 Sir Paul McCartney |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 14, 2007) – Nominations for the 50
th Annual GRAMMY® Awards were announced by The Recording Academy® last week, reflecting a year in which Yamaha artists were recognized multiple times across multiple genres. Pop superstar Justin Timberlake earned five nominations, while Paul McCartney and the Christian band Casting Crowns each earned three nods.
"We are extremely proud of all of our Yamaha artists who were acknowledged for their tremendous talents. It is an honor to support them in their careers, and we wish them all the best of luck," comments Chris Gero, vice president of Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs, Inc.
Justin Timberlake, who plays Yamaha keyboards and guitars and already has four GRAMMYs under his belt, finds himself amid numerous nominations once again. His song "What Goes Around … Comes Around" is up for the prestigious Record of the Year award, along with releases from Beyoncé, Foo Fighters, Rihanna and Amy Winehouse. Timberlake is also nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, Best Dance Recording and Best Rap Song.
Timberlake isn't the only Yamaha artist in the running for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. The legendary
Paul McCartney is up for the award for "Dance Tonight" and so is multi-platinum artist
Michael Bublé for "Everything."
Paul McCartney, who performs on Yamaha Grand pianos, is also up for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for "Only Mama Knows" and Best Pop Vocal Album for
Memory Almost Full. Yamaha drummer
Matt Flynn of Maroon 5 joins McCartney in the latter category for the band's album
It Won't Be Soon Before Long.
Flynn goes head to head with another Yamaha artist in the category of Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals category. Maroon 5 is nominated for "Makes Me Wonder," while Yamaha drummer
Larry Mullen Jr. of U2 is up for the award for the song "Window In The Skies."
Famed Canadian crooner Bublé and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer
James Taylor are both vying for the title of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Bublé is nominated for
Call Me Irresponsible, while Taylor's Christmas album
James Taylor At Christmas earned him the nomination.
Yamaha artist
Alicia Keys, whose recent release
As I Am marked her fourth straight No. 1 album debut, was honored with two nominations, including: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song, both for her hit single "No One."
Fourteen-time GRAMMY Award winner and Yamaha artist
Tony Bennett has a chance to add another GRAMMY to his collection for his unique collaboration with Christina Aguilera. He and Aguilera are nominated for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for "Steppin' Out."
Yamaha Gospel artists were well represented this year with nominations going to
Michael W. Smith for
Stand and the
Casting Crowns for
The Altar And The Door for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. Two Yamaha artists are in the Best Gospel Performance category as well with Casting Crowns nominated for "East to West" and
CeCe Winans for "He Set My Life To Music."
Casting Crowns' front man and Yamaha piano artist
John Mark Hall is also nominated for Best Gospel Song, a songwriter's award, for "East to West."
Fred Hammond garnered a nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album for
Free To Worship and producer
Ed Cash garnered one for Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album for his work on
I'll Fly Away: Country Hymns & Songs Of Faith.
Yamaha artists also shine in the Jazz categories. American jazz saxophonist
Dave Koz has a chance to win his first GRAMMY awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for "Over The Rainbow" and Best Pop Instrumental Album for
At The Movies. Yamaha drummer
Oliver Charles is also nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for his work with Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals on "Paris Sunrise #7."
Yamaha keyboardist
Jeff Lorber is up for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for
He Had A Hat. Yamaha drummer
Ray Brinker is up for Best Jazz Vocal Album for his work with Tierney Sutton (Band) on the album
On The Other Side. Yamaha guitarist John Patitucci's album
Line By Line earned him a nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, and Yamaha drummer
Mark Walker is up for Best Latin Jazz Album for his work with Yamaha saxophone artist
Paquito D'Rivera Quintet on
Funk Tango. Walker is also nominated for Best Instrumental Composition for his work as a composer on
Deep Six.
Brad Paisley racked up several GRAMMY nominations this year, including: Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "Oh Love" with Carrie Underwood and Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Throttleneck."
Yamaha artists were nominated in practically every genre, from pop to alternative to hard rock. Other nominations include: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for
Fergie; Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for drummer
Larry Mullen Jr. of U2 and guitarist and lead singer
Chad Kroeger of Nickelback; Best Hard Rock Performance for Yamaha guitarist
Troy Van Leeuwen of Queens of the Stone Age; Best Alternative Album for
Arcade Fire; Best Hawaiian Music Album for producer and Yamaha guitarist
Daniel Ho; and Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media for composer
James Newton Howard.
The 50
th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held Feb. 10, 2008, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live in high definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
A complete listing of all Yamaha artists nominated for a GRAMMY follows.
Yamaha artists nominated for a GRAMMY include:
Record Of The Year
"What Goes Around…Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
"Big Girls Don't Cry" - Fergie
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
"Everything" - Michael Bublé
"Dance Tonight" - Paul McCartney
"What Goes Around é Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
"Makes Me Wonder" - Maroon 5 (Yamaha artist Matt Flynn on drums)
"Window In The Skies" - U2
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
"Steppin' Out" - Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera
"Give It To Me" - Justin Timberlake
Best Pop Instrumental Performance
"Paris Sunrise #7" - Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals (Yamaha artist Oliver Charles on drums)
"Over The Rainbow" - Dave Koz
Best Pop Instrumental Album
At The Movies - Dave Koz
Best Pop Vocal Album
It Won't Be Soon Before Long - Maroon 5 (Yamaha artist Matt Flynn on drums)
Memory Almost Full - Paul McCartney
Best Dance Recording
"LoveStoned/I Think She Knows" - Justin Timberlake
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Call Me Irresponsible - Michael Bublé
James Taylor At Christmas - James Taylor
Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
"Only Mama Knows" - Paul McCartney
Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
"If Everyone Cared" - Nickelback (Yamaha artist Chad Kroeger, lead singer, guitar)
"Instant Karma" - U2 (Yamaha artist Larry Mullen Jr. on drums)
Best Hard Rock Performance
"Sick, Sick, Sick," - Queens Of The Stone Age (Yamaha artist Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar)
Best Alternative Music Album
Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
"No One" - Alicia Keys
Best R&B Song
"No One" - Alicia Keys
Best Rap Song
"Ayo Technology" - Justin Timberlake
Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
"Oh Love" - Brad Paisley (with Carrie Underwood)
Best Country Instrumental Performance
"Throttleneck" - Brad Paisley
Best Contemporary Jazz Album
He Had A Hat - Jeff Lorber
Best Jazz Vocal Album
On The Other Side - Tierney Sutton (Band) (Yamaha artist Ray Brinker on drums)
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
Line By Line - John Patitucci
Best Latin Jazz Album
Funk Tango - Paquito D'Rivera Quintet and Yamaha artist Mark Walker on drums
Best Gospel Performance
"East To West" - Casting Crowns
"He Set My Life To Music" - CeCe Winans
Best Gospel Song
"East To West" - Mark Hall (Casting Crowns)
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
The Altar And The Door - Casting Crowns
Stand - Michael W. Smith
Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album
I'll Fly Away: Country Hymns & Songs Of Faith Various Artists - Ed Cash, producer
Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album
Free To Worship - Fred Hammond
Best Hawaiian Music Album
Treasures Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Daniel Ho, producer
Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
Blood Diamond - James Newton Howard, composer
Best Instrumental Composition
Deep Six - Mark Walker, composer
Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album
King Cake - Lisa Haley
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists
"In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" - Jay Ashby
Best Chamber Music Performance
"On the Threshold of Hope" - Joaquin Valdepeñas
