2020 Grammy Awards: Everything a Country Music Fan Needs to Know About the Show

2020 Grammy Awards: Everything a Country Music Fan Needs to Know About the Show

From nominations and notes to performers and presenters, here’s everything a country music fan needs to know about the 2020 Grammy Awards on Sunday, Jan. 26.

The Notes

Date: Jan. 26
Location: Staples Center in L.A.
Time: 8 p.m ET
Channel: CBS
Live Stream: CBS All Access
Host:
Alicia Keys
Non-Televised Awards:
Grammy.com at 3:30 p.m. ET with host Imogen Heap and presenters Esperanza Spalding and Jimmy Jam
Red Carpet:
Grammy.com at 5 p.m. ET and E! at 6 p.m. ET

Performers

Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Tanya Tucker, Brandi Carlile, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Mason Ramsey, BTS, Diplo, Bonnie Raitt, Aerosmith, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Lizzo, Demi Lovato, Charlie Wilson, Run-D.M.C., Camila Cabello, H.E.R., Jonas Brothers, Tyler the Creator

Presenters

Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker, Bebe Rexha, Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne, Common, Cynthia Erivo, Dua Lipa, Billy Porter, Jim Gaffigan, Trevor Noah, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Ava DuVernay

Nominations (country-centric)

Best Country Solo Performance
  • “All Your’n” | Tyler Childers
  • “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” | Ashley McBryde
  • “Ride Me Back Home” | Willie Nelson
  • “God’s Country” | Blake Shelton
  • “Bring My Flowers Now” | Tanya Tucker

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

  • “Brand New Man” | Brooks & Dunn With Luke Combs
  • “I Don’t Remember Me (Before You)” | Brothers Osborne
  • “Speechless” | Dan + Shay
  • “The Daughters” | Little Big Town
  • “Common” | Maren Morris feat. Brandi Carlile

Best Country Song (awarded to songwriters)

  • “Bring My Flowers Now” | Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker | (Tanya Tucker)
  • “Girl Goin’ Nowhere | Jeremy Bussey & Ashley McBryde | (Ashley McBryde)
  • “It All Comes Out in the Wash” | Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose | (Miranda Lambert)
  • “Some of It” | Eric Church, Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde & Bobby Pinson | (Eric Church)
  • “Speechless” | Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers & Laura Veltz | (Dan + Shay)

Best Country Album

  • Desperate Man | Eric Church
  • Stronger Than the Truth | Reba McEntire
  • Interstate Gospel | Pistol Annies
  • Center Point Road | Thomas Rhett
  • While I’m Livin’ | Tanya Tucker

Song of the Year

  • “Always Remember Us This Way” | Lady Gaga –
  • “Bad Guy” | Billie Eilish
  • “Bring My Flowers Now” | Brandi Carlile
  • “Hard Place” | H.E.R.
  • “Lover” | Taylor Swift
  • “Norman F**king Rockwell” | Lana Del Rey
  • “Someone You Loved” | Lewis Capaldi
  • “Truth Hurts” | Lizzo

Record of the Year

  • “Hey Ma,” Bon Iver
  • “Bad Guy,” Billie Eilish
  • “Seven Rings,” Ariana Grande
  • “Hard Place,” H.E.R.
  • “Talk,” Khalid
  • “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X  feat. Billy Ray Cyrus
  • “Truth Hurts,” Lizzo
  • “Sunflower,” Post Malone and Swae Lee

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

  • “Boyfriend” | Ariana Grande & the Social House
  • “Sucker” | The Jonas Brothers
  • “Old Town Road” | Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus
  • “Sunflower” | Post Malone feat. Swae Lee
  • “Señorita” | Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello

Best Song Written for Visual Media

  • “The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy” | Chris Stapleton
  • “Girl in the Movies” | Dolly Parton and Linda Perry
  • “I’ll Never Love Again” | Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
  • “Spirit” | Beyoncé
  • “Suspirium” | Thom Yorke

Best Music Video

  • “We’ve Got to Try” | The Chemical Brothers
  • “This Land” | Gary Clark Jr.
  • “Cellophane” | FKA Twigs
  • “Old Town Road” | Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus
  • “Glad He’s Gone” | Tove Lo

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

  • “Only Jesus” | Casting Crowns; Mark Hall, Bernie Herms & Matthew West, songwriters
  • “God Only Knows” | for KING & COUNTRY & Dolly Parton; Josh Kerr, Jordan Reynolds, Joel Smallbone, Luke Smallbone & Tedd Tjornhom, songwriters
  • “Haven’t Seen It Yet” | Danny Gokey; Danny Gokey, Ethan Hulse & Colby Wedgeworth, songwriters
  • “God’s Not Done With You” | Tauren Wells
  • “Rescue Story” | Zach Williams; Ethan Hulse, Andrew Ripp, Jonathan Smith & Zach Williams, songwriters

Best American Roots Performance

  • “Saint Honesty” | Sara Bareilles
  • “Father Mountain” | Calexico And Iron & Wine
  • “I’m On My Way” | Rhiannon Giddens With Francesco Turrisi
  • “Call My Name” | I’m With Her
  • “Faraway Look” | Yola

