CMT News

Emmylou Harris, Alabama's Jeff Cook and Shelby Lynne started collecting Grammy Week awards on Tuesday (Feb. 20) at the 2001 Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards during afternoon ceremonies at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Harris was named Best Acoustic Guitarist Female; Cook was honored Best Country Guitarist Male; and Lynne, who once was a country artist, took Best Country Guitarist Female. "The guitar has meant so much to me," Harris said as she accepted her award. "The mystery of music and the beauty of music was never really unlocked for me until I came into contact with the guitar." The "romantic image of women with guitars" appealed to her, Harris went on to say, but eventually she had to learn to play. She got a book and learned three chords. "I'm really grateful for this award, because I still don't know more than three chords." Cook showed great emotion accepting his award. "I can remember searching pawn shops all over Chattanooga, Birmingham, looking for a guitar I could afford," he said. "I've won a lot of things with Alabama, but this is the first thing, recently, that I've gotten on my own." He dedicated his award to the late NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt. After the ceremony, he named James Burton, the Ventures, Danny Gatton and Jerry Reed among his major influences. Lynne did not attend the Gibson awards luncheon.