Bob Dylan Wins First Grammy Awarded in New Folk Category, Best Contemporary/Americana Album

"On Sunday night Bob Dylan won the first GRAMMY Award in the genre of Contemporary Folk/Americana, with his album, Modern Times (Columbia).



Other nominees for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album (vocal or instrumental) were Solo Acoustic Vol. 1 by Jackson Browne (Inside Recordings), Black Cadillac by Rosanne Cash (Capitol), Workbench Songs by Guy Clark (Dualtone Music Group) and All The Roadrunning by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris (Warner Bros./Nonesuch).

"Bob Dylan set the stage for the current Americana genre as a folk pioneer in the 60s. His GRAMMY win for Modern Times as Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album is just another example of his continuing vitality as an artist,” said Americana Music Association President Tamara Saviano. “We’re excited to celebrate Dylan as Americana’s first GRAMMY win.”

Americana is American roots music based on the traditions of country with influences ranging from hillbilly and R&B to folk and bluegrass and blues. The radio format developed during the 1990s to counter the highly polished mainstream music sound of the decade. Dylan's Modern Times spent six weeks at #1 on the national Americana/R&R chart.

Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album was among the awards that were presented Sunday night during the 49th GRAMMY Awards. The GRAMMY Awards honor recordings in 108 categories across 31 fields, from rap to classical.

The Americana Music Association is a professional trade organization that provides a forum for the advocacy of Americana music and promotes public awareness of the genre to support the creative and economic viability of professionals in the field. Upcoming is its 8th Annual Americana Music Conference Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2007 in Nashville."