There isn’t much of interest for Country Music fans at the Grammy Awards, except that the historical collection of recordings by Ernest V. Stoneman has a nomination for writer Hank Sapoznik.
The album does not get a nomination for best historical album. Go Figure. Polk Miller and his old South Quartette have a nomination for best Historical Album.
I should note that ‘Hank Williams The Unreleased Recordings’ is not eligible this year since the cut off date is September 30th. So the historic Hank Williams collection will be eligible for Grammy Awards next year, and should get a few nominations.
The Stoneman album has a compelling title: ‘Ernest V. Stoneman The Unsung Father of Country Music: 1925-1934’.
For those of us who are not by any means experts in Country Music History, the historical line goes something like Vernon Dalhartt, Jimmie Rodgers, Carter Family, Hank Williams, to the present. Of course you can throw in Bob Wills, Roy Acuff and a bunch of others in the list.
This album attempts to restore the important place of Ernest Stoneman in that lexicon. In fact the liner notes remind us that Stoneman recorded with Frank Peer before Rodgers and the Carters and he in fact arranged those famous sessions in Bristol,Virginia.
So congratulations to Henry “Hank” Sapoznik for his fine work.
I am not familiar with Polk Miller so I will have to leave explanation and discussion of that nomination to others.
Here is the Polk Miller website.
Back to Ernest Stoneman, here is an excellent article and video about Hank Sapoznik and the Stoneman album on the PopMatters site.
Elswhere in the Grammy Awards there doesn’t seem to be anything much of interest. Patty Loveless has a best album nomination for her ‘Sleepless Nights’, and there is an impressive list of Bluegrass artists in the nominees for best album in that category.
It’s all pretty much the same old faces and the same old musical chairs in the main categories, at least that’s how I see it anyway.
A Hank Williams Journal 