New Orleans and Louisiana natives win big at Grammys
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – On music’s biggest night, several Louisiana and New Orleans natives won big.
Due to COVID-19, most of the Grammy awards were given before the television awards show. The New Orleans Nightcrawlers Brass Band won during the pre-show. It’s the first win for the band after releasing its first new record in a decade, earning the Grammy for Best Regional Roots.
“It just took me a second to realize, ‘oh wait a minute that was us,’” said sousaphonist Matt Perrine. “The first thing I did was look at Craig and said, ‘we won.’”
As Craig Klein accepted their win, he took the time to celebrate all of Louisiana’s brass bands.
“This is a win for New Orleans. It’s a win for the New Orleans brass band culture, which is sacred here in New Orleans,” he said during the pre-telecast.
In an interview with FOX 8, Klein said their win is bigger than them.
“Rebirth winning nine years ago and Nightcrawlers winning this year. Only two brass bands have ever won a Grammy and to me, that just sounds crazy. There should be more than that,” he said. “We do hope that it will shed some light on this valuable culture that we have here. It’s a spiritual thing, it’s more than just music here in New Orleans.”
New Orleans native PJ Morton earned a Grammy for Best Gospel, his third consecutive win. Ledisi won Best Traditional R&B Performance for her song “Anything for You.” Homer native and blues musician Bobby Rush takes home another Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album. It’s the same category that got him his first Grammy in 2017.
The Nightcrawlers say they are currently working on new music and could release something as soon as this summer.
