Grammy Spotlight Shines On Louisiana Artists
February 11, 2019
Six Louisiana performers honored with music’s top awards
BATON ROUGE, La. — From jazz to blues and contemporary Christian music to heavy metal, Louisiana artists across a broad musical spectrum were big winners at the 61st annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night. Six Louisiana performers won a total of seven Grammys in the annual showcase of the music industry’s best work.
“Louisiana has always been rich with musical talent and last night’s winners are proof that our legacy lives on,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “Congratulations to all of Louisiana’s Grammy winners and nominees. You make us all very proud.”
Lafayette, Louisiana, native Lauren Daigle won two Grammys, for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Look Up Child and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for You Say, co-written with Jason Ingram and Paul Mabury. Daigle’s third studio album, Look Up Child, has topped the Billboard Christian album chart for more than four months. You Sayhas held down the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart for the past 28 weeks.
PJ Morton of New Orleans, known as both a solo artist and as keyboardist for the band Maroon 5, won the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for his song, How Deep Is Your Love. The recording featured guest artist Abbey Smith, known by the stage name Yebba. Morton’s recording was one of two winners in the category, tying with Leon Bridges.
Blues guitarist Buddy Guy, a native of Lettsworth, Louisiana, in Pointe Coupee Parish, won his eighth Grammy for The Blues Is Alive and Well, which was nominated in the Best Traditional Blues Album category.
New Orleans jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard won his sixth Grammy, in Best Instrumental Composition, for Blut Und Boden (Blood and Soil) from the BlacKkKlansman soundtrack.
Eight-time Grammy nominee and drummer/producer Brian Blade of Shreveport won his third Grammy, this time for Best Instrumental Jazz Album with the Wayne Shorter Quartet for the album, Emanon.
And Des Kensel of New Orleans won his first Grammy for Best Metal Performance with the band High on Fire. The drummer for High on Fire, Kensel and his group earned the award for their album, Electric Messiah.
“The success of our local artists at this year’s Grammy Awards demonstrates that Louisiana’s traditional leadership role in creative music and entertainment is still recognized as best-in-class,” Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson said. “At LED, we work with our creative artists in music, digital media, film and TV productions to sustain and grow our entertainment industry, and provide programs to encourage these creative leaders to invest more permanently in our state. There is no better place than Louisiana for creating and producing the very best entertainment content.”
Other Louisiana artists who were nominated for Grammy Awards this year included Jon Batiste, Sean Ardoin, Cha Wa, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Koryn Hawthorne and Mary Gauthier.