(February 28, 2001) — Despite some artists’ slight indifference to a nomination and even win, this year’s annual Grammy awards will remain a special part of the show’s history. Throughout the years, the elite golden gramophone that represents acceptance and accomplishment in the music industry has become the single most sought after musical tribute. As always, this year’s nominees were unquestionably honored by being considered for a Grammy. The Grammy nominees are probably one of the most modest of all award shows because a lot of the nominees often don’t expect to win and don’t prepare acceptance speeches. “Receiving these nominations is overwhelming,” said singer Faith Hill to Rolling Stone. “There is no greater satisfaction than being recognized by your peers and being able to share these nominations with the greatest group of producers, musicians and songwriters making music today.” “You never take this stuff for granted,” Brooks & Dunn guitarist Kix Brooks said. Added singer Ronnie Dunn, “I’m lucky to have two.” Winners’ acceptance of the award said a lot about their feelings toward receiving the award. For example, last year’s Best New Artist winner, Christina Aguilera, was genuinely shocked about winning, while this year’s winner, Shelby Lynn displayed an it’s-about-time attitude for finally winning after 13 years of recording albums. Other memorable acceptances included rock group U2, who proved to be unappreciative of their three wins when they told MTV that winning a Grammy is just another stop on the tour. Eminem was surprisingly calm and thankful as he thanked everyone for looking past his controversy and seeing the art in his music. Destiny’s Child were left breathless after their name was called. The show itself included a diverse range of performers, presenters and categories from different genres of music. Last Wednesday’s broadcast featured the now infamous Eminem and Elton John performance. While it raised a lot of eyebrows, the performance was intended to be different—something no one else had seen before. “You know, [artists like] Amy Grant and Snoop Dogg are both under that [Grammy tent], and we like that,” Recording Academy President/CEO Michael Greene told GRAMMY.com. “The more this organization can promote cross-pollination between genres, that’s one of our jobs.” Another aspect distinguishing the Grammys from other award shows is the nomination and winner selection process. While some awards are based on record sales and chart positions, a Grammy is solely awarded for musical content and overall excellence. Selected by a team of fellow musicians and producers, they are the only peer-presented award to honor artistic achievement, which makes it appealing to anyone who is involved in music. “I definitely love the fact of getting recognized for my talents, for being able to do what I do,” commented rapper Eminem in an MTV interview. “The main thing I started this whole career, based [it] on, was acceptance and respect. So I guess if trophies mean respect, it’s cool.” Clark junior and aspiring singer Tara Briggs agrees. “If I was an artist, I wouldn’t base my achievement on receiving a Grammy, but it would be extremely flattering to see that other people are noticing my improvement.” So as the aftermath of this year’s awards recedes, musicians will go on to produce records that will hopefully be considered for the honor next time. Says Wailing Souls’ Lloyd “Bread” McDonald to Rolling Stone, “We just do our best and hope our fans will take care of the rest.”