Grammy ties

It's Grammy time again.

I've been a big fan of the Grammys for a long time now -- particularly when I have a rooting interest.

This year, the rooting interest is James Otto.

James Otto is a Real Texas Festival artist and has been nominated for the Grammy for Best Male Country Performance for the song, "Just Got Started Lovin' You."

It's been a great year for James and that song. The song was the top played single on country radio this summer and I believe it helped earn James a nomination as Best New Artist for the Country Music Association.

He didn't win. Lady Antebellum took that honor as that group went the way of Sugarland and Little Big Town before it -- they seemingly went from little known to mega star in the matter of about three months.

Interesting thing about public opinion, isn't it? Some of these groups have been together for decades in some instances. But they just need that one song or record to crack open the door. It can be a Grammy nomination, a collaboration, a record label signing, or it can just flat out come down to being in the right place at the right time.

All of a sudden, boom! The big time comes calling.

It would be really cool for James Otto to win the Grammy ... it could mean that there are three Grammy-winning or Grammy-nominated artists performing at the festival. James Otto, Los Lonely Boys and Jay Perez.

It wont' be easy for James as the competition is pretty fierce. He's up against Trace Adkins for "You're Gonna Miss This," Jamey Johnson for "In Color," Brad Paisley for "Letter to Me" and George Strait for "Troubadour."

That's some pretty elite company folks.

My call is Strait. I think "Troubadour" may prove to be one of the seminal Country albums of the decade.

But the good thing about the Grammys is that the winner isn't chosen by popular vote or though mass marketing or album sales. The base criteria for the award is "excellence and achievement in the recording arts."

It's the purest award show out there because, quite frankly, anyone can win a Grammy.

Case in point? Little Art Greenhaw Records and Mesquite record producer Art Greenhaw received Grammy nominations in the Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel category. He even won the Grammy a few years back.

He won despite the fact he was a small, independent record producer -- defeating the likes of EMI, Sony, Daywind and other big players in the Gospel recording field.

Sure, the Grammys have had their head-scratching moments. Nobody will forget the inaugural Grammy for Best Heavy Metal Performance went to Jethro Tull's "Crest of Knave." I believe Tull beat out Metallica and Judas Priest that year -- two of the most significant metal acts of all time.

However, "Steel Monkey" and "Farm on the Freeway" were killer tunes. Still, it wasn't a metal album by a long shot.

So, James Otto has a chance to win the Grammy for Best Male Country Performance. Come on down in April to Mesquite and check out James' work, as well as the work of all the other artists on the bill -- including the recently signed Paula Nelson (daughter of Willie ... woo hoo!!!)