4 GRAMMY nominations for Smithsonian Folkways: Lead Belly + more

Smithsonian Folkways albums and projects received four nominations for the 58th GRAMMY Awards! The winners will be announced by The Recording Academy on February 15, 2016. Click here for the complete list of nominees: http://www.grammy.com/nominees

‘Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection’ is an in-depth commemorative assemblage of songs, photos and essays on one of America’s most treasured 20th-century icons, released during the year of the 125th anniversary of Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter's birth. The Smithsonian Folkways compilation 'Folkways -- A Vision Shared: A Tribute To Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly' won the GRAMMY for Best Traditional Folk Recording, and in 2015, Lead Belly's 1942 recording of the American folk song "Rock Island Line" was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame. 

GRAMMY nominated 2015 album 'Tradición, Arte Y Pasión' serves a fitting tribute to legendary mariachi musician, bandleader, teacher, and advocate Natividad “Nati” Cano, who died last fall during the album’s production. In February 2009 Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano's album 'Amor, Dolor y Lagrima' won the GRAMMY for best Mexican regional album, and in 2006 their album '¡Llegaron Los Camperos!' was nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album.

Songs My Mother Taught Me, compiled from 1963 field recordings, breathes new life into the legacy of Civil Rights activist and singer Fannie Lou Hamer.

This is the first GRAMMY nomination in the 40-plus year career for bilingual children’s musician, author, and educator José-Luis Orozco.

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings now has 29 GRAMMY nominations.

Nomination List:

*Best Album Notes: Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection

Jeff Place, album notes writer (Lead Belly)

http://www.folkways.si.edu/leadbelly

*Best Regional Mexican Album: Tradición, Arte Y Pasión

Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano

http://www.folkways.si.edu/mariachi-los-camperos-de-nati-cano/tradicion-arte-y-pasion/latin-world/music/album/smithsonian

*Best Children's Album: ¡Come Bien! Eat Right!

José-Luis Orozco

http://www.folkways.si.edu/news-and-press/jose-luis-orozco-come-bien-eat-right

*Best Historical Album: Songs My Mother Taught Me

Mark Puryear, compilation producer; Pete Reiniger, mastering engineer (Fannie Lou Hamer)

http://www.folkways.si.edu/fannie-lou-hamer/songs-my-mother-taught-me/african-american-gospel-struggle-protest/music/album/smithsonian