The 2026 Grammy Awards nominations have delivered a striking showcase for Louisiana’s music scene, as artists from New Orleans and beyond earn recognition across a wide array of genres and most notably sweep the entire Best Regional Roots Music Album category. On the list released November 7, Louisiana-based musicians appear in key categories such as jazz, gospel, blues and country, revealing the enduring power and diversity of the state’s cultural output.
Roots Dominance: A Louisiana Clean Sweep
In the Best Regional Roots Music Album category, all five nominees hail from Louisiana. They include Kyle Roussel’s Church of New Orleans; Corey Henry & the Treme Funktet’s Live At Vaughan’s; Trombone Shorty & the New Breed Brass Band’s Second Line Sunday; Preservation Brass & Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s For Fat Man; and A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, honoring legend Clifton Chenier. This marks a historic moment in Grammy history for the category and underscores the deep roots of Louisiana’s regional music traditions.
Alongside that sweep, other nominations for Louisiana artists span multiple genres:
- Jon Batiste (New Orleans native) earned nods for Best American Roots Performance (“Lonely Avenue” featuring Randy Newman), Best American Roots Song (“Big Money”) and Best Americana Album (also Big Money).
- Ledisi (who grew up in New Orleans) is nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Love You Too”) and Best R&B Album (The Crown).
- Branford Marsalis returned to New Orleans in 2024 and picked up a nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album (Belonging).
- PJ Morton, a New Orleans-raised musician, is recognized in gospel/Christian categories: Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song (Amazing, with Darrel Walls) and Best Gospel Album (Heart of Mine).
- Blues veterans also shine: Samantha Fish is nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album (Paper Doll), while Buddy Guy (an LA native) and Kenny Wayne Shepherd with Bobby Rush are nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album.
This array of nominations highlights how Louisiana music is not confined to one style from jazz and brass bands to zydeco, gospel and modern blues.
Why It Matters: Culture, Legacy and Impact
Louisiana’s dominance in the regional roots category reinforces the state’s enduring role as a creative and cultural hotbed. The nominations demonstrate how local traditions second-line brass, zydeco rhythms, gospel choirs are still resonating on the national stage.
For the nominated artists, the recognition often reflects personal journeys intertwined with New Orleans’ musical heritage. Many grew up immersed in the city’s live-music circuits, festivals and neighborhood bands. Their success is both a celebration of individual achievement and a testament to a vibrant ecosystem of talent and heritage.
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Moreover, such representation in the Grammys helps shine a spotlight on genres and communities that often lie outside mainstream pop radio. It invites wider audiences to engage with the sounds of Louisiana and acknowledges the broader influence those styles have exerted on American music.
As the awards ceremony approaches on February 1 2026 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the nominations alone serve as a win for Louisiana’s musical identity. Whether these artists convert nominations into trophies remains to be seen but their presence across multiple categories already secures their place in this year’s conversation.
