Country music star Eric Church has announced that he will not be attending the Grammy Awards tonight due to health-related issues. In an emotional message, Church expressed his disappointment at not being able to be there in person, despite making every effort to attend.
He wished all the nominees the best of luck and emphasized the deep respect he holds for the Grammys and their importance to the music community. Church added that his focus is now on recovery and that he plans to return to the stage next week in Omaha.
Fans and fellow artists have flooded social media with messages of support, wishing him a speedy recovery.
The 68th Grammy Awards are underway at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where the music industry’s greatest talents will be honored.
Country music is well represented this year, although no country acts were nominated in the Grammys’ four biggest all-genre categories. The Recording Academy announced that a new country-specific category would be added this year, meaning that country artists were given more opportunity than ever to take home a coveted Gramophone.
For the first time, the Grammys will recognize the Best Traditional Country Album. This is in addition to Best Contemporary Country Album, previously known as Best Country Album.
The new Best Traditional Country Album award will recognize “country recordings that adhere to the more traditional sound structures of the country genre, including rhythm and singing style, lyrical content, as well as traditional country instrumentation.”
Other country categories include Best Country Solo Performance, Best Country Duo/Group Performance, and Best Country Song. This year’s country-adjacent categories in Americana, Roots, and Gospel genres feature nominations from country artists like Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss & Union Station.
About this year’s country nominees.
Tyler Childers, Miranda Lambert, and Chris Stapleton lead the pack in nominations with four nods each. Newcomer Zach Top has an impressive three nominations. Joining Zach with three are Lainey Wilson and Shaboozey.
Jelly Roll, Reba McEntire, George Strait, Willie Nelson, and Alison Krauss are also nominated.
Who won trophies at the 2026 Grammy Awards?
A Premiere Ceremony was streamed live online ahead of Sunday’s televised show. Many of the awards presented early included those in the Country, Roots, Americana, and bluegrass categories.
See the full list of country nominees and winners below (in bold).
Best Traditional Country Album
- Dollar A Day – Charley Crockett
- American Romance – Lukas Nelson
- Oh What a Beautiful World – Willie Nelson
- Hard Headed Woman – Margo Price
- **WINNER** Ain’t In It For My Health – Zach Top
Best Country Solo Performance
- “Nose on the Grindstone” – Tyler Childers
- “Good News” – Shaboozey
- **WINNER** “Bad as I Used to Be [From “F1 The Movie”]” – Chris Stapleton
- “I Never Lie” – Zach Top
- “Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson
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Best Country Duo/Group Performance
- “A Song to Sing” — Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton
- “Trailblazer” — Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson
- “Love Me Like You Used to Do” — Margo Price & Tyler Childers
- **WINNER** “Amen” — Shaboozey & Jelly Roll
- “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame” — George Strait, Chris Stapleton
Best Country Song
- **WINNER** “Bitin’ List” — Tyler Childers, songwriter (recorde by Tyler Childers)
- “Good News” — Michael Ross Pollack, Sam Elliot Roman & Jacob Torrey, songwriters (recorded by Shaboozey feat. Jelly Roll)
- “I Never Lie” — Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols & Zach Top, songwriters (recorded by Zach Top)
- “Somewhere Over Laredo” — Andy Albert, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson & Lainey Wilson, songwriters (recorded by Lainey Wilson)
- “A Song to Sing” — Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure, Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (recorded by Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton)
Best Contemporary Country Album
- Pattern – Kelsea Ballerini
- Snipe Hunter – Tyler Childers
- Evangeline vs. the Machine – Eric Church
- Beautifully Broken – Jelly Roll
- Postcards From Texas – Miranda Lambert
Best American Roots Performance
- “Lonely Avenue” – Jon Batiste feat. Randy Newman
- “Ancient Light” – I’m With Her
- “Crimson and Clay” – Jason Isbell
- “Richmond On The James” – Alison Krauss & Union Station
- **WINNER** “Beautiful Strangers” – Mavis Staples
Best Americana Performance
- “Boom” – Sierra Hull
- “Poison In My Well” – Maggie Rose & Grace Potter
- “Godspeed” – Mavis Staples
- “That’s Gonna Leave A Mark” – Molly Tuttle
- “Horses” – Jesse Welles
Best American Roots Song
- “Ancient Light” – I’m With Her
- “Big Money” – Jon Batiste
- “Foxes In The Snow” – Jason Isbell
- “Middle” – Jesse Welles
- “Spitfire” – Sierra Hull
Best Americana Album
- Big Money – Jon Batiste
- Bloom – Larkin Poe
- Last Leaf On The Tree – Willie Nelson
- So Long Little Miss Sunshine – Molly Tuttle
- Middle – Jesse Welles
Best Bluegrass Album
- Carter & Cleveland – Michael Cleveland and Jason Carter
- A Tip Toe High Wire – Sierra Hull
- Arcadia – Alison Krauss & Union Station
- Outrun – The Steeldrivers
- Highway Prayers – Billy Strings
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
- “I Know A Name” – Elevation Worship, Chris Brown, Brandon Lake
- “Your Way’s Better” – Forrest Frank
- “Hard Fought Hallelujah” – Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll
- “Headphones” – Lecrae, Killer Mike, T.I.
- “Amazing” – Darrel Walls, PJ Morton
