GRAMMYs

LeAnn Rimes

News

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch LeAnn Rimes Win Best New Artist At The 39th GRAMMY Awards

Facebook Twitter Email
Relive the moment when country-pop great LeAnn Rimes won the Best New Artist GRAMMY in 1997
GRAMMYs
Aug 28, 2020 - 10:33 am

Country-pop sensation LeAnn Rimes made history in 1997 when she, at just 14 years old, became the youngest person ever to win a GRAMMY, taking home Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance (for her rendition of "Blue," a cover of Bill Mack's 1958 track). Now, in our latest edition of GRAMMY Rewind, relive the moment where Rimes accepted her Best New Artists trophy:

LeAnn Rimes Wins Best New Artist

"Oh my gosh, I never expected this at all. This award means more to me than anything in this world," Rimes said breathlessly in her acceptance speech.

Watch Rimes' charming acceptance above.

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Kenny Rogers Win Best Country Vocal Performance For "Lucille" At The 20th GRAMMYs

Carrie Underwood at the 2007 GRAMMYs

Carrie Underwood at the 2007 GRAMMYs

News

GRAMMY Rewind: Carrie Underwood Wins Best New Artist At The 2007 GRAMMYs

Facebook Twitter Email
For the latest edition of GRAMMY Rewind, we look back at the country star's Best New Artist win at the 49th GRAMMY Awards in 2007
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Sep 18, 2020 - 11:08 am

For the latest edition of GRAMMY Rewind, we look back at country queen Carrie Underwood's Best New Artist win at the 49th GRAMMY Awards in 2007. Watch her full acceptance speech for the big win below.

"This is absolutely unbelievable. I love country music, first of all!" she said with a big smile.

Carrie Underwood Wins Best New Artist In 2007

In 2005, Underwood won the fourth season of "American Idol," making her a household name. Later that year, she would go on to release her first two (hit) singles and her debut album, Some Hearts, on Arista Nashville. The LP was also a hit, earning the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart.

Following that whirlwind breakthrough year, Underwood was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance, for her second-ever single, "Jesus, Take The Wheel." She won both categories and has been an unstoppable musical force in country ever since.

The "Cry Pretty" singer has gone on to earn seven total GRAMMYs to date. She won her third GRAMMY just the following year, earning Best Female Country Vocal Performance again, for her massive single "Before He Cheats."

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Carrie Underwood Perform "Before He Cheats" At The 2008 GRAMMYs

Zac Brown Band at the 2010 GRAMMYs

Zac Brown Band at the 2010 GRAMMYs

 
News

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Zac Brown Band Win Best New Artist At The 2010 GRAMMYs

Facebook Twitter Email
Following the release of their major-label debut single, "Chicken Fried," and the subsequent album, 'The Foundation,' the Georgia country outfit had arrived
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jul 31, 2020 - 9:57 am

Let's take a trip back to the 2010 GRAMMYs, when Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" was crowned Song Of The Year, Taylor Swift's Fearless snagged Album Of The Year and Zac Brown Band earned the coveted Best New Artist win.

For the latest episode of GRAMMY Rewind, GRAMMY.com celebrates frontman Zac Brown's 42nd birthday today (July 31) by revisiting the country rock band's first-ever GRAMMY win.

Zac Brown Band Win Best New Artist

Watch as Brown and bandmates Jimmy De Martini, John Driskell Hopkins, Coy Bowles and Chris Fryar accept their Best New Artist win, fittingly presented by GRAMMY-winning country superstar Keith Urban, with big smiles. (Then-newest member Clay Cook is represented by a printout of his face).

Watch: GRAMMY Rewind: Jennifer Lopez (In The Green Versace Dress) & David Duchovny Present Best R&B Album At The 2000 GRAMMYs

"There's so many people that we wanna thank, and it's such an honor to be on this stage," Brown said as he proudly held the golden gramophone. The band was able to take a moment to thank just about everyone that was a part of their breakthrough year—right before the exit music began to play.

The beloved Georgia group beat out fellow 2010 Best New Artist nominees Keri Hilson, MGMT, Silversun Pickups and The Ting Tings.

Vote: Poll: What's Your Favorite Song On Taylor Swift's 'Folklore'?

Later in the evening, Zac Brown Band also made their GRAMMY stage performance debut, playing a medley of "America The Beautiful," "Dixie Lullaby" and their breakout No. 1 country hit, "Chicken Fried," alongside GRAMMY-winning songwriting/guitar legend Leon Russell.

That same year, Zac Brown Band were also nominated for Best Country Album for their 2008 major-label debut LP, The Foundation, and Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Chicken Fried."

