Some regard the coveted Grammy Award as the most prestigious of all music industry honors. The 40th Annual Grammy Awards nominees in both the country and bluegrass categories will perhaps be the first to agree. We'll discover who finishes first when the ceremonies are telecast live on CBS, Wednesday, February 25th, at 8 p.m. Eastern, from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.

Music divas Patty Loveless and Alison Krauss lead the nominations parade in this year's country and bluegrass categories. Loveless, who's certainly no stranger to award victories, is up for Best Female Vocal Performance ("The Trouble With The Truth"), Best Country Album (Long Stretch Of Lonesome) and Best Country Collaboration With Vocals ("You Don't Seem To Miss Me") with George Jones.

"I was raised on country music, so getting to sing with George Jones was almost an award in itself," Patty explains. "To me, making music that connects with people the way the music I love connects with me is what it's all about...and these nominations are one way I know it's hitting that emotional chord."

Another hitter, Krauss, who's also taken numerous steps toward the acceptance podium, co-leads with nominations for Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Little Liza Jane"), Best Bluegrass Album (So Long So Wrong) and Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals ("Looking In The Eyes Of Love").

Other multiple nominees include: Tim McGraw (Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "It's Your Love" with Faith Hill) and (Best Country Song for "It's Your Love"); Deana Carter (Best Country Song for "Did I Shave My Legs For This?") and (Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Did I Shave My Legs For This?"); Clint Black (Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Something That We Do") and (Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "Still Holding On" with Martina McBride; Trisha Yearwood (Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "How Do I Live) and (Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "In Another's Eyes" with Garth Brooks); and George Strait (Best Country Album for Carrying Your Love With Me) and (Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Carrying Your Love With Me").

As always, performances from some of country's most talented stars are as much of a highlight during the annual event as those who take home the trophies. Scheduled to perform on this year's show are LeAnn Rimes, George Strait, Vince Gill, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. They'll be joining the ranks of such other music greats as Barbara Streisand, Hanson, Celine Dion, Sting and Luciano Pavoritti.

The nominees for both country and bluegrass categories are as follows:

Best Female Country Vocal Performance

For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.

"Did I Shave My Legs For This?"

Deana Carter

Track from: Did I Shave My Legs For This?

[Capitol Nashville]

"The Trouble With The Truth"

Patty Loveless

Track from: The Trouble With The Truth

[Epic Records Nashville]

"How Do I Live"

LeAnn Rimes

[Curb Records]

"All The Good Ones Are Gone"

Pam Tillis

Track from: Greatest Hits

[Arista Nashville]

"How Do I Live"

Trisha Yearwood

Track from: (Songbook) A Collection Of Hits

[MCA Records Nashville]

Best Male Country Vocal Performance

For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.

"Something That We Do"

Clint Black

Track from: Nothin' But The Taillights

[RCA Records]

"Rusty Cage"

Johnny Cash

Track from: Unchained

[American Records]

"Pretty Little Adriana"

Vince Gill

Track from: High Lonesome Sound

[MCA Records Nashville]

"Peach Pickin' Time Down In Georgia"

Willie Nelson

Track from: The Songs Of Jimmie Rodgers - A Tribute (Various Artists)

[Columbia Records]

"Carrying Your Love With Me"

George Strait

Track from: Carrying Your Love With Me

[MCA Records Nashville]

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal

For established Duos or Groups. Singles or Tracks only.

"Dancin', Shaggin' On The Boulevard"

Alabama

Track from: Dancin' On The Boulevard

[RCA Records]

"How Your Love Makes Me Feel"

Diamond Rio

Track from: Greatest Hits

[Arista Nashville]

"Please"

The Kinleys

Track from: Just Between You And Me

[Epic Records Nashville]

"Looking In The Eyes Of Love"

Alison Krauss & Union Station

Track from: So Long So Wrong

[Rounder Records]

"I Don't Care (If You Love Me Anymore)"

The Mavericks

[MCA Records]

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals

For a collaborative performance by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.

