I lost my Grammy to a runaway mule back in the 70s, and I've missed her squash pie ever since. You know, the kind with the little marshmallows baked brown on the top?

Darn mule.

I'm not sure what "who deserves a grammy" means. As associate producer of the Napa Valley Music Festival, and attendee of many Folk Alliance conventions, I experienced the truly fabulous music of untold numbers of folk artists. Most were/are worthy of "grammies". Unfortunately, most will be consigned to the often lonely trials and tribulations of criss-crossing the country, only to bring their artistry to the small coffeee shops and musical venues that keep their personal spark of hope alive.

Perhaps some folk purists might say, "I really am doing this music because I love it and don't give a hang what others think". Others may be looking to grab the golden ring. I think it goes without saying that in this "quick-minute-sign em-stamp em-sell em" musical environment, the record companies and those with enough $ to do necessary promotion, are pretty much gonna call the tunes all artists dance to.

I believe that should there be another folk revival such as the nation experienced in the 60's, the reverse of contemporary vs traditional will occur. Then there will likely be a rush to incorporate many other forms into the folk genre. Contemporary & traditional will blossom into many categories and sub-categories. I sure hope the revival comes soon. I am getting tired of seeing the musical solitude on the faces of too many worthy ones.

The music industry holds a 3 to 4 hour commercial every year where they have a chance to advertise to millions of people worldwide, and charge an admission at the door!

I say that if folk music wants to reward truly deserving individuals, don't look to a soulless industry that cynically celebrates it's own ruthlessness. Take a grass roots approach and create a meaningful system of honors for deserving individuals.

Jim - Sorry to hear about your grammy. It's tough to lose loved ones to livestock!

Well, you know how mules are, they just don't forgive or forget. Guess Grams needled it once too often.

The Grammy Awards are very much Ceasar's things to Ceasar - the ARS giveth, and the ARS taketh away. It is their critter, so they can give it to whoever they want, in whatever category they care to create. Ain't nunna our beeswax.

I myself have my own award, the Spammy, for most tasteless prepackaged goo released over the past year. We must be on the same wavelength, me and the ARS, because we almost always give our awards to the same artists, without ever consulting each other.

I am just glad that Patty Griffin can get some national recognition via the grammys like Shawn Colvin did - though Shawn then began reaching for a "comercial" sound and her music suffered. Patty so deserves better production quality (not comercialism)from her label or a better label, and maybe the grammy would help. I would be glad for more poeple to hear her music and to learn that music by people who write with sensivity and also play instruments is still alive and to be treasured. I would not like to see her album put into a different catagory, she and Steve and Elyza should be appreciated within a catagorization that has decended from Phil Oaks and Bob. It is not the catagories which are the problems with the grammys its the emphisis which has gone from real bands who write and play origional music to the bling-bling dancers who sample and scratch and choose songs so vapid.

There is music and there is business. I am interested in music, but the Grammies are more about business and to some extent politics. I am impressed and pleased to find such a huge number of quality folk/acoustic singers, musicians, and songwriters on Folk Alley. I could care less about the Grammies.

My question is: why must there always be a competition? Winners and losers? Why can't there just be a space for panorama of wonderful folk and acoustic artists to be presented to the public (at the Grammys or elsewhere)?

Because otherwise how would we know what was good music or bad music? Heaven knows we can't be left to make those decisions ourselves!

The contemporary folk nominee list sure looks heavy on Texas Country. Maybe that's where the Western has gone from C&W.

I like all these artists fine, I'd just like to see an unhyphenated folk artist up for a Grammy, like a Tracy Grammer or a David Massengill. Or that guy who sings Dance in Coal Canyon... Course, we wouldn't see it anyway. Isn't folk one of those categories that's handled off-camera, then read in a rush with the other arcane categories?

I believe the term is "bum's rush".

Although awards shows are inherently commercial, they do have their uses. If an artist is featured, then millions of people who wouldn't have even heard of them are suddenly rushing out to buy a CD. Plus, through the judging process, people in the industry are exposed to the artist and their work. Of course Folk is one of the off-air Grammy categories generally (with 107 they can't all be on-air), but you never know. They highlight random stuff all of the time on the main show.

Awards are by nature complete subjective and only as good as the quality of the judging, but I do think they are an interesting litmus test of the state of the industry (not popular listening, since the Grammys are always a few years behind the curve as far as trends go).

