Surprises and Sure Bets Share 2020 Grammy Nominations in American Roots Category

The 2020 Grammy nominations were announced early this morning, and some roots music artists woke up to some very good news. Here are the nominees in the American Roots Music category, which includes Americana, bluegrass, folk, blues, and music from regional traditions. The award winners will be announced at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony on Jan. 26. Nominees released music during the eligibility year of Oct. 1, 2018 to Aug. 31, 2019.

No Depression has reviewed almost all of the albums listed below. You can browse our Reviews page here or search for a review by name using the magnifying glass icon in our navigation bar at the top of the page.

BEST AMERICANA ALBUM

Years to Burn – Calexico + Iron & Wine
Who Are You Now – Madison Cunningham
Oklahoma – Keb’Mo’
Tales of America – J.S. Ondara
Walk Through Fire – Yola

BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG

“Black Myself” – Amythyst Kiah, songwriter (Our Native Daughters)
“Call My Name” – Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)
“Crossing to Jerusalem” – Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, songwriters (Rosanne Cash)
“Faraway Look” ­– Dan Auerbach, Yola Carter & Pat McLaughlin, songwriters (Yola)
“I Don’t Wanna Ride the Rails No More” – Vince Gill, songwriter (Vince Gill)

BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE

“Saint Honesty” ­­– Sara Bareilles
“Father Mountain” ­– Calexico + Iron & Wine
“I’m on My Way” – Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
“Call My Name” – I’m With Her
“Faraway Look” – Yola

BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM

Tall Fiddler – Michael Cleveland
Live in Prague, Czech Republic – Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Toil, Tears & Trouble – The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Royal Traveller ­­– Missy Raines
If You Can’t Stand the Heat – Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

BEST FOLK ALBUM

My Finest Work Yet – Andrew Bird
Rearrange My Heart – Che Apalache
Patty Griffin – Patty Griffin
Evening Machines – Gregory Alan Isakov
Front Porch – Joy Williams

BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM

Kingfish – Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Tall, Dark & Handsome – Delbert Mcclinton & Self-Made Men
Sitting on Top of the Blues – Bobby Rush
Baby, Please Come Home – Jimmie Vaughan
Spectacular Class – Jontavious Willis

BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM

This Land – Gary Clark Jr.
Venom & Faith – Larkin Poe
Brighter Days – Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Somebody Save Me – Sugaray Rayford
Keep On – Southern Avenue

BEST REGIONAL ROOTS MUSIC ALBUM

Kalawai’anui ­– Amy Hānaiali’i
When It’s Cold: Cree Round Dance Songs – Northern Cree
Good Time – Ranky Tanky
Recorded Live at the 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – Rebirth Brass Band
Hawaiian Lullaby – (Various Artists) Imua Garza & Kimié Miner, producers

OTHER CATEGORIES

Also of interest, from other categories:

• Yola is nominated for Best New Artist
• Tyler Childers (“All Your’n”) and Tanya Tucker (“Bring My Flowers Now”) are nominated for Best Country Solo Performance
• Tanya Tucker’s While I’m Livin’ and Pistol Annies’ Interstate Gospel are nominated for Best Country Album
• Bon Iver’s I,I is nominated for Album of the Year
• Tanya Tucker’s “Bring My Flowers Now,” co-written with Brandi Carlile, is nominated for Song of the Year and Best Country Song
• Gary Clark Jr. (“This Land”) and Brittany Howard (“History Repeats”) are nominated for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song
• Big Thief (U.F.O.F.) and Bon Iver (I,I) are nominated for Best Alternative Music Album
• Flor de Toloache is nominated for Best Latin Rock, Urban, or Alternative Album for Indestructible
• Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown Broadway recording is nominated for Best Musical Theater Album
• Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection and Woodstock: Back to the Garden – The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive are nominated for Best Historical Album
• Dan Auerbach is nominated for Producer of the Year, with credits including albums by Yola, The Gibson Brothers, The Black Keys, and Leo Bud Welch
• Films about David Crosby (Remember My Name) and Miles Davis (Birth of the Cool) are nominated for Best Music Film

For a list of nominees in all 84 Grammy categories, visit grammy.com.