RCA Music Group receives 18 Grammy nominations!
Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs Receive 3 Nominations Including Song of the Year
Alicia Keys Earns 3 Nominations for "Empire State of Mind" Collaboration with Jay-Z Including Record of the Year
Fantasia Receives 3 Nods Including Best R&B Album
Kings of Leon and Monica Earn 2 Nominations Each
Jazmine Sullivan, Adam Lambert, Rod Stewart, Dave Mathews & Tim Reynolds, and Barry Manilow Each Earn 1 Nomination
RCA Records recording artist Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs earned 3 Grammy nominations including Song of the Year for their hit single "Beg Steal or Borrow" for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, announced last night in Los Angeles.
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Their album, God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise also garnered nominations for Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 and #1 on the Digital Album chart. This marked a personal sales best for Ray and tied his debut chart position at #3 with Gossip in the Grain. This album produced the single, "Beg Steal or Borrow" which became Ray's first radio #1 on the AAA BDS and Mediabase. The Associated Press calls the album "one of the year's best," while the New York Daily News' 5 star review says the album is "one of the stand out releases of the year."
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Twelve-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys (J) received three nominations alongside Jay-Z for the anthemic "Empire State of Mind," including Record of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and Best Rap Song. Their ode to New York resonated across the country and around the world and remained on top of the charts for several weeks. Named one of Billboard's Artists of the Decade, Alicia's solo rendition of the hit single, "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down," was featured on her album, Element of Freedom (J). The album debuted at #1 on Billboard's R&B Albums and Digital Albums charts and #2 on the Top 200 chart, marking the biggest first week sales debut for a female R&B singer at the time of release.
Fantasia and her third studio album Back To Me (J) scored three Grammy nominations including Best R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song for her hit single "Bittersweet." Back To Me debuted at #1 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart (her very first #1 ranking) and #2 on Billboard's Top 200 (her highest on that chart). Music critics have championed Fantasia's album with People proclaiming that the now eleven-time Grammy nominee "stirs the heart and soul on her latest… third - and best - album." Currently on her first headlining tour, Fantasia claimed the #1 position on the Urban Adult Radio Airplay chart for four consecutive weeks with "Bittersweet."
Kings of Leon earned 2 nominations for "Radioactive" in the Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group categories. This is the band's third consecutive nomination in both categories. Kings of Leon's 5th studio album, Come Around Sundown (RCA), debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 and #1 on the Digital album chart marking their best sales week to date. "Radioactive" sat atop the Billboard Modern Rock chart for three weeks straight and is currently holding the #1 spot on the AAA Chart. The New York Times called the album the "rock blockbuster of the season" and Rolling Stone called the band "our U2." Kings of Leon have won a total of 4 Grammys, including Song of the Year and Best Rock Song for "Use Somebody" as well as winning twice in two years for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for "Use Somebody" and "Sex on Fire." These two singles are from Only By The Night, which has sold over 7 million copies worldwide to date.
Grammy Award winning R&B artist Monica and her album Still Standing (J) reaped 2 nominations for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her #1 hit single “Everything To Me.” Monica made a triumphant return to the R&B forefront when Still Standing debuted at #1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop chart and #2 on both the Top 200 and Digital Albums charts. When the album’s first single “Everything To Me,” reached the #1 spot on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it became Monica’s sixth #1 single and placed her alongside Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, James Brown and Marvin Gaye as superstars who have garnered #1 R&B singles in three decades.
Adam Lambert received Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Whataya Want From Me” from his debut album For Your Entertainment (19 Entertainment/RCA Records). For Your Entertainment has sold over 1 million copies worldwide since making its debut at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 chart in November 2009. He is the first American Idol to ever tour the world in support of their debut album in the year following their Idol season. Lambert's single "Whataya Want From Me," written by Pink and Max Martin, became his first #1 hit on the Billboard charts, topping the Hot Singles Sales survey as well as Hot Dance Singles Sales chart.
