Grab a bottle of alcohol and get all jacked up. Brad Paisley and Gretchen Wilson are the leading Grammy nominees in the country music categories — receiving four each.
Big & Rich helped announce the nominations Thursday morning (Dec. 8) at Gotham Hall in New York City. Other artists reading nominations included Natasha Bedingfield, Mariah Carey, Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Carly Simon, Sway and CeCe Winans. The awards will be handed out in Los Angeles on Feb. 8.
Paisley is nominated for best male country vocal performance (“Alcohol”), best country instrumental performance (“Time Warp”), best country song (“Alcohol”) and best country album (Time Well Wasted).
Wilson secured nominations for best country female vocal performance (“All Jacked Up”), best country collaboration with vocals (“Politically Uncorrect” with Merle Haggard), best country song (“All Jacked Up” with co-writers Vicky McGehee and John Rich) and best country album (All Jacked Up).
Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road” landed a song of the year nomination among all genres, as well as for best country song. It was written by Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna and Marcus Hummon. Rascal Flatts also scored a nod for best country performance by a duo or group with vocal.
Alison Krauss, who has won more Grammys than any other woman in history, is up for three more for her work with her longtime band, Union Station: best country performance by a duo or group with vocal (“Restless”), best country instrumental performance (“Unionhouse Branch”) and best country album (Lonely Runs Both Ways).
In a related category, Gary Paczosa earned two nominations for best engineered album, non-classical — for Krauss’ Lonely Runs Both Ways and Chris Thile’s solo album Deceiver. Thile, a member of Nickel Creek, also received a nomination for co-engineering the album. Dobro player Jerry Douglas, who works with Krauss in Union Station, is included in the category for best country instrumental performance (“Who’s Your Uncle,” with Sam Bush and Béla Fleck).
Following a long absence, Faith Hill brought in three nominations: best female country performance (“Mississippi Girl”), best country collaboration with vocals (“Like We Never Loved at All” with Tim McGraw) and best country album (Fireflies.)
In a surprise nomination in the overall best new artist category, Sugarland was included alongside Ciara, Fall Out Boy, Keane and John Legend. Martina McBride’s “God’s Will” is nominated for best short form music video, along with entries from Missy Elliott, Gorillaz, Jamiroquai and Sarah McLachlan.
Two country box sets also landed in the all-genre category of best boxed or special limited edition package — The Legend by Johnny Cash and You Ain’t Talkin’ to Me — Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country Music, both released on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings.
Multiple nominees with country ties include McGraw, Brooks & Dunn, Rodney Crowell, the Dixie Chicks (for “I Hope”), Emmylou Harris, Delbert McClinton, Willie Nelson, Nickel Creek and Trisha Yearwood. Others nominees include Big & Rich, Charlie Daniels, Vince Gill, George Jones, Toby Keith, John Prine, Keith Urban and Lee Ann Womack.
Nominations for best bluegrass album are Blue Highway’s Marbletown, Cherryholmes’ Cherryholmes, The Grascals’ The Grascals, The Del McCoury Band’s The Company We Keep and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage’s Ragin’ Live.
The category of best comedy album includes Rick Moranis’ The Agoraphobic Cowboy and Larry the Cable Guy’s The Right to Bare Arms.
2005 Grammy Nominations in Country Categories
Best Female Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance)
- “The Connection”
Emmylou Harris
Track from: The Very Best of Emmylou Harris: Heartaches & Highways - “Mississippi Girl”
Faith Hill
Track from: Fireflies - “All Jacked Up”
Gretchen Wilson
Track from: All Jacked Up - “I May Hate Myself in the Morning”
Lee Ann Womack
Track from: There’s More Where That Came From - “Georgia Rain”
Trisha Yearwood
Track from: Jasper County
Best Male Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance)
- “Funny How Time Slips Away”
George Jones
Track from: Hits I Missed … And One I Didn’t - “As Good As I Once Was”
Toby Keith
Track from: Honkytonk University - “Midnight Communion”
Delbert McClinton
Track from: Cost of Living - “Good Ol’ Boys”
Willie Nelson
Track from: The Dukes of Hazzard — Soundtrack (Various Artists) - “Alcohol”
Brad Paisley
Track from: Time Well Wasted - “You’ll Think of Me”
Keith Urban
Track from: Golden Road
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal
(For established duos or groups with vocals)
- “Comin’ to Your City”
Big & Rich
Track from: Comin’ to Your City - “Play Something Country”
Brooks & Dunn
Track from: Hillbilly Deluxe - “I Hope”
Dixie Chicks
Digital download - “Restless”
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Track from: Lonely Runs Both Ways - “Bless the Broken Road”
Rascal Flatts
Track from: Feels Like Today
Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together)
- “Building Bridges”
Brooks & Dunn, Sheryl Crow and Vince Gill
Track from: Hillbilly Deluxe - “Shelter From the Storm”
Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris
Track from: The Outsider - “Like We Never Loved at All”
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
Track from: Fireflies - “Dreams Come True”
Willie Nelson and Norah Jones
Track from: It Always Will Be - “Politically Uncorrect”
Gretchen Wilson and Merle Haggard
Track from: All Jacked Up
Best Country Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals)
- “I’ll Fly Away”
Charlie Daniels
Track from: Songs From the Longleaf Pines - “Who’s Your Uncle?”
Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and Béla Fleck
Track from: The Best Kept Secret - “Unionhouse Branch”
Alison Krauss and Union Station
Track from: Lonely Runs Both Ways - “Scotch and Chocolate”
Nickel Creek
Track from: Why Should the Fire Die? - “Time Warp”
Brad Paisley
Track from: Time Well Wasted
Best Country Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award)
- “Alcohol”
Songwriter: Brad Paisley
Recorded by: Brad Paisley
Track from: Time Well Wasted - “All Jacked Up”
Songwriters: Vicky McGehee, John Rich and Gretchen Wilson
Recorded by: Gretchen Wilson
Track from: All Jacked Up - “Bless the Broken Road”
Songwriters: Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna and Marcus Hummon
Recorded by: Rascal Flatts
Track from: Feels Like Today - “I Hope”
Songwriters: Keb’ Mo’, Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines and Emily Robison
Recorded by: Dixie Chicks
Digital download - “I May Hate Myself in the Morning”
Songwriter: Odie Blackmon
Recorded by: Lee Ann Womack
Track from: There’s More Where That Came From
Best Country Album
(Vocal or Instrumental)
- Fireflies
Faith Hill - Lonely Runs Both Ways
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Time Well Wasted
Brad Paisley - All Jacked Up
Gretchen Wilson - Jasper County
Trisha Yearwood
Best Bluegrass Album
(Vocal or Instrumental)
- Marbletown
Blue Highway - Cherryholmes
Cherryholmes - The Grascals
The Grascals - The Company We Keep
The Del McCoury Band - Ragin’ Live
Rhonda Vincent and the Rage
Best Traditional Folk Album
(Vocal or Instrumental)
- Live From Dublin: A Tribute to Derek Bell
The Chieftains - Come On Back
Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Fiddler’s Green
Tim O’Brien - Live in the UK
Tom Paxton - Cajun Mardi Gras!
Jo-el Sonnier
Best Contemporary Folk Album
(Vocal or Instrumental)
- Chávez Ravine
Ry Cooder - The Outsider
Rodney Crowell - Why Should the Fire Die?
Nickel Creek - Fair & Square
John Prine - Devils & Dust
Bruce Springsteen
Craig Shelburne