THE 66TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS PREMIERE CEREMONY® WILL BE HOSTED BY ACCLAIMED SONGWRITER/PRODUCER, ACTIVIST AND CURRENT GRAMMY® NOMINEE JUSTIN TRANTER ON SUN, FEB. 4 AT PEACOCK THEATER
PATTI AUSTIN, JIMMY JAM, NATALIA LAFOURCADE, CARLY PEARCE, MOLLY TUTTLE, RUFUS WAINWRIGHT TO PRESENT; ADAM BLACKSTONE, BRANDY CLARK, KIRK FRANKLIN, ROBERT GLASPER, BOB JAMES, LAUFEY, TERRACE MARTIN, HARVEY MASON SR., AND GABY MORENO TO PERFORM; OPENING NUMBER BY J. IVY, LARKIN POE, PENTATONIX, SHEILA E., AND JORDIN SPARKS
Acclaimed songwriter/producer, activist and current GRAMMY® nominee, Justin Tranter will host the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony®, live from Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Kicking off the ceremony, the opening number will feature a performance by J. Ivy, Larkin Poe, Pentatonix, Sheila E., and Jordin Sparks. Other artists scheduled to perform include current nominees Adam Blackstone, Brandy Clark, Kirk Franklin, Robert Glasper, Bob James, Laufey, Terrace Martin, and Gaby Moreno, as well as GRAMMY-nominated recording artist/drummer Harvey Mason Sr. Presenters for the first GRAMMY Awards® of the day include Patti Austin, Natalia Lafourcade, Carly Pearce, Molly Tuttle, Rufus Wainwright, and five-time GRAMMY winner and former Recording Academy® Board of Trustees Chair Jimmy Jam. Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. and Chair of the Board of Trustees Tammy Hurt will provide opening remarks. The 66th GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony will stream live on Sun, Feb. 4, at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on live.GRAMMY.com. City National Bank, the Official Bank of the GRAMMY Awards, is returning for its second year as the presenting sponsor of the Premiere Ceremony.
“The Premiere Ceremony is the most incredible lead-up to Music’s Biggest Night®.,”“With an amazing line-up of presenters and performers, we’ll reveal and celebrate the winners of more than 80 Categories, spanning the diverse genres and crafts that have contributed to such a spectacular year in music.” – Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy.
Most of the Premiere Ceremony performers, presenters and host are current 66th GRAMMY® nominees. Austin is nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album (For Ella 2 Featuring Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band); Blackstone is nominated for Best Jazz Performance (“Vulnerable (Live)” Featuring The Baylor Project & Russell Ferranté) and Best Jazz Instrumental Album (Legacy: The Instrumental Jawn); Clark is nominated for Best Musical Theater Album (Shucked), Best Country Solo Performance (“Buried”), Best Country Song (“Buried”), Best Americana Performance (“Dear Insecurity” Featuring Brandi Carlile), Best American Roots Song (“Dear Insecurity” Featuring Brandi Carlile), and Best Americana Album (Brandy Clark); Franklin is nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song (“All Things”); Glasper is nominated for Best R&B Performance (“Back To Love” Featuring SiR & Alex Isley) and Best R&B Song (“Back To Love” Featuring SiR & Alex Isley); James is nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (Jazz Hands); J. Ivy is nominated for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album (The Light Inside); Lafourcade is nominated for Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album (De Todas Las Flores); Larkin Poe is nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album (Blood Harmony); Laufey is nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Bewitched); Martin is nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album (Nova with James Fauntleroy); Moreno is nominated for Best Latin Pop Album (X Mí (Vol.1)); Pearce is nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“We Don’t Fight Anymore” Featuring Chris Stapleton); Pentatonix is nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Holidays Around The World); Sparks is nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song (“Love Me Like I Am” with for KING & COUNTRY); Tranter is nominated for Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical; Tuttle is nominated for Best Bluegrass Album (City Of Gold with Golden Highway); Wainwright is nominated for Best Folk Album (Folkocracy).
The 66th GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony is produced by Branden Chapman, Ruby Marchand, Chantel Sausedo, and Rex Supa on behalf of the Recording Academy. Greg V. Fera is executive producer and Cheche Alara is music producer and music director.
