Austin artists up for awards
Mongillo
also nominated for her 2009 album “The Truth According To Ruthie Foster.”
“My week got full, and I totally kind of forgot about it, and I got a call from my manager last night. It was a nice surprise,” Foster said last week. “It was validating the first time, and this time it’s even more so. And since the categories have moved around so much, I didn’t think folks like myself and Shemekia (Copeland, who was also nominated for her album “33 1/3”) would even get noticed. It’s really nice.”
The Grammy categories of best contemporary blues album and best traditional blues album merged this year, making the field more competitive. Other nominees in the category this year include Copeland, Dr. John, Joan Osborne and the Heritage Blues Orchestra.
Foster said that she’s planning on attending the awards show in February. “It’s very surreal to be there,” she said. “You’ve got folks like Pink and Jay-Z walking around, it’s very surreal to be part of that.” (Foster performs at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar at 8 p.m. Wednesday.)
“Austin City Limits” producer Terry Lickona, who co-produces the Grammy Awards show, said this year’s nominations reflect a change in the music business.
“Overall, they’re skewing quite a bit younger, and I think it’s a testament to a change in the Recording Academy membership and just the evolution of the music that’s out there,” Lickona said.
Lickona said he was surprised by a few of the nominees, including Jack White, whose album “Blunderbuss” earned a nomination for album of the year, and Fun., who received four nominations in top categories.
One artist Lickona was hoping to see get a nod for album of the year was Esperanza Spalding, who recently taped an episode of “Austin City