Alabama Shakes get 4 Grammy nominations

The Alabama Shakes have won four nominations in major categories at the 2016 Grammy Awards.

They’re joined by Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Shemekia Copeland, Don Henley and the Rolling Stones on the shortlist for the 58th annual event, which will take place in February.

The Shakes’ second record Sound & Color is named in the Album Of The Year and Best Alternative Music Album categories, while their track Don’t Wanna Fight could is up for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.

The Best Blues Album list includes Guy’s Born To Play Guitar, Copeland’s Outskirts Of Love, Cedric Burnside Project’s Descendants Of Hill Country, Bettye LaVette’s Worthy and the Muddy Waters 100 collection led by John Primer.

Guy’s title track Born To Play Guitar or Staples’ See That My Grave Is Kept Clean could win Best American Roots Performance.

Henley and Merle Haggard duet The Cost Of Living appears amonth the Best American Roots Performance finalists, and the Stone’s Sticky Fingers reissue is named among the Best Package nominees.

Grammys boss Neil Portnow says: “Diversity in the creative community is what makes music a universal language. It’s gratifying to see the vibrancy of today’s artistic landscape reflected in this year’s nominations.

“Artists are pushing boundaries in exciting ways, making it an exceptionally strong year for music.”

Winners will be announced during a gala event at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, on February 15. The full list of nominations is available via the Grammys website.

Best Blues Album

Cedric Burnside Project: Descendants Of Hill Country
Shemekia Copeland: Outskirts Of Love
Buddy Guy: Born To Play Guitar
Bettye LaVette: Worthy
John Primer & various artists: Muddy Waters 100

Best American Roots Performance

Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn: And Am I Born To Die
Buddy Guy: Born To Play Guitar
The Milk Carton Kids: City Of Our Lady
Punch Brothers: Julep
Mavis Staples: See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

Best American Roots Song

The Mavericks: All Night Long
Don Henley & Merle Haggard: The Cost Of Living
Punch Brothers: Julep
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell: The Traveling Kind
Jason Isbell: 24 Framces

Best Album Notes

Folksongs Of Another America
Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection
Joni Mitchell: Love Has Many Faces
Tennessee Ernie Ford: Portrait Of An American Singer
Joseph C Smith’s Orchestra: Songs Of The Night 1916-1925

Best Music Film

Mr Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown
Sonic Highways (Foo Fighters)
What Happened, Miss Simone? (Nina Simone)
The Wall (Roger Waters)
Amy (Amy Winehouse)

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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.