The 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards® will broadcast live following the Premiere Ceremony on CBS Television Network and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT. See here for the full list of nominees at the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Learn more about how to watch the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
With an uptick in infections due to the surging Omicron variant of the Coronavirus, the Recording Academy and CBS have decided to postpone this year’s GRAMMY Awards ceremony. The GRAMMY’s aren’t the only first quarter casualty, the NFL could be looking for a new home for this year’s Super Bowl as numbers in Los Angeles continue to spike. While music and entertainment lovers await the announcement of a future date, re-visit this year’s nominees.
“After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy® and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards® Show. The health and safety of those in our music community, the live audience, and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly to produce our show remains our top priority. Given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, holding the show on January 31 simply contains too many risks. We look forward to celebrating Music’s Biggest Night® on a future date, which will be announced soon.”
If last week’s GRAMMY Award nominations are any indication for gospel music, it seems like gospel is gonna be just fine! Though the list featured some very familiar names, their albums and songs are every bit of deserving of the GRAMMY nod. If you’ve stayed up at night wondering about the future of gospel music, worry no more!
Millennials take the blame for so much these days. But according to the Recording Academy, they’re also due some credit for the success of gospel music, this year! The youngest nominee in the gospel category is 20 and the oldest is 47. Koryn Hawthorne is 20 (her birthday is December 26th, Jekalyn Carr is 21, Tori Kelly is 25, The Walls Group ages range from 21-28 and Jonathan McReynolds is 29. At 47 and 48 respectively, Brian Courtney Wilson and Kirk Franklin are the only non-Millenial/Generation Z artists nominated this year!
Jonathan McReynolds, Jekalyn Carr, Tori Kelly, Koryn Hawthorne and Brian Courtney Wilson populate this year’s field for Gospel Song of the Year. On the Album side, the list has one addition, The Walls Group. Millenials, dominate the gospel GRAMMY noms, y’all…!
The sound is reflective of their respective generations, too! Ask any child who Tori Kelly is and they may not know who you’re talking about until you start singing “Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing“. Earlier this year, Kelly shocked her fans when she announced her plans to release a gospel album. If you’re coming to gospel music, who better to hold the door open for you than Kirk Franklin?Kelly teamed up with Kirk Franklin who dug deep into his mixed bag of previously unrecorded hits to help finalize Kelly’s album that grew from its initial single: “Help Us to Love” ft. The Hamiltones. Their collaboration “Never Alone” and Kelly’s Christian/Gospel album “Hiding Place” is up for Best Gospel Song and Album. Kelly features Jonathan McReynolds on “Just As Sure” and Lecrae on “Masterpiece” but really shines on the soulful “Sunday” and “Psalm 42” a song I wouldn’t be surprised if it made an impact on the Christian (CCM) charts and radio.
Jonathan McReynolds’ “Cycles” and album “Make Room” are nominated in respective categories. McReynolds’ album is replete with songs for believers in what many consider the “tweener” stages of spiritual maturity. No one can truly put an age on spiritual maturity but, you know the stage in your spiritual life he’s singing about.
The devil, he learns from your mistakes-even if you don’t!
The eruption you hear from the crowd when McReynold’s sings that line is the collective revelation of the next line: “that’s how he keeps you in cycles…” A whole sermon in 15 seconds! Teaming with Doe Jones of Forever Jones, the two sermonized a life lesson set to life music as only McReynolds can. Songs like “Better“, “Graduate” and “Make Room” make you want to be a better believer! In fact, they play like a spiritual report card, if nothing else! In Dallas earlier this year, McReynolds intimated that he discovered his need for more grace in the process of writing this album! Whether you need grace or a jaunt toward spiritual maturity, “Make Room” challenges believers to do just that in their spiritual life, earning the album and single “Cycles” a GRAMMY nom this year.
She draws almost an immediate comparison to Pastor Shirley Caesar, but this past year, Evangelist Jekalyn Carr has turned the comparisons into mere recollections. She has come into her own as an artist, author and entrepreneur. She hasn’t even begun to evolve and though she’s been in the conversation for the better part of the last five years, she just recently turned 21. Also making a huge turn with her maturation and evolution is her musical output!
