Louisiana musicians stood tall among the winners at the 66th Grammy Awards, handed out Sunday night.
The Lost Bayou Ramblers shared their second Grammy with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for their collaboration, “Live: Orpheum Theater Nola.” It was the LPO’s first Grammy win.
That award came in the Best Regional Roots Music Album category, in which Louisiana musicians had captured all the nominations. No surprise, then, that the voting ended in a tie, with Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. & The Legendary Ils Sont Partis Band also winning for its “New Beginnings” album.
PJ Morton won his 5th Grammy for “Good Morning” (featuring Susan Carol) in the Best Traditional R&B Performance category.
Meanwhile Terence Blanchard notched his 6th Grammy for his first opera, “Champion.” The work tells the story of boxer Emile Griffith and featured Ryan Speedo Green in the title role. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducted The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
While local producer and two-time Grammy winner Scott Billington didn’t receive an award this year, he can bask in the glory of Bobby Rush’s “All My Love For You.” The Billington-produced album won in the Traditional Blues Album category.
Other Louisiana artists in the mix at the 66th Grammy awards: Rickie Lee Jones, Jon Batiste, the New Orleans Nightcrawlers, Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, the New Breed Brass Band, and The Rumble featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.
