Grammys: Area writers, artists win
Music's biggest night, the 61st annual Grammy Awards, featured numerous artists and writers with Mid-south ties among the nominees, and a few who walked away as winners.
Hip-hop star Drake — whose paternal family is from the Bluff City and is a Grammy member through the Memphis chapter – nabbed the trophy for best rap song, making a surprise appearance at the ceremonies (though his acceptance speech was cut off early). Writer, historian, blues expert, longtime University of Memphis professor and past Grammy winner Dr. David Evans earned his second award for best album notes. Evans won for his work on the box set “Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris.” The Ferris package — documenting the field recordings and films of the Mississippi-born folklorist — also won the best historical album award.
The best R&B performance category resulted in a tie between Leon Bridges’ “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” and “How Deep is Your Love” by PJ Morton, featuring Yebba. Yebba, born Abby Smith, is a native of West Memphis, Ark.
Numerous locals, including Hill Country musician Cedric Burnside and Memphis pianist Victor Wainwright, were nominated but lost in the blues categories. In the gospel field, West Memphis singer Jekalyn Carr and her father, Allen Carr, were up for a songwriting trophy but also came away empty-handed.
Two-time Grammy-winning engineer Matt Ross-spang had a chance to add another trophy to his collection. Ross-spang worked on singer-songwriter John Prine’s “Tree of Forgiveness,” produced by Dave Cobb. Prine was up for best Americana album. However, another Cobb-produced project, Brandi Carlile’s “By The Way, I Forgive You,” took the prize.
Another Ross-spang client, Americana star Margo Price — who recorded both her breakthrough albums in Memphis, at Sun and Phillips — lost in the Best New Artist trophy, falling to Dua Lipa.