Adele as roots artist? The 54th Grammy Awards
Adele in 2009, photo by Christopher Macsurak
Every time we mention the Grammy Awards in these parts, it seems to stir up some kind of discussion about their value in terms of working musicians in Canada, and the community that supports them. But even the most strident skeptic could hardly have made it through 2011 without hearing Adele‘s heart-breaking “Someone Like You” or some of the tidal wave of folk-inspired sound from Mumford and Sons.
Let us know what you think of the value of the awards, Adele’s status as a roots performer or just about anything else, in the comment area below.
Here are the winners, with a roots & folk focus. Visit our earlier post to see all of the roots & folk nominees. The full list of winners is available on the Grammy Awards site.
Best Americana Album
Emotional Jukebox – Linda Chorney
Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down – Ry Cooder
Hard Bargain – Emmylou Harris
Ramble At The Ryman – Levon Helm
Blessed – Lucinda Williams
Best Folk Album
Barton Hollow – The Civil Wars
I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive – Steve Earle
Helplessness Blues – Fleet Foxes
Ukulele Songs– Eddie Vedder
The Harrow & The Harvest – Gillian Welch
Best Bluegrass Album
Paper Airplane – Alison Krauss & Union Station
Reason And Rhyme – Jim Lauderdale
Rare Bird Alert – Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers
Old Memories: The Songs Of Bill Monroe – The Del McCoury Band
A Mother’s Prayer– Ralph Stanley
Sleep With One Eye Open– Chris Thile & Michael Daves
Best Blues Album
Revelator– Tedeschi Trucks Band
Low Country Blues-Gregg Allman
Roadside Attractions-Marcia Ball
Man in Motion-Warren Hayes
The Reflection-Keb Mo
Winners in various categories:
Best Album Notes
Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads & Beyond As Recorded By The San Francisco Bay By Chris Strachwitz In The 1960s-Adam Machado, album notes writer (Various Artists)
Record Of The Year
“Rolling In The Deep” – Adele
Album Of The Year
21 – Adele
Song Of The Year
“Rolling In The Deep” – Adele
Best New Artist
Bon Iver
Best Pop Solo Performance
“Someone Like You” – Adele
Best Pop Instrumental Album
The Road From Memphis – Booker T. Jones
Best Pop Vocal Album
21 – Adele
Best Alternative Music Album
Bon Iver — Bon Iver
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Barton Hollow – The Civil Wars
Best Instrumental Composition
“Life In Eleven” – Béla Fleck & Howard Levy, composers (Béla Fleck & The Flecktones)
Best Engineered Album (Non Classical)
Paper Airplane – Mike Shipley, engineer; Brad Blackwood, mastering engineer (Alison Krauss & Union Station)
Hmmm. With Adele having a hit with a Bob Dylan song, and Dolly Partons song so well performed by Jenifer Hudson it really was a roots music night. Heck even Taylor Swift was playing a six string banjo.
Well Meghan, I somehow made it through 2011 and the first month and a half of 2012 without ever hearing either Adele or Mumford & Sons. These names are completely unfamiliar to me.
I knew I’d be proven wrong, Jim! Thanks for the laugh.
If you can call Adele a roots/Americana artist, then you can call ANYBODY a roots artist.