Nashville Well Represented At 64th Annual Grammy Awards
Brothers Osborne. Photo: Lindsey Byrnes
Musicians, songwriters and industry professionals of all genres came together in Las Vegas Sunday night (April 3) for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah.
Chris Stapleton was country music’s big winner of the evening. In addition to his wins in the pre-televised ceremony for Best Country Solo Performance for “You Should Probably Leave” and Best Country Song for “Cold,” he took home the only televised country award, Best Country Album, for Starting Over.
Stapleton spoke eloquently when he approached the mic to accept his award. He started his speech by mentioning that it was his twins’ fourth birthday. “I’m thinking a lot about sacrifices because I missed out on some of their birthday toady,” Stapleton said. “I know everybody in this room has made some kind of a sacrifice to be up here doing this. I don’t know what it is for everybody, but I know that it hurts sometimes. Hopefully we’re all doing it so that we make the world a better place and that the people who live in it will love each other, have a good time together, and come together.”
Chris Stapleton. Photo: Becky Fluke
Producer Dave Cobb beamed onward, and thanked God and his family when he had his time to speak. Stapleton and Cobb later took the stage to perform his Grammy-winning song, “Cold.” As usual, Stapleton’s extraordinary skill left the Grammy audience on their feet.
Another powerful country performance came from Carrie Underwood, who took home a trophy for Best Roots Gospel Album for her hymns record My Savior. Underwood performed a rousing rendition of her new single, “Ghost Story.”
Both Stapleton and Underwood, along with other artists throughout the evening, were introduced by personnel from their touring crew—an homage to the pandemic’s havoc on the live music segment of the industry. Stapleton was introduced by his assistant tour manager and Underwood by her wardrobe supervisor.
Brothers Osborne closed the evening with a rocking “Dead Man’s Curve.” Before the televised ceremony, the duo won their first Grammy ever for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Younger Me.” In an emotional acceptance speech, TJ Osborne spoke about the magnitude of the win, given his sexuality in country music.
“For those of you who do not know, this song was written in response to me coming out,” TJ said. “I never thought that I would be able to do music professionally because of my sexuality. I certainly never thought I would be here on this stage accepting a Grammy after having done something I felt was going to be life-changing in potentially a very negative way.”
After thanking his wife, team and brother, John Osborne said, “This song is called ‘Younger Me,’ so I think if I want to thank somebody, I want to thank my younger self for pursuing this. We all have a younger self in us. Thank them because they got you here.”
Carrie Underwood. Photo: David Jay Becker, Getty Images
Brandi Carlile gave a stunning performance of “Right On Time,” after being introduced by two legends, Joni Mitchell and Bonnie Raitt. First-time Grammy winners Maverick City Music became the first Christian artist to perform at the ceremony in over 20 years. Billy Strings also got some screen time when he played “Hide and Seek.”
Other standout performances of the evening included Jon Batiste, who was the most nominated artist of the night and who took home Album of the Year, as well as Olivia Rodrigo‘s rendition of “Driver’s License,” Billie Eilish‘s rocking performance of “Happier Than Ever,” a medley of hits from Lil Nas X, BTS’ performance of “Butter,” and H.E.R.’s rendition of “Damage,” alongside Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Lenny Kravitz and Travis Barker.
John Legend led a touching tribute to the violence in Ukraine, complete with a videotaped speech from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Nashville music-makers and business people recognized in the In Memoriam segment of the show included Tom T. Hall, Connie Bradley, Stonewall Jackson, Don Everly, Bobbie Nelson, Nanci Griffith, Dallas Frazier, and more.
