Brittany Howard. Photo: Danny Clinch

Several artists with Nashville ties made a strong showing in the Rock, Producer, and American Roots categories.

Brittany Howard secured five nominations, including Best Rock Performance for “Stay High,” as well as Best Rock Song as the sole writer on the same tune. Howard is also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album for Jaime, as well as Best R&B Performance for “Goat Head,” and she earned a Best American Roots Performance nod for “Short and Sweet.”

John Prine earns two posthumous nominations, with “I Remember Everything” earning nods for Best American Roots Performance, and Best American Roots Song. Sturgill Simpson is nominated for Best Rock Album for Sound & Fury.

Lucinda Williams, The Secret Sisters and Bonny Light Horseman also each earned two nominations in American Roots Music and/or Folk categories.

Nashville-based producers Dan Auerbach and Dave Cobb each earned nominations for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical), with Auerbach producing Marcus King‘s project El Dorado (nominated for Best Americana Album) and Cobb producing Prine’s “I Remember Everything,” as well as The Highwomen, whose song “Crowded Table” is nominated for Best Country Song.

See a list of selected category nominations below:

Best American Roots Performance
For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings.  This is for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed in the American Roots Music field including Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk or regional roots. Award to the artist(s).

• “Colors”
  Black Pumas
• “Deep In Love”
  Bonny Light Horseman
• “Short And Sweet”
  Brittany Howard
• “I’ll Be Gone”
  Norah Jones & Mavis Staples
• “I Remember Everything”
  John Prine

Best American Roots Song
A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Americana, bluegrass, traditional blues, contemporary blues, folk or regional roots songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

• “Cabin”
  Laura Rogers & Lydia Rogers, songwriters (The Secret Sisters)
• “Ceiling To The Floor”
  Sierra Hull & Kai Welch, songwriters (Sierra Hull)
• “Hometown”
  Sarah Jarosz, songwriter (Sarah Jarosz)
• “I Remember Everything”
  Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
• “Man Without A Soul”
  Tom Overby & Lucinda Williams, songwriters (Lucinda Williams)

Best Americana Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental Americana recordings.

• OLD FLOWERS
  Courtney Marie Andrews
• TERMS OF SURRENDER
  Hiss Golden Messenger
• WORLD ON THE GROUND
  Sarah Jarosz
• EL DORADO
  Marcus King
• GOOD SOULS BETTER ANGELS
  Lucinda Williams

Best Bluegrass Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental bluegrass recordings.

• MAN ON FIRE
  Danny Barnes
• TO LIVE IN TWO WORLDS, VOL. 1
  Thomm Jutz
• NORTH CAROLINA SONGBOOK
  Steep Canyon Rangers
• HOME
  Billy Strings
• THE JOHN HARTFORD FIDDLE TUNE PROJECT, VOL. 1
  Various Artists

Best Folk Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.

• BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN
  Bonny Light Horseman
• THANKS FOR THE DANCE
  Leonard Cohen
• SONG FOR OUR DAUGHTER
  Laura Marling
• SATURN RETURN
  The Secret Sisters
• ALL THE GOOD TIMES
  Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

Tauren Wells. Photo: PFA Media

When the Grammy nominations were announced Tuesday (Nov. 24), Tauren Wells, We The Kingdom, and Ricky Dillard were among the top CCM and Gospel nominees.

Tauren Wells picked up his two latest Grammy nominations, for Best Contemporary Christian Performance/Song, for “Famous For (I Believe)” (ft. Jenn Johnson), and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album, for Citizen of Heaven. He has previously been nominated for five Grammy honors, and was named Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year at this year’s Dove Awards.

Ricky Dillard is also nominated in two categories, for Best Gospel Performance/Song for “Release (LIVE)” featuring Tiff Joy (song written by David Frazier). Dillard is also nominated in the Best Gospel Album category, for Choirmaster.

We The Kingdom is nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song/Performance for “Holy Water,” and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for their project Holy Water.

Dolly Parton is nominated in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Song/Performance category alongside Zach Williams for their collaboration “There Was Jesus.” Parton won this category last year with her collaboration “God Only Knows” with for King & Country.

See the full list of CCM/Gospel Grammy nominations below:

Best Gospel Performance/Song
This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best traditional Christian, roots gospel or contemporary gospel single or track.

• “Wonderful Is Your Name”
  Melvin Crispell III
• “Release (Live)”
  Ricky Dillard Featuring Tiff Joy; David Frazier, songwriter
• “Come Together”
  Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins Presents: The Good News; Lashawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Lecrae Moore & Jazz Nixon, songwriters
• “Won’t Let Go”
  Travis Greene; Travis Greene, songwriter
• “Movin’ On”
  Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music; Darryl L. Howell, Jonathan Caleb McReynolds, Kortney Jamaal Pollard & Terrell Demetrius Wilson, songwriters

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best contemporary Christian music single or track, (including pop, rap/hip-hop, Latin, or rock.

