Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, Jason Isbell, Zach Williams and CeCe Winans were among the early winners for the 60th annual Grammy Awards, held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The annual Grammys Premiere Ceremony, hosted by Paul Schaffer, was streamed online at grammy.com.
Chris Stapleton earned two early trophies, winning both Best Country Song (for “Broken Halos”) and Best Country Solo Performance (for “Either Way”).
“This is an amazing honor to be here. This song is just me and an acoustic guitar, so for that to win is a beautiful thing to me,” Stapleton said from the stage. He went on to thank his family and anyone who voted and bought the album.
Reba McEntire earned the Best Roots Gospel Album for Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope. “This honor isn’t mine,” she said. “I give this back to God.”
Little Big Town earned Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Better Man.”
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit earned both Best Americana Album (The Nashville Sound) and Best American Roots Performance (“If We Were Vampires”).
CeCe Winans was also a two-time winner, earning Best Gospel Performance/Song, and Best Gospel Album (for Let Them Fall In Love). Newcomer Zach Williams earned Best Contemporary Christian Music album, for Chain Breaker.
The televised portion of the 60th annual Grammy Awards will begin Sunday (Jan. 28) at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Early Winners Include:
Best Country Song (award goes to the songwriter): “Broken Halos,” Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: “Better Man,” Little Big Town
Best Country Solo Performance: “Either Way,” Chris Stapleton
Best Gospel Performance/Song: CeCe Winans, “Never Have To Be Alone”
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song: “What A Beautiful Name,” Hillsong Worship
Best Gospel Album: Let Them Fall In Love, CeCe Winans
Best Roots Gospel Album: Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope, Reba McEntire
Best American Roots Performance: “If We Were Vampires,” Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Best Americana Album: The Nashville Sound, Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit
Best Bluegrass Album: Law of Gravity, The Infamous Stringdusters and All The Rage, In Concert Volume One, Rhonda Vincent And The Rage (tie)
About the Author
Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.View Author Profile
