"I don't think about winning, I stop at the nomination," says GRAMMY-winning delta blues musician Keb' Mo' of his latest GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. "I figure, go with the nomination and celebrate that, go to the GRAMMYs, smile … and if something happens, then … OK."
A Los Angeles native with three career GRAMMY wins already to his name, Keb' Mo's latest album TajMo represents a multiyear journey from the first inkling of the songs that would become a part of the record to its ultimate realization and release in early 2017.
Written and recorded in close collaboration with fellow GRAMMY winner Taj Mahal, who Keb' Mo' refers to as his "biggest mentor," the record represents an extended period of first writing, then finally road-testing material across a series of tours before finally stepping into the studio to record what would become TajMo in 2016 — nearly two years after Keb' Mo' and Taj Mahal sat down for their first conversations about a prospective collaboration.
<iframe src="https://tools.applemusic.com/embed/v1/album/1208593018?country=us&itscg=30200&itsct=afftoolset_1" width="100%" height="500px" frameborder="0"></iframe>
In sharing his initial reaction to the nomination news with GRAMMY.com, Keb' Mo' reveals the first person he told was Taj Mahal himself, joking, "That would be the appropriate person to call first."
Keb' Mo' was also quick to praise the "assiduous" work of his entire team in crafting the record, making sure to include a shout out for his engineer Zach Allen for his tireless efforts in bringing the album to fruition.
With the four-year project finally in the rearview, and facing the prospect of participating in an exciting new GRAMMY memory, Keb' Mo' was also able to reflect on the GRAMMY moment that he feels was the most personally inspiring.
"My Favorite GRAMMY moment … was when Bonnie Raitt won four GRAMMYs," he says. "That was one of my favorite moment. … When a great artist was recognized and lifted to where they were supposed to be."
