Is Sturgill Simpson a Lock to Win Best Country Album at the Grammys? Not Necessarily Says History

Posted on February 2, 2017

Think Sturgill Simpson is a lock to win Best Country Album at the 59th Grammy Awards on Feb. 12? Think again.

Sturgill picked up two nominations at this year’s Grammys: Album of the Year and Best Country Album for A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. Sturgill is the only country artist to earn a nomination in the all-genre Album of the Year category, which might lead you to believe that he’s a shoo-in to take home Best Country Album.

Logically, if A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is the only country album nominated in the all-genre Album of the Year category, then it must be the Best Country Album. As “The Donald” likes to say: “Wrong.”

History has proven the aforementioned philosophy to be incorrect.

Take a look at the Album of the Year and Best Country Album nominees at the 2017 Grammys.

Album of the Year nominees
25 — Adele
Lemonade — Beyoncé
Purpose — Justin Bieber
Views — Drake
A Sailor’s Guide to Earth — Sturgill Simpson

Best Country Album nominees
Big Day in a Small Town — Brandy Clark
Full Circle — Loretta Lynn
Hero — Maren Morris
A Sailor’s Guide to Earth — Sturgill Simpson
Ripcord — Keith Urban

Since 1995, the Grammys have annually recognized the Best Country Album category (it was also a category in 1965 and 1966 but was discontinued until 1995). Since that time, only two country artists nominated in the all-genre Album of the Year category have NOT won Best Country Album: Shania Twain’s Come on Over was bested by the Dixie Chicks’ Wide Open Spaces in 1999 and Taylor Swift’s Red was topped by Kacey Musgraves’ Same Trailer Different Park in 2014.

Country Artists Since 1995 Who Earned an Album of the Year Grammy Nomination

1999: Shania Twain: Come on Over
2000: Dixie Chicks: Fly***
2003: Dixie Chicks: Home***
2007: Dixie Chicks, Taking the Long Way Home***^^^
2008: Vince Gill: These Days***
2010: Taylor Swift: Fearless***^^^
2011: Lady Antebellum: Need You Now***
2014: Taylor Swift: Red
2016: Chris Stapleton: Traveller***
2017: Sturgill Simpson: A Sailor’s Guide to Earth+++

***Won Grammy for Best Country Album
^^^Also won Album of the Year
+++To be determined at the 59th Grammys on Feb. 12.

There is precedent for Sturgill not to win Best Country Album even though he is the only country artist nominated in the Album of the Year category.

Tune in to the Grammys on Feb. 12 on CBS to find out how Sturgill fares.

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