Beatles, Robots, Weddings and More.... Oh My!

Steve Graham wrote that headline, not me, as he noted that Kacey Musgraves did very well at The Grammy's with two wins, while Taylor Swift walked away empty handed:  "It was an interesting night at the Grammy's.  Some are calling it the best in years while others are talking about the performance of Willie Nelson, Kris Kristoferson, Merle Haggard and Blake Shelton as the highlight of the night."

It was so good to see Paul McCartney and Ringo together too and it was a mix of new and old for sure.

It's hard to question, with 29 million folks watching, Darius Rucker as Best Country Solo Performance with "Wagon Wheel" and while fans of country music on the radio might have expected different "Best Country Song" winners than Musgraves' "Merry Go Round," Kacey's "Same Trailer Different Park" was certainly deserving of "Best Country Album" and is just the bill of fare those normally-eclectic-when-it-comes-to-country music Grammy voters usually choose over "hits." 

It's rewarding to see Kacey and her label get a nice spike in sales today after the TV appearance.

More of a head-scratcher for me was "From This Valley" by The Civil Wars for Best Country Duo/Group Performance in the wake of the year Florida Georgia Line just had.

Macklemore &  Ryan Lewis had to wait for Grammy to give them their due too and I join Duane Doobie in being amazed that they got the Grammy award for best new artist – "as if they just suddenly appeared magically overnight."

Perhaps FGL needs another year of multiple #1's before those strange Grammy voters - who always seem to dislike awarding commercial successes - take note?

Slim & Howdy Go Out With A Lot Of Class (and Merle Haggard too!)

Longtime media relations/artist development type/journalist for Rolling Stone, Spin, Creem, Musician, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Frets, contributing editor at American Songwriter and numerous other publications, Holly Gleason has probably seen it all.

Or at least I thought she had until last night, when she got to see Brooks & Dunn in the midst of their last weekend:

"It made me proud to be part of the last 25 years of country music! They're coming to Nashville on Thursday night, it benefits the Country Music Hall of Fame, but more importantly, they're culminating a pretty staggering run of country as the century turned. Maybe it'll fire you up to rock them hard in the next few days."

Click to read her (via No Depression) review of the show.

"Ironic the iconic Merle Haggard would serve as the most awarded duo in country music history’s opening act – given Haggard’s own status as a legend. For Brooks & Dunn, knowing this was the final run of a very distinguished show, the pair opted for an artist who inspired them, engaged them and especially who they felt deserved the opportunity to be heard by their fans one last time."