Grammy nominations galore for Philadelphia musicians

The Recording Academy announced the nominations for the 2024 Grammys on Friday. The list of Philadelphia-connected nominees at the 2024 Awards includes Black Thought of the Roots, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Adam Blackstone. It starts at the top with boygenius, the trio of singer-songwriters Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Philly resident Lucy Dacus, who are among the artists with the most nominations with seven.

That number, which includes one for album of the year for the group’s debut album, The Record, is topped only by SZA, the New Jersey artist born Solána Imani Rowe, who has nine. R&B singer Victoria Monet and country songwriter Brandy Clark also received seven nominations.

The prestigious album of the year category finds boygenius in competition with a field made up almost entirely of women, with Taylor Swift’s Midnights, SZA’s SOS, Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts, Janelle Monáe’s The Age of Pleasure, Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation, and Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. Jon Batiste’s World Music Radio is also nominated.

South Philly-bred Black Thought — whose new memoir The Upcycled Self comes out Monday — is nominated in best rap performance for “Love Letter,” a freestyle rap that was released as a single in February as a 50th anniversary of hip-hop celebration.

Bass player Blackstone, long known as a busy bandleader backing acts like Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake, has stepped out as a solo artist and is being rewarded with a nomination in the best instrumental jazz album for Legacy (The Instrumental Jawn).

Philadelphia graphic artist Perry Shall, who handles all the artwork for Dan Auerbach’s Nashville-based Easy Eye Sound label, is nominated in the best recording package category for his work on Electrophonic Chronic, an album by Auerbach’s band the Arcs.

Camden gospel artist and choir leader Tye Tribbett — a two-time Grammy winner — is up for best gospel album for All Things New: Live In Orlando.

Other Philadelphia artists nominated include the Crossing Choir for best choral performance in Carols After A Plague; and the Philadelphia Orchestra for best orchestral performance in Florence Price’s Symphony No. 4 and William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony, with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

It was an album of Price’s two other extant symphonies that, in 2022, that won the orchestra its first-ever Grammy in the best orchestral performance.

Nézet-Séguin is also conductor of a nominee for best opera recording: Terence Blachard’s Champion, with singers Ryan Speedo Green, Latonia Moore, Eric Owens, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

The 66th Grammy Awards will be given out at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 4 and will be telecast 8-11:30 p.m. on CBS.