North Carolina had a decent showing in the Grammy Award nominations announced Wednesday, highlighted by country singer Eric Church’s two-category breakthrough. The Granite Falls native (and Appalachian State University alumnus) picked up a pair of nominations for his hit single “Springsteen,” for country song and country solo performance. This is fresh off winning Album of the Year at last month’s CMA Awards.
Charlotte native Anthony Hamilton was also a multicategory nominee in R&B song (“Pray For Me”) and album (“Back To Love”). Hamilton shared a Grammy in 2009 with Al Green.
Concord’s Avett Brothers earned their first-ever Grammy nod with their current album “The Carpenter,” nominated for best Americana album alongside Mumford & Sons (one of their half-dozen nominations) and rising young star John Fullbright.
After winning best folk album with the 2010 major-label debut, Triangle old-time group Carolina Chocolate Drops will try to start a streak. The band’s latest album, “Leaving Eden,” picked up a nomination, also in the folk-album category.
Brevard’s Steep Canyon Rangers were nominated last year alongside Steve Martin. This year, they get a bluegrass-album nomination all to themselves for “Nobody Knows You.”
Finally, Triangle expatriate Ryan Adams didn’t get a direct nomination himself, but his most recent release, 2011’s “Ashes & Fire,” was nominated for best-engineered nonclassical album. Producer Glyn Johns and mastering engineer Bob Ludwig would get that trophy.
The Grammys will be presented Feb. 10 in Los Angeles.
Menconi: 919-829-4759 or blogs.newsobserver.com/beat
