Grammy Awards logoNominees in 84 categories have been named for the 60th Annual Grammy Awards to be presented by The Recording Academy on Sunday, January 28, 2018. Of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com are the nominees for awards in the American Roots Music Field that, alas, will likely be presented prior to the live broadcast airing on CBS television stations that evening from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Several artists are nominated for two awards in the American Roots Music Field. Among the nominees for both Best Americana Roots Song and Best Americana Album are the late Gregg Allman (for “My Only True Friend” and Southern Blood, respectively), Jason Isbell (for “If We Were Vampires” and The Nashville Sound, respectively), and The Mavericks (for “I Wish You Well” and Brand New Day, respectively). Besides being nominated for Best American Roots Performance, Alison Krauss (“I Never Cared For You”) and the late Leonard Cohen (“Steer Your Way”) also are nominated for awards outside of the American Roots Music Field. Krauss is among those vying for Best Country Solo Performance (for “Losing You”), while Cohen is in the running for Best Rock Performance (for “You Want It Darker”).

Here’s a list of the Grammy Award nominees in the American Roots Music Field:

Best American Roots Performance:

• “Killer Diller Blues” – Alabama Shakes
• “Let My Mother Live” – Blind Boys Of Alabama
• “Arkansas Farmboy” – Glen Campbell
• “Steer Your Way” – Leonard Cohen
• “I Never Cared For You” – Alison Krauss

Best American Roots Song:

• “Cumberland Gap” – David Rawlings & Gillian Welch, songwriters (David Rawlings)
• “I Wish You Well” – Raul Malo & Alan Miller, songwriters (The Mavericks)
• “If We Were Vampires” – Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit)
• “It Ain’t Over Yet” – Rodney Crowell, songwriter (Rodney Crowell featuring Rosanne Cash & John Paul White)
• “My Only True Friend” – Gregg Allman & Scott Sharrard, songwriters (Gregg Allman)

Best Americana Album:

• Southern Blood – Gregg Allman
• Shine On Rainy Day – Brent Cobb
• Beast Epic – Iron & Wine
• The Nashville Sound – Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit
• Brand New Day – The Mavericks

Best Bluegrass Album:

• Fiddler’s Dream – Michael Cleveland
• Laws Of Gravity – The Infamous Stringdusters
• Original – Bobby Osborne
• Universal Favorite – Noam Pikelny
• All The Rage – In Concert Volume One [Live] – Rhonda Vincent And The Rage

Best Traditional Blues Album:

• Migration Blues – Eric Bibb
• Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio – Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio
• Roll And Tumble – R.L. Boyce
• Sonny & Brownie’s Last Train – Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi
• Blue & Lonesome – The Rolling Stones

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

• Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm – Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm
• Recorded Live In Lafayette – Sonny Landreth
• TajMo – Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’
• Got Soul – Robert Randolph & The Family Band
• Live From The Fox Oakland – Tedeschi Trucks Band

Best Folk Album:

• Mental Illness – Aimee Mann
• Semper Femina – Laura Marling
• The Queen Of Hearts – Offa Rex
• You Don’t Own Me Anymore – The Secret Sisters
• The Laughing Apple – Yusuf / Cat Stevens

Best Regional Roots Music Album:

• Top Of The Mountain – Dwayne Dopsie And The Zydeco Hellraisers
• Ho’okena 3.0 – Ho’okena
• Kalenda – Lost Bayou Ramblers
• Miyo Kekisepa, Make A Stand [Live] – Northern Cree
• Pua Kiele – Josh Tatofi

Also of note: The Jerry Douglas Band is among the nominees for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for its debut studio release What If, as is the guitar duo of Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge for Mount Royal. Douglas is a 14-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Country Music Association Musician of the Year. A founding member of The Infamous Stringdusters, Eldridge also is a member of Punch Brothers and is in the house band on A Prairie Home Companion. Folk-rockers Bob Dylan and Sarah McLachlan are among the five artists whose recent recordings (Triplicate and Wonderland, respectively) are in the running for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

A complete list of nominees in all categories appears online at www.grammy.com.