• “The Blessing (Live)”
  Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes & Elevation Worship; Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe Carnes & Steven Furtick, songwriters
• “Sunday Morning”
  Lecrae Featuring Kirk Franklin; Denisia Andrews, Jones Terrence Antonio, Saint Bodhi, Brittany Coney, Kirk Franklin, Lasanna Harris, Shama Joseph, Stuart Lowery, Lecrae Moore & Nathanael Saint-Fleur, songwriters
• “Holy Water”
  We The Kingdom; Andrew Bergthold, Ed Cash, Franni Cash, Martin Cash & Scott Cash, songwriters
• “Famous For (I Believe)”
  Tauren Wells Featuring Jenn Johnson; Chuck Butler, Krissy Nordhoff, Jordan Sapp, Alexis Slifer & Tauren Wells, songwriters
• “There Was Jesus”
  Zach Williams & Dolly Parton; Casey Beathard, Jonathan Smith & Zach Williams, songwriters

Best Gospel Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional or contemporary/R&B gospel music recordings.

• 2ECOND WIND: READY
  Anthony Brown & group therAPy
• MY TRIBUTE
  Myron Butler
• CHOIRMASTER
  Ricky Dillard
• GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PJ
  PJ Morton
• KIERRA
  Kierra Sheard

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, contemporary Christian music, including pop, rap/hip hop, Latin, or rock recordings.

• RUN TO THE FATHER
  Cody Carnes
• ALL OF MY BEST FRIENDS
  Hillsong Young & Free
• HOLY WATER
  We The Kingdom
• CITIZEN OF HEAVEN
  Tauren Wells
• JESUS IS KING
  Kanye West

Best Roots Gospel Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional/roots gospel music, including country, Southern gospel, bluegrass, and Americana recordings.

• BEAUTIFUL DAY
  Mark Bishop
• 20/20
  The Crabb Family
• WHAT CHRISTMAS REALLY MEANS
  The Erwins
• CELEBRATING FISK! (THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY ALBUM)
  Fisk Jubilee Singers
• SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
  Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

A group of music industry organizations including the CMA, the ACM, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and others sent a letter to congressional leaders today (Nov. 24) highlighting the growing devastation to the live music industry due to COVID-19 and urging that they immediately pass legislation to provide additional relief desperately needed by the many artists, musicians, engineers, producers, and venues who bring live music to the public.

In the letter, the groups specifically ask Congress to (1) renew and extend Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation; (2) pass the RESTART Act; (3) fix the CARES Act by passing the Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Act; (4) expand the Saves Our Stages Act; (5) expand employer retention tax credits and pass a 100% COBRA premium subsidy; and (6) pass the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act and the HITS Act.

The coalition has routinely called on Congress to act, sending letters to leadership throughout the spring and summer as well as organizing MusicCovidRelief.com, a central site to help the music community access aid.

See the full letter below:

November 24, 2020

Dear Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer and Leader McCarthy,

There is no denying that COVID-19 has truly tested the nation, and it has had a devastating effect on our country’s music industry.  The live music business – once a sign of a thriving community and a draw to our cultural and commercial centers – has gone tragically silent. The music community remains grateful for Congress’ bipartisan relief efforts earlier this year, but more must be done soon to avoid a level of loss that that could devastate artists, musicians, engineers, producers, venues, and everyone in the music industry for a generation.

First, Congress must renew and extend existing benefits that have proved indispensable, including the weekly funding provided through Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.  Congress must also act to pass the RESTART Act, to build on the short-term relief provided by the Paycheck Protection Program.  

Second, Congress must fix an unintended error in the CARES Act by passing the Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Act.  Mixed earners, or gig workers with a minimum amount of W-2 income, have been excluded from Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and overly burdensome PUA documentation requirements are out of step with the workplace realities of the gig economy.

Third, with no clear direction on when safe public gatherings may resume, Congress must expand the current form of the Save Our Stages Act and pass it to provide sufficient assistance for small venues and multi-use publicly owned venues.  77% of people in the live events industry have lost 100% of their incomes, including 97% of 1099 workers.  These people work at venues of all sizes and in a variety of capacities – whether it be full-time, part-time, or on the side as a gig worker.  With uncertainty surrounding the resumption of live events, most of these workers are still struggling to make ends meet.  Providing direct financial relief to the workers of all venues is critical to keeping local communities afloat.  Indeed, dollars spent to keep venues open have a multiplier effect, as live music brings patrons to hotels, restaurants, and other small businesses that are also struggling to survive.  Expanding Save Our Stages to include all different types of live events workers – and not excluding them simply for where they work – will help revitalize our economy at the ground level.

Fourth, Congress must do more to ensure workers can keep their job-based healthcare plans during this pandemic.  We believe Congress should expand employer retention tax credits and pass a 100% COBRA premium subsidy to ensure that job disruptions through no fault of their own don’t cost Americans their health as well as their livelihoods.

Finally, Congress must ensure that tax relief reaches musicians and workers in the performing arts by passing the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act and the HITS Act.

Like many in 2020, our community has come together to speak with one voice to ensure that we all can enjoy better days in the future together.  We hope that with your leadership, Congress, in the upcoming lame duck session, will take this clear opportunity to save American music, culture, and countless small businesses.  Thank you for your consideration.

 Academy of Country Music
Artist Rights Alliance
Broadcast Music, Inc.
Christian Music Trade Association
Church Music Publishers Association Action Fund
Country Music Association
Gospel Music Association
Music Artists Coalition
Music Managers Forum – US
National Music Publishers Association
Production Music Association
Recording Academy
Recording Industry Association of America
SESAC
Society of Composers & Lyricists
Songwriters of North America
SoundExchange
Southern Gospel Music Guild
The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers
The Living Legends Foundation, Inc
The Rhythm & Blues Foundation, Inc