Keith Urban
Susan Stewart, who heads the Nashville chapter of the Recording Academy -- the organization that confers the awards -- announced that Nashville placed nominees in 34 different categories, well beyond the chapter's usual dominance of the country and gospel divisions.
Well over a dozen nominated acts, songwriters, producers and technicians attended the event, including Keith Urban, who's in the running for best male country vocal performance for "You'll Think of Me"; Marcus Hummon, Jeff Hanna and Bobby Boyd, whose "Bless the Broken Road" is up for both song of the year and best country song; and the Grascals, whose self-titled debut album is contending for best bluegrass album.
Three acts that are vying for the best southern, country or bluegrass gospel album prize were on hand -- the Jordanaires (Southern Meets Soul: An American Gospel Jubilee), the Crabb Family (Live at Brooklyn Tabernacle) and Steve Gatlin (Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Sing Their Family Gospel Favorites).
Other nominees at the party were Dennis Scott, producer of Songs From the Neighborhood: The Music of Mister Rogers, which is nominated for best musical album for children; John Prine, whose Fair & Square is in the best contemporary folk album category; Walter Ostanek, gunning for best polka album with Time Out for Polka and Waltzes; Béla Fleck and Sam Bush, up for best country instrumental performance with "Who's Your Uncle?"; director George Flanigen IV of Deaton Flanigen, whose "God's Will" video for Martina McBride is nominated for best short form music video; and engineer Chuck Ainlay, whose work on Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms: 20th Anniversary Edition helped put it in consideration for best surround sound album.
Music for the party was provided by the Brian "Breeze" Cayolle jazz trio from New Orleans.
