I failed to do something I've actually done the last few years. I like to identify the Grammy nominees who hail from Kentucky.

Of course, that isn't easy when it comes to artists I've never heard of before. So I consult sources who also pay attention to this particular statistic, and when I do, I'm introduced to new musicians. Never a bad thing.

Kentucky and the Grammys

But let's start with the high-profile names that do not need introductions...or, at the very least, SELDOM need introductions. And we begin with a superstar whose career Grammy haul got even fatter Sunday night. The pride of Staffordsville KY made the Commonwealth proud by being the big country winner at the gala.

(Before we go any further, does NO ONE clap in the pre-televised portion? Geez.)

Chris Stapleton Found Himself in Competition With Another Kentuckian

I'm not sure what Chris Stapleton was doing that forced him to miss the Grammys, but he picked up two of them--his ninth and tenth, all tolled. The other was for Best Country Solo Performance (also for "White Horse"), a category in which he bested ANOTHER Kentucky star, Tyler Childers.

Also, it was a nice touch to have fellow Kentuckian and 2023 Grammy winner Carly Pearce make the presentation. Carly was also a nominee this year. Her duet with Stapleton lost out to Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category.

Kentuckian Silas House picked up a nomination as one of the producers of Tyler Childers' video for his hit "In Your Love."

And Kentucky bluegrass artists Sam Bush and Michael Cleveland lost the Best Bluegrass Album award to red hot Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway.

Kentucky Represents in a Classical Music Category

Now let's see, we've covered all the country and country-leaning categories, all of which featured Kentucky nominees. So where is that OTHER Kentucky Grammy winner. Why, he's in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category.

It was a very exciting moment Sunday night for Louisville Orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams and for Louisville, too. Obviously. What a wonderful left-field surprise for the Commonwealth.

 

See? This is what I meant when I mentioned scoping out the Kentucky nominees. For starters, there are SO MANY categories. And secondly, like I said, there are some names I've never heard before. Abrams is one of them.

But not anymore.

In fact, I think I've been inspired to check out a Louisville Symphony performance at some point this year...conducted by GRAMMY WINNER Larry Abrams.

[SOURCE: Louisville Courier-Journal]

Check Out the Best-Selling Album From the Year You Graduated High School

Do you remember the top album from the year you graduated high school? Stacker analyzed Billboard data to determine just that, looking at the best-selling album from every year going all the way back to 1956. Sales data is included only from 1992 onward when Nielsen's SoundScan began gathering computerized figures.

Going in chronological order from 1956 to 2020, we present the best-selling album from the year you graduated high school.

Gallery Credit: Jacob Osborn

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