Since their big night, they have won two more GRAMMYs, for a grand total of three career GRAMMYs to date. They received three more nominations at the 2011 GRAMMYs, when they took home their second win for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "As She's Walking Away" featuring Alan Jackson.

Happy birthday, Zac!

Quarantine Diary: Charley Crockett Is Filming Three Music Videos At Sam's Town Point In Austin

Best New Artist winners

Photos: WireImage.com

Video

Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, Sam Smith: Best New Artist GRAMMY Rewind

Facebook Twitter Email
Time travel through GRAMMY history and revisit the fresh faces of Best New Artist winners
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 11, 2018 - 6:28 pm

Each year, one GRAMMY is awarded to recognize music's most promising new talent in the coveted Best New Artist category. Over the years, budding superstars such as Bette Midler, Natalie Cole, John Legend, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, and Maroon 5 have taken home the honor, with all since enjoying long, prolific careers.

Rewind: Best New Artist GRAMMY Winners

Just as the other three major GRAMMY categories — Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Album Of The Year — recognize those involved in an outstanding recording, composition, and collection of recordings respectively, Best New Artist celebrates the outstanding work of a new artist during the eligibility year.

How do we know who qualifies as a "new artist"? The category has arguably the most complex set of rules out of all 84 GRAMMY categories, but essentially a new artist is defined as any performing artist or established performing group who releases, during the eligibility year, the recording that first establishes the public identity of that artist or established group as a performer.

While the nuance of eligibility for Best New Artist has caused some confusion in the past, the implication of the honor is clear: this artist has arrived.

The Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual GRAMMY Awards when Bobby Darin won for 1959. Darin also took home Record Of The Year honors for "Mack The Knife," setting a high bar for the dozens of Best New Artist winners who have followed in his footsteps.

Since then, the Best New Artist recipients have spanned the likes of the Beatles, Carpenters, Rickie Lee Jones, Sheryl Crow, Alicia Keys, and Sam Smith, to name just a few. Last year's winner, Chance The Rapper, earned seven nominations for the 59th GRAMMY Awards, adding wins for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance to his Best New Artist trophy.

Who will be crowned this year's Best New Artist? Tune in to the 60th GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 28 to find out.

Here Are This Year's Contenders For Best New Artist | 60th GRAMMY Awards

GRAMMYs

Kenny Rogers

 
 
News

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Kenny Rogers Win Best Country Vocal Performance For "Lucille" At The 20th GRAMMYs

Facebook Twitter Email
Written by Roger Bowling and Hal Bynum, the gentle country ballad was released in Jan. 1977 as the second and final single from Rogers' sophomore release, the self-titled 'Kenny Rogers'
GRAMMYs
Aug 21, 2020 - 6:59 am

In 1977, country great Kenny Rogers had released his second solo studio album after leaving The First Edition in 1976. Come the 1978 GRAMMY Awards, Rogers famously took home his very first golden gramophone: Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, for his hit single "Lucille." 

Written by Roger Bowling and Hal Bynum, the gentle country ballad was released in Jan. 1977 as the second and final single from Rogers' aforementioned sophomore release, the self-titled Kenny Rogers. 

"I'm so glad I bought a new tux!" Rogers said jovially while accepting his GRAMMY. "This is really exciting for me. First of all, I would like to say that all of guys nominated are very good friends of mine, and that is equally important to me as being nominated."

Watch Kenny Rogers Win For "Lucille" In 1978

Credited as one of the key artists to take country music to mainstream audiences in the '70s and '80s, Rogers, who passed away in March of this year, was one of the best-selling music artists of all time, counting more than 100 million records sold worldwide. Across his nearly six-decade career, he recorded and performed music across multiple genres, including rock 'n' roll, psychedelic rock, folk and country, and topped multiple genre charts in the U.S. 

According to Billboard, Rogers notched 21 No. 1 hits on the Hot Country Songs chart and 12 chart-toppers on the Top Country Albums chart. His 1980 career-retrospective compilation album, Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits, topped the all-genre Billboard 200 chart the year it was released, becoming his sole No. 1 release on that chart. He scored two No. 1 hit songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. with "Lady," his 1980 song written and produced by Lionel Richie, and "Islands In The Stream," his 1983 Bee Gees-penned duet with Dolly Parton. 

In addition to his three GRAMMY wins and 19 overall nominations, Rogers received the Recording Academy's President's Merit Award in 1986. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2013. He received the Country Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and the Artist Of A Lifetime Award at the CMT Artists Of The Year 2015 award show, among many other lifetime awards and honors, according to his official bio.

Watch Rogers' history-making GRAMMY moment above.

Kenny Rogers, Country Music Icon And Actor, Dies At 81

Grammys Newsletter