When Norah Jones recorded Come Away With Me, she did it on Blue Note because she didn't want the big label pressure. It won the Grammy anyway, maybe because (like O Brother) it stood out among the crowd. As far as getting nominated, artists or labels probably have to pay an entry fee and pick the categories they want to compete in. Most folk artists probably don't have the means. Although, it might be fun to have an all-folk awards contest. So far, the Bluegrass folks do theirs and so do the Western artists, but something more all-encompassing. There's an idea for a Folk Alley fundraiser!

Grammy Award nominations come from ARS members only. The nominator picks the category, from what I understand.

I think that the Folk community should have its own recognition system. We could call them the Granny Awards, and the trophy would be an enormous crystal knitting needle.

Oh, yes - and a $20 cash prize, for gas money!

According to the academy's web site, music can be entered into the contest by members, associate members, labels or video companies that have registered with the Awards department. They pick the category they wish to compete in and go through a screening process. My guess is that there is a fee involved (I'm entering news contests for the other half of my job and 90% of them have a fee - including the local stuff as well as the Peabodys). I don't think there is anything in the world that is just somebody saying, "Boy this is great, let's give it an award."

Which is how Warren Zevon won for Best Contemporary Folk, right? Seems like a very rigorous, scrupulously fair process to me...

What kinds of categories could be included in the first annual Totally Unaffiliated Folk Music awards? Traditional, contemporary, world, protest, humor, talking blues, or bluegrass? Perhaps nominations should include a category to be submitted along with the musical piece for consideration. That way the "folks" who make up the governing body all have a chance to weigh in with the categories, as well. Who makes up the governing body? That should be obvious. Who defines folk music? Folks! that means it should be any and all interested parties that care enough to weigh in with their opinions. While there will be some people who have no real idea what folk music is, by my definition anyway, and I believe a few of them have already voiced their opinions on this website, they still represent "folks". I am sure that the majority of those who care about the music will outweigh the odd entries that may seem strange to most of us.

I submit this only as food for thought, and I am sure there are much better ideas out their than mine. I do believe that a fundamental aspect of the "folk community" that has been around in America for many years and echoed in other parts of the world, as well, is the willingness to form and push grassroots movements. I say start now, but remember "don't follow leaders and watch the parking meters."

Jack-- I think it's a great idea! Hopefully someday soon we'll have a web designer and a Folk Alley coordinator and we can turn some of these ideas into reality. I mean, wouldn't it be fun to pull together music from around the world and let the Folk Alley listeners vote? We have plans, already in the queue, to do something along the lines of the old Dick Clark rate a record. Maybe we could work awards in there, too.

I concur, Jack...but what do we call it? I propose that we first have a worldwide contest to name the new award.

Winner gets to take the blame.

So you want to call it "the Blame" award? I like it!

Trophy could be a pointing finger, very much like the old "Fickle Finger of Fate" award...

Now we just need to find a way to generate artificial prestige. Any unemployed celebs available?

That's right! The front of the award would be the arm side of the hand. It should proudly be displayed in front the artist's promo picture.

Maybe we could get Bill Clinton, or Ben Affleck?

Nah, they're both working - you checked out Bill's speaker fees? Besides, sax as a Folk instrument would be too audacious.

We need someone moderately well-known but desperate enough to associate with us. Tough call, Verizon and the "Got Milk?" people have seriously muddied the water.

I'm still wondering what they think the difference is between contemporary and traditional folk? Do you have to break down all music into ever finer niche categories to hand out more rewards? Won't that just result in more "crossover" artists to the point that every artist could be in every category and we all end up hopelessly confused? Can we ever really define, with distinction, the difference between root, acoustic, folk, singer/songwriter and all the other monikers we hear thrown around? If Eric Clapton sings an unplugged version of Layla, is it folk music or rock and roll? When I listen to Otmar Liebert, is it world, latin, folk, acoustic, or just great guitar music? Alison Krause is bluegrass, country, acoustic, folk and more but how can you put her in one category?

It really doesn't matter to me what categories they put John Carter or BeauSoleil in at all. The fact that all these folks get played on Folk Alley is what matters! What makes this program so great is that Jim Blum has a broad definition of what folk music is. Having to break every song or artist into some sub-folk category is just a futile process that will make us all go insane for the sake of awards that most of the musicians would disdane anyway!

It would be nice to see Gordon Lightfoot win a grammy, maybe a lifetime achievement sort of thing; and not posthumously...his conservative stance has probably it impossible, though...