Best Spoken Word Album Nominees | 2020 GRAMMY Awards
The Best Spoken Word GRAMMY Award goes to notable poetry, audiobooks and storytelling recordings. In the past, political and cultural figures including Maya Angelou, Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, Jon Stewart and Hillary Clinton have taken the award. The 2020 GRAMMY nominees are people who earned the nod for audiobooks based on their own lives, a musician/songwriter that made an album about coping with a life-threatening disease and an author who ignites the spoken-word world with his fusion style.
Becoming — Michelle Obama
Former First Lady Michelle Obama surprised the world when she made an appearance last year during the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards. This year, she has earned her own GRAMMY nod for her audiobook, Becoming, which shares her journey from a little girl from the South Side of Chicago to lawyer and the First Lady of the United States.
Beastie Boys Book — Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Scott Sherratt and Dan Zitt
Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Scott Sherratt and Dan Zitt, who have all been nominated for a golden gramophone, are up for Best Spoken Word Album for Beastie Boys Book. The book is a memoir sharing details and stories behind the GRAMMY-winning band's musical journey with anecdotes of their friendship and growing up in New York amidst the growth of hip-hop.
I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years As A Two-Time Cancer Survivor- Eric Alexandrakis
Eric Alexandrakis' I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years As A Two-Time Cancer Survivor is based on Alexandrakis' journey with the disease. He made the album as a way to escape while he had a tumor in his chest and was going through chemotherapy. For Alexandrakis, the album ended up being more than an escape: it sparked his career.
Mr. Know-It-All — John Waters
Filmmaker, writer and comedian John Waters, known for his humor and films like 1988's Hairspray, isn't receiving his first nomination in this category. Waters was nominated for Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America during the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards. His 2020 nomination is for Mr. Know-It-All, in which he offers thoughts and anecdotes around Hollywood life—and everything else.
Sekou Andrews & The String Theory — Sekou Andrews & The String Theory
Two-time National Poetry Slam winner Sekou Andrews earns his first-time GRAMMY nomination with Sekou Andrews & The String Theory, a spoken-word album touching on themes including love, music, and poetry with his mix of humor, spoken-word style and writing featuring the artistic collective The String Theory.