Jazmine Sullivan adds a Best Female R&B Vocal Performance nomination for “Holding You Down (Goin’ In Circles)” to her ever-growing list of accomplishments. The Grammy nominated song is featured on Jazmine’s newly released sophomore album, Love Me Back (J). The recipient of this year’s Billboard Rising Star Award for Women In Music, the now eight-time Grammy nominee is already receiving critical praise for Love Me Back, including the Associated Press declaring that the album “is something amazing.” Jazmine and her 2008 debut album Fearless, previously received seven Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Grammy Award winner and living legend Rod Stewart (J) garnered a nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Fly Me To The Moon…The Great American Songbook, Vol. 5, the latest chapter of the Grammy-Award winning Great American Songbook series. The collection has enjoyed unprecedented success as the biggest selling ongoing series of new music recordings in history, with over 17 million copies sold worldwide. Fly Me To The Moon…debuted at #4 on the Top 200 Album chart. Every one of Rod Stewart’s 7 albums since recording with J Records in 2002 has entered within the Top 4 on the album chart, including all five volumes of The Great American Songbook series. Fly Me To The Moon…Volume V is Rod Stewart’s 38th charting album and 15th Top 10 album. Besides, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney and Jay-Z, no other musical artist has enjoyed 7 Top 5 albums since 2002. With an estimated 250 million in album and single sales, Rod Stewart is indisputably one of the most successful musical performers of all time.
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds received a nod for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Kundalini Bonfire” from their Live In Las Vegas (Bama Rags/RCA Records) release, the duo’s first set of unplugged shows since the release of the Dave Matthews Band’s critically-acclaimed and Grammy nominated Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. Last year, The Dave Matthews Band received Album of the Year and Best Rock Album nominations for Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. Certified platinum Big Whiskey… pays tribute to the group’s saxophonist, LeRoi Moore and debuted at #1 on The Billboard Top 200, marking the band’s fifth consecutive studio album to enter the chart in the top position. Produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance), the record has been hailed by Rolling Stone as the group’s “heaviest album yet, both musically and emotionally.” Formed in Virginia in the early 1990’s, the group has sold a collective 35 million units (CD and DVD combined) and its four most recent studio albums have each entered The Billboard 200 at #1. With over 15 million tickets sold, Dave Matthews Band was named the top-drawing American band in the world by Billboard magazine.
Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning recording artist Barry Manilow earned a Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album nod for The Greatest Love Songs Of All Time (Arista). Manilow made magic happen once again with The Greatest Love Songs Of All Time which entered the Billboard album chart at #5. The Greatest Love Songs Of All Time is Manilow’s 36th charting album, his 8th Top 5 album, and his 5th Top 5 debut in the last 10 years. The Greatest Love Songs Of All Time is Barry Manilow’s follow-up to the mega-bestselling series of “Decades” albums that he masterminded with Clive Davis.
Special recognition goes to the following RCA Music Group recording artists for their contributions towards Grammy nominations - Ke$ha whose songs contributed to Dr Luke’s nomination for Producer of the Year; Adam Lambert whose songs contributed to both Dr. Luke and Rob Cavallo’s nomination for Producer of the Year; Leona Lewis for her performance on “I See You” from “Avatar” for the Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media; Mike Posner whose song contributed to The Smeezingtons’ nomination for Producer of the Year; and Pitbull for his performance along with Enrique Iglesias towards Redone’s nomination for Producer of the Year.
The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will broadcast live at 8:00 PM (ET) on the CBS network on Sunday, February 13th, 2011 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
RCA Music Group
RCA Music Group, comprised of J Records, Arista Records, RCA Records, and Polo Grounds, is a unit of Sony Music Entertainment. RCA Music Group includes a diverse roster of internationally renowned artists representing all genres of music including Grammy Award winning and multi-platinum selling recording artists such as Alicia Keys, Foo Fighters, Christina Aguilera, Leona Lewis, Jamie Foxx, Rod Stewart, Kings of Leon, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Daughtry, Monica, Sarah McLachlan, Avril Lavigne, Fantasia, Dave Matthews Band and Whitney Houston, among others. The roster also boasts burgeoning superstars including Ke$ha, Mike Posner, David Cook, Jazmine Sullivan, Adam Lambert, Pitbull, and Ray LaMontagne.
Photo credit: Yu Tsai
RCA Music Group Official Website
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