Grammys 2020: The Country Music Winners

Winners in the country music, Americana/roots, and bluegrass categories were announced during the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

Tanya Tucker won two awards, Best Country Album for While I’m Livin’ and Best Country Song for “Bring My Flowers Now.”

“After almost 50 years in this business, after many dreams, it’s still unbelievable to me that I’d still have a few firsts left. After 14 trips, 14 nominations, this is the first win,” Tucker said upon accepting the trophy for Best Country Song, which she shared with her co-writers Phil and Tim Hanseroth, and Brandi Carlile, who co-produced While I’m Livin‘ with Shooter Jennings.

“This is really Tanya’s moment and this is her song and this song is the story of her life,” Carlile said. “At 61 years old, it’s a woman in country music leading the way.”

“I just want to say that no matter how young or old you are, never stop following your dream,” Tucker said.

Jennings, the son of Waylon Jennings, joined Tucker and Carlile onstage to accept Best Country Album. “Your daddy is up there with mine right now. He’s really proud of us right now,” she said to Jennings, referencing her own father Beau Tucker who died in 2006.

Rounding out the off-camera country awards, Willie Nelson’s “Ride Me Back Home,” the title track to his latest album, was named Best Country Solo Performance.

Dan + Shay won Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their single “Speechless,” an award presented during the telecast by Shania Twain and Bebe Rexha.

Elsewhere, Michael Cleveland’s Tall Fiddler was named Best Bluegrass Album. The eclectic album by the fiddle prodigy mixes traditional bluegrass with some country-rock, like a rollicking cover of John Hiatt’s “Tennessee Plates.” Cleveland, who is partially deaf and was born blind, is the subject of the documentary Flamekeeper: The Michael Cleveland Story and a perennial winner of the IBMA Fiddler of the Year award.

Other winners include Patty Griffin’s self-titled album for Best Folk Album, Sara Bareilles’ “Saint Honesty” for Best American Roots Performance, and I’m With Her’s “Call My Name” for Best American Roots Song. Keb’ Mo’ won Best Americana Album for his LP Oklahoma.

Here are the complete country music winners:

Best Country Solo Performance
“All Your’n,” Tyler Childers
“Girl Goin’ Nowhere,” Ashley McBryde
“Ride Me Back Home,” Willie Nelson – WINNER
“God’s Country,” Blake Shelton
“Bring My Flowers Now,” Tanya Tucker

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Brand New Man,” Brooks & Dunn with Luke Combs
“I Don’t Remember Me (Before You),” Brothers Osborne
“Speechless,” Dan + Shay – WINNER
“The Daughters,” Little Big Town
“Common,” Maren Morris Featuring Brandi Carlile

Best Country Song
“Bring My Flowers Now,” Tanya Tucker (Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth, and Tanya Tucker, songwriters) – WINNER
“Girl Goin’ Nowhere,” Ashley McBryde (Jeremy Bussey and Ashley McBryde, songwriters)
“It All Comes Out in the Wash,” Miranda Lambert (Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, and Liz Rose, songwriters)
“Some of It,” Eric Church (Eric Church, Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde, and Bobby Pinson, songwriters)
“Speechless,” Dan + Shay (Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers, and Laura Veltz, songwriters)

Best Country Album
Desperate Man, Eric Church
Stronger Than the Truth, Reba McEntire
Interstate Gospel, Pistol Annies
Center Point Road, Thomas Rhett
While I’m Livin’, Tanya Tucker – WINNER

Best American Roots Performance
“Saint Honesty,” Sara Bareilles — WINNER
“Father Mountain,” Calexico and Iron & Wine
“I’m on My Way,” Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
“Call My Name,” I’m With Her
“Faraway Look,” Yola

Best American Roots Song
“Black Myself,” Our Native Daughters (Amythyst Kiah, songwriter)
“Call My Name,” I’m With Her (Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins, songwriters) – WINNER
“Crossing to Jerusalem,” Rosanne Cash (Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal, songwriters)
“Faraway Look,” Yola (Dan Auerbach, Yola Carter, and Pat McLaughlin, songwriters)
“I Don’t Wanna Ride the Rails No More,” Vince Gill (Vince Gill, songwriter)

Best Americana Album
Years to Burn, Calexico and Iron & Wine
Who Are You Now, Madison Cunningham
Oklahoma, Keb’ Mo’ — WINNER
Tales of America, J.S. Ondara
Walk Through Fire, Yola

Best Bluegrass Album
Tall Fiddler, Michael Cleveland – WINNER
Live in Prague, Czech Republic, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Toil, Tears & Trouble, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Royal Traveller, Missy Raines
If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

Best Folk Album
My Finest Work Yet, Andrew Bird
Rearrange My Heart, Che Apalache
Patty Griffin, Patty Griffin – WINNER
Evening Machines, Gregory Alan Isakov
Front Porch, Joy Williams