Leon Bridges Comes Up Short at Grammys While Snarky Puppy, Pentatonix Win

Leon Bridges' fairytale year didn't quite get the perfect ending that his fans would've hoped for on Monday night. After skyrocketing from life as a dishwasher to being an international phenomenon over the course of 2015, the Fort Worth native made the trek out to Los Angeles for the 58th...

By Jeff Gage

February 16, 2016

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Leon Bridges' fairytale year didn't quite get the perfect ending that his fans would've hoped for on Monday night. After skyrocketing from life as a dishwasher to being an international phenomenon over the course of 2015, the Fort Worth native made the trek out to Los Angeles for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, where he was nominated in the Best R&B Album category. But it wasn't to be.

Not that there was much shame in this loss: Bridges' Coming Home was up against D'Angelo's Black Messiah, which was arguably the best album — in any category — released in 2014, although released too late in the year to be considered for last year's Grammys. Black Messiah came out the winner, but 26-year-old Bridges still has a hell of a lot to be proud of. Guess he'll just have to make do with that string of late-night TV appearances and performances with former Beatles, right?

What remains a little more baffling is the fact that Bridges wasn't nominated in the Best New Artist category, which went to "All About That Bass" singer Meghan Trainor on Monday night. But hey, at least he took the opportunity of his first Grammys appearance to arrive in style:

.@leonbridges arriving for his #GRAMMYs debut!
Nominated for Best R&B Album. #ComingHome pic.twitter.com/jWaN7y2Mh9
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) February 15, 2016

Bridges was by no means the only North Texan up for honors at Monday's awards ceremony, and several others came up big winners. Reigning champs of the cumbersomely named Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Capella category, Pentatonix, successfully defended their crown thanks to their rendition of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies." That wasn't the only highlight of the night for the crew with Arlington ties, either, as they got to share the stage with R&B legend Stevie Wonder to perform a tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White.
Also taking home a trophy on Monday night (and also its second, in fact) was Denton jazz group Snarky Puppy, whose Sylva took the honors in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category, and Kirk Franklin, whose "Wanna Get Happy?" won Best Gospel Performance/Song. Liz Rose, one of three cowriters for Little Big Town's "Girl Crush," got to take the stage as well as winner of the Best Country Song category.

"Girl Crush" was also up for one of the Grammys' blue-chip awards, Song of the Year, but lost out to Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud." The Eagles' Don Henley (Best American Roots Song) and Burleson's Kelly Clarkson (Best Solo Pop Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album) were also nominated but came away empty handed.

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