Nominations for the 49th annual Grammy Awards were announced this morning in Hollywood. The nominees for Best Polka Album are:
- Batteries Not Included by Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones
- As Sweet As Candy by Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push
- Party Dress by LynnMarie & The Boxhounds
- Good Friends Good Music by Walter Ostanek & Fred Ziwich
- Polka in Paradise by Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra
While Best Polka Album may be the most accordion-friendly category, those weren’t the only nominees who featured accordions in their work. Julieta Venegas was nominated for Best Latin Pop Album, the Klezmatics for Best Contemporary World Music Album, Weird Al for Best Comedy Album, and pretty much every group in the Best Norteno Album category has an accordion player. The full list of nominees is on the Grammy website.
The awards ceremony (hosted by Stephen Colbert) will air live on CBS on February 11, 2007. Of course, since there are 108 categories, most awards — including Best Polka Album — will be handed out in a ceremony before the televised show.
Between now and the awards ceremony, we’ll post an in-depth review of each Best Polka Album nominee. Will Jimmy Sturr walk away with his 16th Best Polka Grammy or will someone else get a taste of Grammy glory? We’ll find out in February!