Robert Plant and Alison Krauss at the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards - Press Room , Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA USA February 7, 2009 B) Sara De Boer / Retna Ltd.
Each week country music expert Neil Haislop answers your questions!
Q: I saw two of the acceptance speeches for Alison Krauss and Robert Plant at the Grammy Awards. Why is it that when they won, Robert Plant spoke the whole time and seemed to not want Alison to talk? I've seen them win an award at another award show last year and the same thing happened. That doesn't seem right to me.
(Todd, Woodbridge, VA)
A: Todd, I saw Alison Krauss responding on microphone after the awards were announced. But she might indeed have wanted to defer to Plant's legendary status, which was very helpful in getting larger attention from the NARAS membership. There was a time when she was much more shy about talking in public, speaking only when she had something important to add. She's still a bit that way today.
Q: What would you say to a guy if he wanted to become a country music singer and thought he would be a perfect match for it and could adapt to the lifestyle as a star?
(C.J., Hillsboro, KY)
A: I would say what anybody else that hangs around this business would say. If you've been performing for years already, have had local success, can play an instrument or two, and have had other professional singers tell you have what it takes vocally to make it — then move to Nashville and get ready to compete with the hundreds of other singers that are trying to do the same thing. Allow 5 to 10 years of hard work and rejection before you can succeed as a singer or writer there. Then, after years of proving yourself and success, you'll know how to adapt to the lifestyle of a country music star.
Q: Why didn't the Grammys show George Strait winning his first Grammy? I just couldn't understand; he's somebody who has had so many No. 1s and sold so many albums. It was worthy of a spot on the show.
(Steve, Norfolk, VA)
A: Steve, first, this year all of the country awards were passed out in the non-televised pre-show. (There are so many categories they can't show every category on air every year.) Carrie Underwood was the only artist in the pre-show audience to pick up her award for Best Female Country Vocal. We're not sure why George Strait didn't come to the show. He was not performing or presenting and knew in advance that the country awards were not going to be aired on the prime-time show, so he didn't have a lot of reason to come.
Q: When are you going to pay attention to a great singer, Randy Houser? "Anything Goes" is a heart-wrenching song and he does wonders with it.
(Gail, Kingman, AZ)
A: Gail, thanks for your passion for Randy Houser. I agree that he's talented and thanks to this song he's finally got a chance to break on through. GAC will respond as they should, as Randy's popularity rises on radio and with the public. When he has more videos to show, you'll see much more of him on the channel.
Q: When and where are auditions being held for "Nashville Star" 2009?
(Teresa, Tyler, TX)
A: Teresa, so far "Nashville Star" has not announced when and where the first 2009 open auditions will be held.
Q: Who is the girl in the new video with Blake Shelton? It's almost believable that they are a couple, maybe a better couple than Blake and Miranda.
(Mary, Bridgeport, PA)
A: Mary, all that video performance means is that Blake Shelton (like most good music performers that know how to sell a song to audiences or a camera) is a good actor. I'll leave it to you to ask Miranda [Lambert] if that actress and Blake would make a better couple than Miranda and Blake together!