If you made it through Jekalyn Carr’s “It’s Yours” without at least tapping your foot, snapping your fingers or clapping your hands, you probably need a wellness check. Jekalyn Carr has delivered possibly her best album yet with “One Nation Under God”. Considering the current political climate, some listeners weren’t quite sure what to expect from Carr. Once the album dropped, all speculation went out the window!
“You Will Win” preceded her book release by the same name, “Stay With Me” and “It’s Yours” were sent to radio and inspired listeners everywhere. Though the radio singles performed well, the complete project is stellar and a step above “The Life Project” which netted a GRAMMY nomination for “You’re Bigger” (Gospel Performance/Song). Because recorded music now exists in a singles driven industry, many listeners are oblivious to the greatness on this album. “In This Atmosphere” features Donald Lawrence, “On the Cross” features Pastor Steve Hare of REACH Radio, “Never Alone” not only features a deep groove, it features Cachet Morganfield and Nariah Smith returns on “Gonna Be Great“. The Life Project featured a combined choir and they return on this album for: “We Are One“. Top to bottom, this album is a winner (see what I did, there?) so it’ll come as no surprise to see Carr win this award season!
Sometimes I watch too much television. Other times, I don’t even have the television on. My favorite drama on now is “Greenleaf“. A few seasons ago, I watched a performance of a song that I didn’t even remember until I met an artist who recorded the song! In an interview with Koryn Hawthorne, I immediately remembered hearing the song on the show! In an interview with Angela Jollivette, she spoke to us about the decision to insert “Won’t He Do It” and other gospel songs and artists into the season. The song burst onto the airwaves and has ridden the wave of popularity all the way to a performance on the Soul Train Music Awards and a 2018 GRAMMY nomination! Congratulations to Koryn, and her wonderful team at RCA Inspiration!
One unforgettable note about Koryn Hawthorne: when asked about her decision to sing gospel music following her time on “The Voice“, she made a decision to honor God with her voice if she was ever able to reach this stage of her music career! A decision worth celebrating!
You’re probably wondering how The Walls Group ended up in the 2018 GRAMMY Awards Best Gospel Album category, you’re not alone. You also probably haven’t listened to “The Other Side“. Don’t feel bad though, the group has been rather quiet since last November’s release. Rhea got married and had a baby, big bro Darrell is singing and writing all over the industry, the little brother and sister are growing (way) up and wait, there’s more Walls’???
The Other Side featured a variety of genres, brought together by the brilliant minds of the Walls’ and super-producer Warryn Campbell. The first single from the album: “My Life” was a straightforward anthem letting everybody know that the kids on the couch in the living were all grown up, now! Their song selection also changed. If you were expecting more fun, innocuous music from the Walls’, you ended up on the ‘other side’ of their intended audience. It’s fair to surmise that their new content has in a way displaced them from their initial dedication as a “novelty” group. The Walls Group is a group comprised of young adults, now! Songs like: “And You Don’t Stop” “Word” and “The Other Side“(a song about Heaven) show us just how mature this young group is. Listening to this album is the aural equivalent of growing pains. With growth comes maturity and with their vocal and maturity in life, The Walls Group has earned their latest GRAMMY nomination!
Alas…what more can be said about Brian Courtney Wilson’s “A Great Work“? His album is so good, that it inspired an entire ongoing series here at SMG: The Gospel Music Series. It changed the way I listen to gospel music and helped me understand that not all gospel music is for Sunday morning nor should it be judged by its Sunday morning-worthiness! The name says it all…it’s a great body of work! From the first track to the last, the album is his best to date! For those of you familiar with Wilson, you remember his last album was also GRAMMY nominated. He’s no stranger to GRAMMY nominations but this should be his year to win! Brian Courtney Wilson is a world class singer! For some reason this is overlooked in gospel music, today. Flat foot singing, he doesn’t have fireworks going off in the background, no dancers on the side of the stage, but he does dress well and sing in pure, sincere excellence!
In R&B, we’d call him a crooner! His smooth voice rarely ventures into a squall and his spiritual conviction mirrors his musical approach. “A Great Work” is an album for believers who as the Apostle Paul ‘know whom they have believed’ (2 Timothy 1:12). Wilson hasn’t shied away from addressing social ills, either. “Heal” was the first single from the album and confronts the current condition of our blood that ‘runs in the street‘. The song bemoans the state of our union and hopes that all generations can find a way to not only heal the current ills, but to live together in harmony.
