius Rucker.)
2008
The industry favorites Lady Antebellum became the fourth band in history to win this award, following Rascal Flatts, Dixie Chicks and Sawyer Brown.
2007
In the year since winning the Horizon Award, Swift has solidified her position as the genre’s most successful rising star. While her debut album hasn’t reached the sales heights of the first discs by previous winners Carire Underwood and Gretchen Wilson, Swift is still one of the genre’s only significant sellers.
2006
I had a sneaking suspicion that Josh Turner was going to take this home, but as I’ve said before, Carrie’s got the best pipes since Trisha Yearwood. That she’ was acknowledged for that at such an early stage of her career is pretty amazing. Somehow I think the thrill of winning Horizon was short-lived, as winning Female Vocalist the same night left that memory in the dust.
2005
Four of these five were nominees again the following year, and all in categories besides just Horizon, though Lambert got another shot at that as well. I think Big & Rich and Sugarland are making the most interesting music, and they’re moving more units than Bentley, though he’s no slouch himself. The CMA showed good judgment this year.
Category CMA Awards
Tags: Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Big & Rich, Billy Dean, Blake Shelton, Boxcar Willie, Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, Bryan White, Buddy Jewel, Caroline Dawn Johnson, Carrie Underwod, Chely Wright, Clint Black, Dan Seals, Darryl Worley, David Ball, David Frizell, Deana Carter, Deborah Allen, Desert Rose Band, Dierks Bentley, Dixie Chicks, Doug Stone, Dwight Yoakam, Earl Thomas Conley, Eddy Raven, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Gary Allan, George Strait, Gretchen Wilson, Highway 101, Holly Dunn, James Otto, Jamie O’Neal, Jason Aldean, Jessica Andrews, Jo Dee Messina, Joe Nichols, John Anderson, John Berry, John Michael Montgomery, John Schneider, Josh Turner, Julie Roberts, K.T. Oslin, Kathy Mattea, Keith Urban, Keith Whitley, Kellie Pickler, Kenny Chesney, Kentucky Headhunters, Lady Antebellum, LeAnn Rimes, Lee Ann Womack, Lee Greenwood, Lee Roy Parnell, Little Big Town, Lorrie Morgan, Mark Chesnutt, Martina McBride, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mel McDaniel, Michael Martin Murphey, Michael Peterson, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Nickel Creek, Pam Tillis, Patty Loveless, Phil Vassar, Randy Travis, Rascal Flatts, Ray Charles, Reba McEntire, Restless Heart, Ricky Skaggs, Ricky Van Shelton, Rodney Atkins, Rosanne Cash, Sammy Kershaw, Sara Evans, Sawyer Brown, Shania Twain, SHeDaisy, Shelly West, Shenandoah, Sugarland, Suzy Boggus, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, T. Graham Brown, T.G. Sheppard, Taylor Swift, Terri Clark, Terri Gibbs, The Forrester Sisters, The Judds, The O’Kanes, The Whites, The Wilkinsons, Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins, Tracy Lawrence, Travis Tritt, Trisha Yearwood, Vern Gosdin, Wade Hayes
on Carrie Underwood and Female Country Artists: A Historical Perspective
on Single Review: Gwyneth Paltrow, “Country Strong”
on Single Review: Gwyneth Paltrow, “Country Strong” on Single Review: Gwyneth Paltrow, “Country Strong”
on Carrie Underwood and Female Country Artists: A Historical Perspective
on Single Review: Gwyneth Paltrow, “Country Strong”