Best American Roots Song

  • “Black Myself” | Amythyst Kiah, Songwriter (Our Native Daughters)
  • “Call My Name” | Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’donovan & Sara Watkins, Songwriters (I’m With Her)
  • “Crossing To Jerusalem” | Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, Songwriters (Rosanne Cash)
  • “Faraway Look” | Dan Auerbach, Yola Carter & Pat Mclaughlin, Songwriters (Yola)
  • “I Don’t Wanna Ride The Rails No More” | Vince Gill, Songwriter (Vince Gill)

Best Americana Album

  • “Years To Burn” | Calexico And Iron & Wine
  • “Who Are You Now” | Madison Cunningham
  • “Oklahoma” | Keb’ Mo’
  • “Tales Of America” | J.S. Ondara
  • “Walk Through Fire” | Yola

Best Bluegrass Album

  • “Tall Fiddler” | Michael Cleveland
  • “Live In Prague, Czech Republic” | Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
  • “Toil, Tears & Trouble” | The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
  • “Royal Traveller” | Missy Raines
  • “If You Can’t Stand The Heat” | Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen

Best Folk Album

  • My Finest Work Yet, Andrew Bird
  • Rearrange My Heart, Che Apalache
  • Patty Griffin, Patty Griffin
  • Evening Machines, Gregory Alan Isakov
  • Front Porch, Joy Williams

photos by AFF-USA.com; Maren Morris, Dan + Shay by Tammie Arroyo; Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker by Curtis Hilbun; Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani by O\’Connor; Thomas Rhett by Scooter

Blogs

Eric Church Announces 2025 Free The Machine North American Tour

On Wednesday (April 30), Eric Church announced the dates and details of his 2025 Free The Machine Tour of North America. The 22-date arena tour starts in Pittsburgh on September 12 and finishes in Los Angeles on November 15, hitting cities like Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, and Seattle along the way. Church will be joined by…

Eric Church Announces 2025 Free The Machine North American Tour

On Wednesday (April 30), Eric Church announced the dates and details of his 2025 Free The Machine Tour of North America. The 22-date arena tour starts in Pittsburgh on September 12 and finishes in Los Angeles on November 15, hitting cities like Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, and Seattle along the way. Church will be joined by…

Jessi Alexander Shares Her Journey From Fledgling Artist To Hit Country Songwriter

Prior to being honored during Variety’s Power of Women: Nashville event, Jessi Alexander spoke with the publication about her journey from fledgling artist to blockbuster country songwriter. Alexander broke gender stereotypes in the Music Row writers' rooms by penning chart-topping hits like Lee Brice’s “I Drive Your Truck,” Miranda Lambert’s “Things That Break,” Blake Shelton’s…

Jessi Alexander Shares Her Journey From Fledgling Artist To Hit Country Songwriter

Prior to being honored during Variety’s Power of Women: Nashville event, Jessi Alexander spoke with the publication about her journey from fledgling artist to blockbuster country songwriter. Alexander broke gender stereotypes in the Music Row writers’ rooms by penning chart-topping hits like Lee Brice’s “I Drive Your Truck,” Miranda Lambert’s “Things That Break,” Blake Shelton’s…

Minority Stake In Morgan Wallen’s Catalog Sold By Big Loud For $200 Million

Nashville-based label Big Loud, home to Morgan Wallen, has reportedly sold a minority stake in the country superstar’s master recordings to Chord Music Partners for over $200 million. The deal is for a minority holding in Wallen’s first three studio albums, which includes his blockbuster 2023 double album, One Thing at a Time. The deal…

Minority Stake In Morgan Wallen’s Catalog Sold By Big Loud For $200 Million

Nashville-based label Big Loud, home to Morgan Wallen, has reportedly sold a minority stake in the country superstar’s master recordings to Chord Music Partners for over $200 million. The deal is for a minority holding in Wallen’s first three studio albums, which includes his blockbuster 2023 double album, One Thing at a Time. The deal…

2025 ACM Awards Will Open With 12-Minute “Songs Of The Decades’ Medley, With Special Collaborations Planned During Ceremony

The 2025 ACM Awards will begin with a 12-minute music showcase honoring ACM Award-winning Songs of the Year over six decades. The segment will feature Clint Black, Dan + Shay, Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, and Sugarland, and will likely include hit songs like “Tequila,” “Why Not Me,” “Blue,” and “Stay” in the medley.…

2025 ACM Awards Will Open With 12-Minute “Songs Of The Decades’ Medley, With Special Collaborations Planned During Ceremony

The 2025 ACM Awards will begin with a 12-minute music showcase honoring ACM Award-winning Songs of the Year over six decades. The segment will feature Clint Black, Dan + Shay, Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, and Sugarland, and will likely include hit songs like “Tequila,” “Why Not Me,” “Blue,” and “Stay” in the medley.…

Chase McDaniel Shares Insight Into His Debut Radio Single, “Burned Down Heaven”

Chase McDaniel believes that listening to music in real-time can have a significant impact on listeners, rather than letting an algorithm choose what they hear. The new country artist recalls three life-changing moments he’s had while hearing songs on country radio, and McDaniel hopes his first radio single, "Burned Down Heaven," has a similar effect…

Chase McDaniel Shares Insight Into His Debut Radio Single, “Burned Down Heaven”

Chase McDaniel believes that listening to music in real-time can have a significant impact on listeners, rather than letting an algorithm choose what they hear. The new country artist recalls three life-changing moments he’s had while hearing songs on country radio, and McDaniel hopes his first radio single, “Burned Down Heaven,” has a similar effect…