COUNTRY MAKES ITS GRAMMY MARK
Songs by artists like Little Big Town, Chris Stapleton earn nominations
Musical genre ready to make big return at this year’s ceremonies
Country music hasn’t had an album or song nominated in the top three categories at the Grammys since 2011 when Lady Antebellum won big. But the genre is back strong, thanks to Chris Stapleton’s success and Little Big Town’s megahit, Girl Crush.
Stapleton is nominated for album of the year for Traveller, while Girl Crush earned songwriters Liz Rose, Hillary Lindsey and Lori McKenna nominations for song of the year. The last time a country album was nominated for album of the year was Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now at the 2011 Grammys (we don’t count Taylor Swift’s pop-flavoured Red as country). That year also was the last time a country track earned nominations for song or record of the year, which Lady A took home for their crossover hit, Need You Now.
Charles Kelley of Lady A says the 2011 Grammys “was probably the greatest night of my musical career. It felt like a big win for the genre that night.”
Kelley, who is nominated for his first Grammy apart from his Lady A bandmates this year, said country music is returning to the top categories because Little Big Town and Stapleton made unique songs.
“They made the boldest records,” he said. “They’re not down-themiddle records at all, and I think the Grammys always tend to recognize when someone has painted outside the lines a little bit.”
Sam Hunt also is representing country music with a nomination for best new artist, a category that typically includes at least one country act.
Part of the reason country hasn’t earned top Grammy nominations may be because country songs don’t chart high enough on the pop- and rap-dominated Billboard Hot 100. Grammy voters who aren’t paying attention solely to country may not be as familiar with the genre’s songs and albums because they’re not in the mainstream as much as rap and rock.
Carrie Underwood’s Inside Your Heaven was the last country song to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 2005; before that it was Lonestar in 2000 with Amazed. Though Need You Now and Swift’s You Belong With Me both peaked at No. 2, country songs often chart in the bottom half of the Top 40 pop charts and Top 10 hits are a rarity. Girl Crush, as big as it was, peaked at No. 18 on the Hot 100.
“It did not perform in the pop radio world anywhere near what we thought it would,” said Mike Dungan, CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville, the home to Little Big Town, Stapleton and Hunt.
But country acts have a comfortable home on country radio, and can reach double platinum status without crossing over to pop.
“Back when country was really present on pop radio — let’s take this as far back as the ’80s — these records were worked to all the formats at the same time,” Dungan said.
But today, “country radio” (doesn’t) like it when artists cross over. They look at those artists as if they are opportunists looking at country as maybe a stepping stone to a bigger, broader world,” he said. “And so those of us who have been on this side of the business — the labels, the artists, their managers — have been very cautious about when you pull that trigger to cross over.”
Because music fans today listen to a wide range of genres, once Girl Crush was sent to pop radio, it had already been heard by some of that audience: “It was already kind of burned out,” Dungan said.
At Monday’s Grammys, Little Big Town’s Pain Killer is nominated for best country album, while Girl Crush is also up for best country song and country duo/group performance.