Grammy Award for Best Native American Music Album
Awarded forQuality works in the Native American music genre
CountryUnited States
Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded2001
Last awarded2011
Websitegrammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Native American Music Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards,[1] to recording artists for quality albums in the Native American music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".[2]

Following a three-year lobbying effort by Ellen Bello, founder of the Native American Music Awards and the Native American Music Association,[3] the Grammy award was first presented to Tom Bee and Douglas Spotted Eagle in 2001 as the producers of the compilation album Gathering of Nations Pow Wow. Previously, Native American recordings had been placed in the folk, world or new-age music categories.[4] While some Native American artists criticized the award category for being "too narrowly defined to accommodate the breadth of today's Indian music", others took pride in its inclusion.[5][6] The name of the award remained unchanged between 2001 and 2011. According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award was presented to "vocal or instrumental Native American music albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded music", with the intent to honor recordings of a more "traditional nature".[7]

As performing artists, Bill Miller and Mary Youngblood share the record for the most wins in this category, with two each. Thomas Wasinger holds the record for the most wins as a producer, with three. The group Black Lodge Singers holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with seven. In 2011, the category Best Native American Music Album was eliminated along with thirty others due to a major overhaul by the Recording Academy. Four additional categories in the American Roots Music field were eliminated (Best Contemporary Folk Album, Best Hawaiian Music Album, Best Traditional Folk Album, Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album).[8][9] Native American works will now be eligible for the Best Regional Roots Music Album category.[9]

Recipients

A woman wearing sunglasses and a red jacket signing a compact disc
2003 and 2007 winner Mary Youngblood
A woman holding a microphone and wearing a black dress with sequins and a necklace
2007 nominee Jana, performing in Ponca City, Oklahoma in 2010
Year[I] Performing artist(s) Work Producer(s) Nominees Ref.
2001 Various artists Gathering of Nations Pow Wow 1999 Tom Bee
Douglas Spotted Eagle
[10]
2002 Johnny Mike and Verdell Primeaux Bless the People: Harmonized Peyote Songs Giuli Doyle
Robert Doyle
  • Black Eagle – Life Goes On: Hand Drum and Round Dance Songs
  • Black Lodge Singers – Weasel Tail's Dream: The Tradition Continues
  • Northern Cree – Rockin' the Rez
  • Various Northern Drums – Gathering of Nations 2000: Millennium Celebration, Volume 1
  • Young Bird – Change of Life: Oklahoma Pow-Wow Songs
 [11]
2003 Mary Youngblood Beneath the Raven Moon Thomas Wasinger
  • Burning Sky – Spirit in the Wind
  • Redheart – Sacred Season
  • Vince Redhouse – Faith in the House
  • Randy Wood – Round Dance the Night Away
 [12]
2004 Black Eagle Flying Free Tom Bee
[13]
2005 Bill Miller Cedar Dream Songs —
[14]
2006 Various artists Sacred Ground: A Tribute to Mother Earth Jim Wilson
  • Black Lodge – More Kids' Pow-Wow Songs
  • Alex E. Smith and Cheevers Toppah – Intonation: Harmonized Songs from the Southern Plains
  • Randy Wood – Our Love Will Never Die
 [15]
2007 Mary Youngblood Dance with the Wind Thomas Wasinger
[16]
2008 Johnny Whitehorse Totemic Flute Chants Larry Mitchell
  • Walter Ahhaitty and Friends – Oklahoma Style
  • Black Lodge – Watch This Dancer!
  • Davis Mitchell – The Ballad of Old Times
  • R. Carlos Nakai, Cliff Sarde, William Eaton, and Randy Wood – Reconnections
 [17]
2009 Various artists Come to Me Great Mystery: Native American Healing Songs Thomas Wasinger
[18]
2010 Bill Miller Spirit Wind North Bill Miller
Michael Von Muchow
  • Michael Brant DeMaria – Siyotanka
  • Northern Cree – True Blue
  • John Two-Hawks – Wind Songs: Native American Flute Solos
  • Johnny Whitehorse – Riders of the Healing Road
 [19]
2011 Various artists 2010 Gathering of Nations Pow Wow: A Spirit's Dance Derek Mathews
Lita Mathews
Melonie Mathews
  • Bear Creek – XI
  • Northern Cree – Temptations: Cree Round Dance Songs
  • Peter Phippen – Woodnotes Wyld: Historic Flute Sounds from the Dr. Richard W. Payne Collection
 [20]

^[I] Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

See also

References

General
  • "Past Winners Search: American Roots". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
Specific
  1. ^ "Grammy Awards at a Glance". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  2. ^ "Overview". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  3. ^ Woliver, Robbie (June 11, 2000). "A Grammy for Indians". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  4. ^ "Grammy honors Native Americans". The Hour. Norwalk, Connecticut. June 9, 2000. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  5. ^ Brockman, Joshua (January 16, 2002). "Arts in America; Beyond Drumbeats: New Sounds From Indian Country". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  6. ^ Strauss, Neil (February 21, 2001). "The Pop Life; Native Genre Takes Pride Of Place at The Grammys". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  7. ^ "52nd OEP Category Description Guide" (PDF). National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 27, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  8. ^ Daigle, Cody (April 7, 2011). "Grammys nix Cajun, Zydeco category". The Advertiser. Lafayette, Louisiana: Gannett Company. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Grammy for Best Zydeco or Cajun Album Goes to Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band". Burlington, Vermont: WFFF-TV. 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  10. ^ "43rd Grammy Awards". CNN. February 21, 2001. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  11. ^ "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS News. January 4, 2002. Archived from the original on October 10, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  12. ^ "The Oneida Indian Nation and Four Directions Entertainment Congratulate Native American Grammy Nominees With Official Grammy Fest Celebration on February 22 in NYC". PR Newswire. January 13, 2003. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  13. ^ "Grammy Award Winners". The New York Times. December 8, 2003. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  14. ^ "Kanye West is at top of Grammy list". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. December 8, 2004. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  15. ^ "The Complete List of Grammy Nominations". The New York Times. December 8, 2005. p. 4. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  16. ^ "49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on December 20, 2006. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  17. ^ "50th annual Grammy Awards nominations (part II)". Variety. Reed Business Information. December 6, 2007. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  18. ^ Conner, Thomas (December 3, 2008). "Complete list of Grammy nominees". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  19. ^ "The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
  20. ^ "53rd Annual Grammy Awards nominees list". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2010.

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