As a settled soul, a song like “Noise” is the cure for life’s many questions. You may not have experienced it yet, but at a certain point in life, you will! When those questions come, they’ll challenge your conviction to the which you’ll need the confidence that God is doing ‘a great work’ in you. When all else fails, sing the scripture! That’s exactly what Wilson does and it’s phenomenal, as the second single and title track from the album, I’m certain you’ve the GRAMMY nominated song (Best Gospel Performance/Song). Wilson teamed up with Bishop Marvin Winans on “My Witness Is In Heaven“- doesn’t get much smoother in gospel than that…and not one to be behind the times, don’t miss the trap choir on “Increase My Faith“.
Perhaps my favorite song from Wilson’s album is: “Our Father Is Kind” a song he says was inspired by a conversation with Kirk Franklin. “Our father is kind” was Franklin’s answer to Wilson’s query for the success the artist, producer, composer and de facto face of gospel music. Franklin has remained busy since that conversation.
Last year, Franklin celebrated Wilson, Pastor Travis Greene and Jonathan McReynolds as the future of men gospel music. Franklin will once again face off with Wilson for GRAMMY consideration as producer, co-writer and featured artist with Tori Kelly and label executive (Fo Yo Soul) with The Walls Group. Kirk Franklin is again in the mix at GRAMMY time, but as suggested by the 2018 GRAMMY gospel categories, the kids are alright and the future of gospel music will be just fine!
I’ve been wrestling with this for a few years and I want some of you in the music industry to try and help me out, here. Maybe this isn’t the forum and direct to whichever/wherever it happens to be…Roots Gospel music is banjos and fiddles?!? The Recording Academy created the Roots Gospel category to: “provide a category for traditional Southern gospel and other “roots” gospel albums as both a protector of the heritage of this music and an acknowledgement of the growing interest and support of these genres.”
The parameters for nomination consideration are straight forward which easily explains why black traditional gospel artists have almost never been considered: For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional/roots gospel music, including country, Southern gospel, bluegrass, and Americana recordings.
The rub seems to be access to the music. If traditional black gospel music isn’t on the airwaves, most people don’t even know it’s available. But what about black quartets that travel and sell hard copies of their cd’s each weekend? Is it an accounting issue? Does the gospel community seem interested in helping artists thrive? Should artists expect more from GMWA and SAGMA or are they on their own?
Since its inception in 2015, past winners include: The Fairfield Four (a legendary black quartet), Joey + Rory and Reba McEntire. The gospel music community seems disinterested in the preservation of its roots in its quest to increase its foothold in the mainstream marketplace. Meanwhile, traditional artists not named Pastor Shirley Caesar or Bishop Rance Allen (two artists beloved artists) sometimes struggle to remain visible in this new industry. The sound of the church choir has also been replaced by smaller ensembles and “praise and worship” artists who sometimes change their sound and group composition in hopes of recording deals and radio airplay.
I’m not sure how the gospel community solves this problem. I can’t even guarantee that as a whole, the industry is concerned with engaging The Recording Academy about it or increasing awareness within the gospel community. In the meantime and for another year, the Roots Gospel Category is not reflective of its roots.
This year’s nominees in the Roots Gospel Category are:
• Unexpected Jason Crabb
• Clear Skies Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
• Favorites: Revisited By Request The Isaacs
• Still Standing The Martins
• Love Love Love Gordon Mote
Exactly which ‘roots’ are we talking about, here?!? I mean because Thomas A. Dorsey was a blues musician before he changed his tune to what is now known as gospel so, I have three questions:
1) Why is roots gospel being defined as roots, Americana and Southern Gospel which are not a form of gospel music. Those genres closely resemble country music. 2) Why don’t we see any black quartet/traditional gospel groups in the category? 3) Are the Blind Boys of Alabama the only black gospel quartet the Academy considers in this category? What are we missing?
