« RDX's "Everybody Dance" holding down the # 1 Spot | Main | Producer and artistes in car accident »
December 07, 2007
Grammy Nominations Announced
By: Elizabeth Smith
The Burning Spear, Stephen Marley, Sly and Robbie, Lee "Scratch" Perry as well as Toots & The Maytals have all been nominated in the category of Best Reggae Album.
(Vocal or Instrumental) for the 50th Annual GRAMMY® Awards. On Dec 6 the announcement was made by The Recording Academy® at a press conference held in Hollywood.
Scheduled for Sunday February 10, 2008, the awards will be staged at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
"The Burning Spear Experience" is the album given the nod for reggae icon Burning Spear who joins a roster of mainly prodigious veteran musicians nominated in the reggae category this year. Stephen Marley's "Mind Control" comes in; embodying the award's overall diverse program since the dynamic producer/musician is the most youthful on the '08 reggae nominees list.
"Anniversary" from Sly and Robbie, "Light Your Light" from Toots & The Maytals and Lee "Scratch" Perry's "The End Of An American Dream" complete the legendary showing of nominees up for the Reggae GRAMMY®
This golden year for the award ceremony, is said to be most reflective of diversity in music, with The Album Of The Year category alone representing country, hip-hop, jazz, pop and rock genres.
While the Caribbean's beloved Rihanna received four nominations along with Akon, Dierks Bentley, Chris Daughtry, Feist, Tim McGraw, John Newton, Ne-Yo and Bruce Springsteen, hers was just half the amount of top nominee, Kanye West.
Topping the nominations with eight, Kanye West was followed by Amy Winehouse - up for six awards and The Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and T-Pain who all garnered five each.
For Best Traditional World Music Album, nominees include, The Soweto Gospel Choir, Rahim Al Haj with Souhal Kasper and Various Artists on an album titled, "Singing For Life: Songs Of Hope, Healing, And HIV/AIDS In Uganda."
Barack Obama's "The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream" and Maya Angelo's, "Celebrations," join Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Alan Alda in the Spoken Word category.
"This year's nominations truly reflect a diverse and talented community of artists and creators who represent some of the most exceptional music of the year," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "The GRAMMY Awards process once again has yielded a comprehensive group of excellent nominees and coupled with the fact that it's our milestone 50th year, this year's telecast promises music fans a spectacular show filled with stellar performances and unique 'GRAMMY Moments' for which Music's Biggest Night™ has come to be renowned."
The live broadcast will be in high definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).