Nashville Gets Grammy Love: Show Highlights and Winners

Taylor Swift opens the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. Photo: Kevin Winter/WireImage

Tons of Grammy trophies are on their way home to Nashville today (Feb. 11). For the fifth year running, Music City’s acclaimed all-genre talent pool was on display at the three-hour-plus performance-fest.

Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys emerged the big winner at last night’s show, taking home four Grammys, including Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical, and three with bandmate and fellow Nashvillian Patrick Carney for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for “Lonely Boy,” and Best Rock Album for El Camino. Though Auerbach’s acceptance speech for Best Rock Performance wasn’t the evening’s most enthusiastic, he redeemed himself by giving a shout-out to his adopted hometown, and then proved why The Black Keys won the award by rocking the socks off the audience during a set with Dr. John.

Taylor Swift’s captivating opening number of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” set the tone for a night of outstanding performances when she fell down the rabbit hole into a magical Alice-In-Circus-Wonderland parade of outrageous characters. Proving that red is so 2012, she donned all-white for last night’s show, red carpet and the recent People’s Choice Awards. Swift, The Civil Wars and T Bone Burnett won the award for Best Song Written For Visual Media “Safe & Sound” (From The Hunger Games).

Carrie Underwood performs during the Grammys. Photo: Kevin Winter/WireImage

Carrie Underwood’s hit “Blown Away” received two honors. She won her sixth Grammy, for Best Country Solo Performance, while songwriters Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins took home Best County Song. It is the fourth Grammy for Kear and second for Tompkins; they also won in 2008 for Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.” For last night’s performance of “Blown Away” and new single “Two Black Cadillacs,” Underwood donned a silvery ball gown that shone with a montage of video projections. The downside was that it prevented her from moving around the stage. Newcomer Frank Ocean (Best Urban Contemporary Album) also made good use of video during his set, too bad the song “Forrest Gump” couldn’t keep pace.

Rounding out the country winners were Little Big Town for Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Pontoon”) and Zac Brown Band for Best Country Album (Uncaged). Zac Brown also teamed with Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Elton John, Mumford & Sons and Mavis Staples, for a stellar take on The Band’s classic “The Weight” during a salute to the late Levon Helm. 

Nominees Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley teamed up for their respective hits “Over You” and “Home.”

As always, Kelly Clarkson was in amazing voice during a tribute to Lifetime Achievement Award winners Patti Page and Carole King by performing their songs “The Tennessee Waltz” and “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman.” Clarkson’s excitement was infectious when accepting the award for Best Pop Vocal Album for “Stronger.”

Nashville-based rocker Jack White utilized both of his backing bands during a segment that was a rousing success when he played one song with the female musicians and another with the male musicians.

Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman and Blake Shelton made appearances. Hunter Hayes scored three nominations and a performance slot. Plus, his new partnership with Pepsi was highlighted prominently during a commercial break.

Justin Timberlake performs at the Grammy Awards. Photo: Kevin Winter

After a long hiatus from music, Justin Timberlake offered his smokin’ hot new single “Suit & Tie,” in one of the Grammy’s coolest moments. Part of his big-band-style performance featuring Jay-Z was broadcast in black-and-white to at-home viewers, before bursting into living color.

Superstar pairings have long been a Grammy hallmark, with last night’s highlights including newbie Ed Sheerhan with icon Elton John; Alicia Keys with Maroon 5; and Bruno Mars with Sting, Rihanna and Ziggy Marley.

Nashville’s Grammy winning streak started in 2009 when Raising Sand, the Alison Krauss/Robert Plant collaboration, was the top winner. The most-honored torch was carried by Swift in 2010 and Lady Antebellum in 2011. Last year, Nashville was well-represented with wins by Swift, Lady A, Alison Krauss and Union Station, and The Civil Wars.

—Sarah Skates

A full list of televised award recipients is below.

Click here for MusicRow’s list of the 2013 pre-telecast Grammy award winners.

Miranda Lambert performs alongside tourmate Dierks Bentley during the Grammy telecast. Photo: Kevin Winter (Lambert) and Kevin Mazur (Bentley)

BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
Blown Away
Carrie Underwood
Track from: Blown Away
Label: 19 Recordings Limited/Arista Nashville

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
Uncaged
Zac Brown Band
Label: Southern Ground/Atlantic

Kelly Clarkson and manager fiance Brandon Blackstock.

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
Stronger
Kelly Clarkson
Label: RCA Records/19 Recordings LLC

BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
Lonely Boy
The Black Keys
Track from: El Camino
Label: Nonesuch

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Babel
Mumford & Sons
Markus Dravs, producer; Robin Baynton & Ruadhri Cushnan, engineers/mixers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer
Label: Glassnote

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
Set Fire To The Rain [Live]
Adele
Track from: Live At The Royal Albert Hall
Label: XL/Columbia

SONG OF THE YEAR
We Are Young
Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun. Featuring Janelle Monáe)
Track from: Some Nights
Label: Fueled By Ramen; Publishers: WB Music, FBR Music, Bearvon Music/Rough Art/Shira Lee Lawrence Rick Music/Way Above Music/Sony ATV Songs

BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
Label: Def Jam

BEST NEW ARTIST
Fun.

RECORD OF THE YEAR
Somebody That I Used To Know
Gotye Featuring Kimbra
Wally De Backer, producer; Wally De Backer & Francois Tetaz, engineers/mixers; William Bowden, mastering engineer
Track from: Making Mirrors
Label: Universal Republic