Memphis and Mid-south artists earn nominations
Rapper Glorilla and producer Hitkidd, blues veterans Eric Gales, North Mississippi Allstars, and Charlie Musselwhite are among the Memphis- and Mid-south-connected artists who are up for Grammy awards.
The nominees for the 65th annual edition of the awards were announced Tuesday, during a streaming event, ahead of ceremonies that will take place on Feb. 5 in Los Angeles.
Glorilla and Hitkidd’s 2022 anthem, “F.N.F (Let’s Go),” was nominated for the year’s Best Rap Performance. The pair will face off against a strong field that includes Kendrick Lamar, Doja Cat, and DJ Khaled.
Fellow Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo and engineer Ari Morris are part of the Album of the Year nomination for R&B singer Mary J. Blige’s “Good Morning Gorgeous.” Moneybagg Yo appears on the track “Tough Love,” which Morris helped engineer.
Memphis rap and hip-hop also turned up in an unexpected spot, as acclaimed Bluff City MC Marco Pavé was recognized for his work in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category. Pavé provided the text for Carlos Simon’s “Requiem For The Enslaved,” commemorating the stories of 272 enslaved men, women and children sold in 1838 by Georgetown University.
The Grammy nomination for Glorilla caps a big year, that saw her launch into national consciousness earlier this spring with “F.N.F (Let’s Go)” and subsequently signed with hometown mogul Yo Gotti’s CMG label. In October, she earned an upset win at the BET Hip Hop Awards, taking home the Best Breakthrough Artist award.
While Glorilla’s nomination cements her status as the rising star of Memphis rap, Eric Gales’ Grammy recognition represents a remarkable return.
Gales — the Memphis-born guitar prodigy who rose to major label stardom in ‘90s — bottomed out with substance abuse issues in 2009, even spending time in the Shelby County Correctional Center. The 48-year-old Gales’ first Grammy nomination in comes for his 2022 album “The Crown” — produced by fellow blues guitar great Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith — which will be up for the Best Contemporary Blues Album category.
Also, competing in the category with Gales are five-time nominees the North Mississippi Allstars, led by brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson. The Allstars will seek their first win, for their latest, “Set Sail.”
Mississippi-born, Memphis-bred blues great Charlie Musselwhite was nominated in the Best Traditional Blues Album category. Musselwhite’s “Mississippi Son” is up for the honor,
and he will be competing against other legends of the genre, including Buddy Guy, John Mayall and Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder.
The Commercial Appeal’s music writer Bob Mehr — who won a Grammy for Best Album Notes in 2021 — received his second nomination in the same category. Mehr will be vying for the award for his notes on Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” box set.
Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, native Ashley Mcbryde is also up for a pair of awards. She was nominated for Best Country Album, for her LP, “Ashley Mcbride Presents: Lindeville,” and for Best Country/duo Performance for “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” with Carly Pearce.
Sean Ardoin — the Louisiana native who serves as president of the Memphis Grammy chapter, which also represents Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi and other areas — was nominated in the Best Regional Roots Album category for “Full Circle,” his project with Kreole Rock and Soul featuring LSU Golden Band From Tigerland.
Baz Luhrmann’s hit biopic “Elvis” is up for the award in the Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media category.
Others involved in Grammy-nominated projects include Memphian and Oblivians/reigning Sound leader Greg Cartwright. Cartwright co-wrote three songs on the Black Keys’ “Dropout Boogie” LP, which is up for Best Rock Album.
Memphis native Rykeyz, aka Ryan Williamson, also contributed to a pair of Grammy-nominated projects. He worked on Chris Brown’s “Breezy,” which is up for R&B Album of the Year. He also co-wrote “Wishful Drinking,” a country hit for Ingrid Andress and Sam Hunt, which is up for Best Country Duo/group Performance.
Jeff Powell, of Memphis’ Take Out Vinyl, mastered and cut LPS for Grammy-nominated projects by Dr. John, Keb’ Mo’ and Michael Bublé.