Cherokee Music Veteran Receives Grammy Nomination for her Nanyehi Project

No stranger to the Grammys, longtime country music singer-songwriter Becky Hobbs receives her second career Grammy nomination on a project that struck a chord close to the heart.

Her latest album, Nanyehi, Beloved Woman of the Cherokee, which she considers “her life’s work” is a tribute to her great Cherokee heritage. It was inspired by the life of Hobbs’ 5thgreat-grandmother, Nancy Ward (1738-1822), who went to battle at age 17 and led the Cherokee to victory. After being honored as a War Woman, she advocated for peace and forgiveness over war and anger, and rose to the highest rank possible for a Cherokee woman. 

This album is loaded with 17 original songs, in which she either wrote or co-wrote all the songs in order to preserve the Native American/folk theme. This project is full of aggression countered by calming chords of serenity to express rocky periods the tribe went through during Nancy Ward’s life and how she soothed tensions between her tribe and white settlers.

Hobbs’ first Grammy nomination was as a co-writer in 1988 on the song “You Are,” which was recorded by Glen Campbell and Emmylou Harris.

As a vocalist, pianist and songwriter, Hobbs was discovered in L.A. by Al Gallico, one of the most influential and powerful music publishers in the postwar music era. Since 1981, Hobbs has been a friend to the Nashville music scene, co-writing for some of the greats like Loretta Lynn, Alabama, George Jones, and Conway Twitty. Her co-written “Angels Among Us,” which was recorded by Alabama, has been used on numerous occasions for various charity events, including those for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.