GRAMMYs For Western Music

Whereas: The Recording Academy currently awards GRAMMYs for music in thirty-one genres, including Salsa, bluegrass, tejano, Mexican-American, folk, blues, rock, pop, traditional folk, traditional blues, Native American, Hawaiian, reggae, polka, children, spoken word, comedy, soundtrack, dance, traditional pop, hard rock, metal, country, alternative, R&B, new age, jazz, gospel, Latin, and rap.

Whereas: There is no field of GRAMMY award specifically for Western music.

Whereas: The mission statement of the GRAMMY Foundation includes the following sentence: "The GRAMMY Foundation works in partnership with its founder, the Recording Academy, to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural legacy."

Whereas: The United States Senate recognized the importance of preserving our Western heritage by proclaiming July 23, 2005 as the "First National Day of the Cowboy."

Whereas: The Cowboy resolution has been introduced in the United State's Senate again asking that July 22, 2006 will be proclaimed the Second Annual National Day of the Cowboy.

Whereas: Western artists, including musicians, singers, and songwriters, are unique in their mission to preserve a valuable and specific segment of America's culture and heritage,that of the Cowboy and the West,through their music.

And,

Whereas: The mission of Western music, to teach and preserve, is synonymous with the mission and objectives of the Recording Academy.

We wish to voice our support for Western music by petitioning the Recording Academy to create a Western Music Grammy field, including awards for Best Western Song(Songwriter(s)Award), Best Western Album (vocal or instrumental), Best Female Western Vocal Performance(for a solo performance) Best Male Western Vocal Performance (for a solo performance),and Best Western Performance by a duo or group(Vocal or Instrumental).

We believe this recognition from the Recording Academy will increase public awareness of and appreciation for Western artists and the vital work they do to preserve America's history and Cowboy culture through their music.