Thursday, December 6, 2012

Numerous NC acts up for Grammys


North Carolinians are up for what could be a record number of Grammys this year. The nominations stretch across all genres and many of the NC nominees call the Charlotte area home. 

Charlotte native and current resident Anthony Hamilton’s “Pray For Me” is up for Best R&B Song. His competition includes Tamia, Elle Varner, and Trey Songz and Miguel, who both play Bojangles Coliseum Friday, December 14. Hamilton's 2011 album "Back To Love" is also up for Best R&B Album against Robert Glasper Experiment, R. Kelly, Tamia, and Tyrese. Salaam Remi, a producer on “Back to Love,” is also up for producer of the year.

Granite Falls native Eric Church’s track “Springsteen” is up for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song. Dierks Bentley, Hunter Hayes, Blake Shelton, and Ronnie Dunn are also nominated in the solo performance category. While Church, Dunn, Carrie Underwood, Eli Young Band, and Alan Jackson make up the Best Country Song nominees. 

Concord-based the Avett Brothers’ “The Carpenter” is up for Best Americana Album. John Fullbright, the Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, and Bonnie Raitt also made the category. 

Western NC's the Steep Canyon Rangers, who have spent much of the year backing Grammy winner Steve Martin and play a headlining show at Neighborhood Theatre Saturday, are competing in the Best Bluegrass Album category for their 2012 entry “Nobody Knows You.” It will have to beat out Dailey & Vincent, the Grascals, Special Consensus, and Noam Pikelny. 

The Carolina Chocolate Drops’ “Leaving Eden” will vie for Best Folk Album against Ry Cooder, the North Mississippi Allstars’ Luther Dickinson, Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Myer, and Chris Thile’s “The Goat Road Sessions” collaboration, and the all-star collection “This One’s For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark.” The Drops just played a sold out show in NoDa last weekend. 

Jacksonville, NC native Ryan Adams’ “Ashes & Fire” is also up for Best Engineered Non-Classical album.

And in one-degree (or so) of separation news, pop group fun., which includes Charlotte’s Emily Moore singing backup and playing keys and guitar in its touring band (although she did not appear on the record), is up for numerous awards.