It needs to be said, the GRAMMY Awards and the Recording Academy are not the Stellar Awards or SAGMA. They have very different criteria, respectively. However, are we at an impasse when we seek to define what roots gospel music is? Apparently, Roots gospel music is not traditional gospel music or “Quartet” music.
Isn’t “Roots Gospel Music” the kind of music, Melvin Williams has been recording the last few years and two albums?!? He’s got a whole documentary about it. But the banjos and fiddles are at it again in the ROOTS Gospel Category. Don’t use the excuse about “it’s on the artist and their team.” It is, but this is where the gospel industry continuously comes up short! Another instance of suburban sprawl…while the industry went chasing a ‘mainstream’ sound and discounted a real connection with listeners in the church, we don’t even have consideration in the most basic category, AGAIN!
GRAMMY season is officially upon us with the announcement of the 2018 nominees. This year’s category features some surprises and some well deserved recognition. The gospel category seems to always leave the category open to questioning for some, but for others a sobering reminder of the gulf that exists between the GRAMMYs, Billboard Awards and the Stellar Awards, respectively.
Gospel music is in the middle of an evolution. The doors are wide open as one sound is ushered out and another welcomed ‘home’. Gospel artists are making music that sounds like and appeals to church, once again. The 2018 GRAMMY gospel category is somewhat reflective of that with this year’s nominees. Here are this year’s nominees:
Best Gospel Performance/Song:
You Will Win-Jekalyn Carr
Won’t He Do It- Koryn Hawthorne
Never Alone- Tori Kelly ft. Kirk Franklin
Cycles- Jonathan McReynolds
A Great Work- Brian Courtney Wilson
Best Gospel Album
One Nation Under God- Jekalyn Carr
Hiding Place- Tori Kelly
Make Room- Jonathan McReynolds
The Other Side- The Walls Group
A Great Work- Brian Courtney Wilson
The Recording Academy can’t go wrong with either artist chosen as a winner. These artists and their work is phenomenal and have each connected with their fans and overall listeners on such a level, that has driven gospel music back to alerting heights!
Koryn Hawthorne didn’t win on “The Voice” but she made a promise to God that if she was able to return to that level of exposure, she would only use her voice for Him. Isn’t it amazing to see how richly God rewards those that honor Him? Many people first heard “Won’t He Do It” on the groundbreaking series “Greenleaf” on OWN. Since initially airing on the weekly drama, the song has taken on a life of its own, landing on this year’s GRAMMY nominations list!
Remember Jonathan McReynolds‘ “Cycles” challenge that had everybody trying that ridiculously difficult ad-lib at the beginning of the song? Everybody ‘tried it’, but few came close! Jekalyn Carr released a book by the same title as her anthem “You Will Win” and people all over the world declared themselves ‘winners’ right along with her! Carr celebrated her first Dove Award win earlier this year. A GRAMMY win would be great for the young singer who has found herself in the same categories with legends and current contemporary leaders in Billboard, Stellar and GRAMMY award consideration!
Tori Kelly surprised everyone with a gospel album, but she made it clear that this album is genuine and from her heart. She celebrates both a “Best Song” and “Album of the Year” nomination, this year! The Walls Group has somewhat quietly become industry stalwarts. In short order, they’ve reached ‘the other side’ of their young career, their parents, college graduates, and seeing life through their own lens now. Their content reflects their maturation. No longer just ‘kids who can sing’, The Walls Group is here to make a statement! They can still sing anything and as a group harmonize better than any assemblage, to date. Well, let’s just say their vocal prowess is reminiscent of what we love in the Winans and The Clark Sisters! Their nomination is well deserved and truly earned!
What can I say about Brian Courtney Wilson??? One listen to his album and I was inspired to write! Literally…I had an epiphany as I listened to his album and it was this: his music is for grown up believers. Not by age, but in spiritual maturity! Ruminate on that for a moment. So much music is made and it lives on the surface of Christianity, but his music and especially “A Great Work” exists on such a higher plane that the listener is both changed and challenged! Something listeners have clamored for, for years!
His nomination in both categories is a ‘tip of the cap’ in regard to the great work of his latest album, “A Great Work“. As stated earlier, the Recording Academy has quite the job on their hands this year, and I couldn’t be more glad!
To see a full list of all the nominees, visit the GRAMMY website.
