The GRAMMY® nominations were announced on Thursday, with the awards show set for the 53rd annual event on February 13, 2011. Congratulations to all the GRAMMY nominees who make Americana Music, whether they were acknowledged in the actual category or not! Here is a first scan list: Ray LaMontange & The Pariah Dogs, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Neil Young, The SteelDrivers, The Infamous Stringdusters, Punch Brothers, Darrell Scott, Marty Stuart, Patty Griffin, Sam Bush, Peter Rowan, Patti Loveless, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Guy Clark, Richard Thompson, The Crazy Heart soundtrack, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Ryan Bingham, Chip Taylor's Yonkers record for packaging, and the short-form Johnny Cash video "Ain't No Grave." Forgive me if we have inadvertently left anyone out.

As of last year, we have our own Best Americana Album category, after co-branding with Contemporary Folk in previous awards. This year's honored albums are: The List from Rosanne Cash, Tin Can Trust from Los Lobos, Country Music from Willie Nelson, Band of Joy from Robert Plant, and Mavis Staples' You Are Not Alone. That CD marks an amazing rebirth of sorts for Mavis, who found her first audience with the groundbreaking Staples Singers, laying down unforgettable tracks like "Respect Yourself," and "I'll Take You There." She is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and a National Heritage Fellowship Award recipient. You can find her on the VH1 list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. She is a national treasure, who has explored many genres, all with panache. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco thought so too, as he set out to produce a new album with her that incorporated all that she is; socially conscious, sonically articulate, soulful, fun and funky. It is the follow up to her 2007 CD, We'll Never Turn Back, a collection of songs in homage to the Civil Rights Movement. In preparation for the new CD Jeff Tweedy dug back into Mavis' past work, both as a touchstone for all that she is capable of, and also to craft a future that was familiar, yet one that carved out a new space. We bring you an acoustic version of the title cut, "You Are Not Alone," from Mavis Staples. Beautiful. And congrats to all the GRAMMY nominees!

- Jessie Scott