"Still Holding On"

Clint Black & Martina McBride

Track from: Nothin' But The Taillights

[RCA Records]

"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying"

Toby Keith with Sting

Track from: Dream Walkin'

[Mercury Records Nashville]

"You Don't Seem To Miss Me"

Patty Loveless with George Jones

Track from: Long Stretch Of Lonesome

[Epic Records Nashville]

"It's Your Love"

Tim McGraw with Faith Hill

Track from: Everywhere

[Curb Records]

"In Another's Eyes"

Trisha Yearwood & Garth Brooks

Track from: (Songbook) A Collection Of Hits

[MCA Records Nashville]

Best Country Instrumental Performance

For instrumental recordings, with or without vocal coloring, by an Orchestra, Group or Soloist. Singles or Tracks only.

"Fat Boy Rag"

Asleep At The Wheel

Track from: Back To The Future Now Live At Arizona Charlie's Las Vegas

[Epic/Lucky Dog Records]

"Smokey Mountain Lullaby"

Chet Atkins with Tommy Emmanuel

Track from: The Day Finger Pickers Took Over The World

[Columbia Records Nashville]

"Little Liza Jane"

Alison Krauss & Union Station

Track from: So Long So Wrong

[Rounder Records]

"Goin' Back To Memphis"

Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana & Bill Black Combo

Track from: All The King's Men

[Sweetfish Records]

"Mama, Screw Your Wig On Tight"

Lee Roy Parnell

Track from: Every Night's A Saturday Night

[Career Records]

Best Country Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artists' names appear in parenthesis.) Singles or Tracks only.

"All The Good Ones Are Gone"

Dean Dillon & Bob McDill, songwriters (Pam Tillis)

Track from: Greatest Hits

[Arista Nashville]

"Butterfly Kisses"

Bob Carlisle & Randy Thomas, songwriters ((Bob Carlisle) and (Jeff Carson) and (Raybon Bros.))

[Curb Records/Diadem Music Group/MCA Records Nashville]

"Did I Shave My Legs For This?"

Deana Carter & Rhonda Hart, songwriters (Deana Carter)

Track from: Did I Shave My Legs For This?

[Capitol Nashville]

"In Another's Eyes"

Garth Brooks, John Peppard & Bobby Wood, songwriters (Trisha Yearwood & Garth Brooks)

Track from: (Songbook) A Collection Of Hits

[MCA Records Nashville]

"It's Your Love"

Stephony Smith, songwriter (Tim McGraw with Faith Hill)

Track from: Everywhere

[Curb Records]

Best Country Album

For solo artists, Duos or Groups, vocal or instrumental. Compilation albums by various artists are not eligible. Award to Artist and to the Producer(s) of 51% or more playing time of album.

Unchained

Johnny Cash

Rick Rubin, producer

[American Records]

Everything I Love

Alan Jackson

Keith Stegall, producer

[Arista Nashville]

Long Stretch Of Lonesome

Patty Loveless

Emory Gordy Jr., producer

[Epic Records Nashville]

Carrying Your Love With Me

George Strait

Tony Brown & George Strait, producers

[MCA Records Nashville]

Under The Covers

Dwight Yoakam

Pete Anderson, producer

[Warner Bros./Reprise Records Nashville]

Best Bluegrass Album

For solos, duos or groups, vocal or instrumental.

Sales Tax Toddle

Richard Greene & The Grass Is Greener

[Rebel Records]

So Long So Wrong

Alison Krauss & Union Station

[Rounder Records]

Silver And Gold

Claire Lynch

[Rounder Records]

Age Of Innocence

Kate MacKenzie

[Red House Records]

Short Life Of Trouble

Ralph Stanley

[Rebel Records]

The Grammy is presented annually by the Recording Academy. A Grammy is awarded by the Recording Academy's voting membership to honor excellence in the recording arts and sciences. It is truly a peer honor, awarded by and to artists and technical professionals for artistic or technical achievement, not sales or chart positions. The annual Grammy Awards presentation brings together thousands of creative and technical professionals in the recording industry from all over the world.

In addition to the Grammy Awards, other honors are given by the Recording Academy. These awards recognize contributions and activities of significance to the recording field that fall outside the framework of the Grammy Awards categories, and include the Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award, Hall of Fame Award, the Technical Grammy Award, and the Grammy Legends Award. The new recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Awards are: Bo Didley, Paul Robeson, The Mills Brothers and Roy Orbison. The 1997-98 Trustees Awards will be presented to: Holland-Dozier-Holland and Frances Preston.

The Grammy Awards are telecast to an international audience of over 1.5 billion in 170 countries.

For a complete listing of all nominees in each music format, check out www.grammy.com.