MTSU will be making noise again at the upcoming 61st annual Grammy Awards, this time with seven university-connected people contributing to rap, Americana, country and gospel projects, including the first current student ever to be a part of the distinguished list.
Integrated studies major BryTavious “Tay Keith” Chambers of Memphis, who earned his bachelor’s degree Dec. 15, produced rap superstar Travis Scott’s No. 1 track, “SICKO MODE” with Drake, Big Hawk and Swae Lee. The song was nominated earlier this month for the best rap performance and best rap song Grammys and is part of Scott’s also-nominated No. 1 “Astroworld” album.
Only songwriters and artists get public credit for song-nominee Grammys, but industry folks — and music lovers who study the details of their favorite tracks — know who else makes the music pop. Scott’s “SICKO MODE” lyrics, in fact, could speak directly to Chambers’ production talent when he says “Who put this together? I’m the glue.”
Chambers’ fellow honorees this year include:
• 2010 audio production grad Michael Anderson, known professionally as Anderson East, who was nominated in the “Best American Roots Performance” category for his song “All on My Mind.”
• Repeat Grammy-winning songwriter/producer and 2003 music business alumnus Torrance “Street Symphony” Esmond, who’s recognized this year for producing “Hussle & Motivate” on Nipsey Hussle’s best rap album-nominated “Victory Lap” CD.
• Repeat nominee, winner and 2000 alumnus Jason A. Hall, whose engineering and mixing on the Brothers Osborne’s “Port Saint Joe” album helped it earn a best country album nomination.
• Multiple award nominee and 2000 School of Music alumnus Wayne Haun, who’s part of the best roots gospel album category for producing “Clear Skies” by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound.
• Multi-nominated songwriter/producer and 2001 recording industry graduate Luke Laird, named in the best country song list for co-writing Kacey Musgraves’ “Space Cowboy” and whose co-written “Butterflies” also earned Musgraves a best country solo performance nomination.
• Repeat nominee James “Jimmy” Mansfield, a 2014 audio production alumnus who worked as assistant engineer on both Ashley McBryde’s best country album-nominated “Girl Going Nowhere” and the Brothers Osborne “Port Saint Joe” project.
You can watch the 61st annual Grammy Awards Sunday night, Feb. 10, live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles beginning at 7 p.m. Central on CBS.
More details are available at http://Grammy.com, and a complete list of this year’s nominees is available here.
Read the entire story here.
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