COLOR PURPLE, BRIGHT STAR Among Nominees for Best Musical Theater Album GRAMMY Award; Full List!

Nominations for THE 59TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS were announced this morning by The Recording Academy. Reflecting a diverse blend of talented music makers, this year's nominees were selected from more than 22,000 submissions entered. As the only peer-based music award, the GRAMMY Awards are voted on by The Academy's membership body of creators across all disciplines of music, including recording artists, songwriters, producers and engineers. Final-round GRAMMY ballots will be mailed Dec. 14. THE 59TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS will be broadcast live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017 (8:00-11:30 PM, live ET/5:00-8:30 PM, live PT) on the CBS Television Network. James Corden, the Emmy- and Tony Award-winning multi-faceted host of CBS' "The Late Late Show With James Corden," will serve as host.

The nominees for Best Musical Theater Album are:

Bright Star

Carmen Cusack, principal soloist; Jay Alix, Peter Asher & Una Jackman, producers; Steve Martin, composer; Edie Brickell, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

Label: Ghostlight

The Color Purple

Cynthia Erivo & Jennifer Hudson, principal soloists; Stephen Bray, Van Dean, Frank Filipetti, Roy Furman, Scott Sanders & Jhett Tolentino, producers (Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell & Allee Willis, composers/lyricists) (New Broadway Cast)

Label: Broadway Records

Fiddler On The Roof

Danny Burstein, principal soloist; Louise Gund, David Lai & Ted Sperling, producers (Jerry Bock, composer; Sheldon Harnick, lyricist) (2016 Broadway Cast)

Label: Broadway Records

Kinky Boots

Killian Donnelly & Matt Henry, principal soloists; Sammy James, Jr., Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Oremus & William Wittman, producers (Cyndi Lauper, composer & lyricist) (Original West End Cast)

Label: Masterworks Broadway

Waitress

Jessie Mueller, principal soloist; Neal Avron, Sara Bareilles & Nadia DiGiallonardo, producers; Sara Bareilles, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

Label: DMI Soundtracks

Barbra Streisand's "Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway" and Josh Groban's "Stages Live" received nominations in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. The other nominees included:
Cinema - Andrea Bocelli
Fallen Angels - Bob Dylan
Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin - Willie Nelson

In the category of Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals, Kristin Chenoweth's album "The Art of Elegance" received a nod for "I'm A Fool To Want You", Alan Broadbent, arranger. Others in the category included:

"Do You Hear What I Hear?" - Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band Featuring Take 6)
"Do You Want To Know A Secret" - John Daversa, arranger (John Daversa Featuring Renee Olstead)
"Flintstones" - Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)
"Somewhere" (Dirty Blvd) (Extended Version) - Billy Childs & Larry Klein, arrangers (Lang Lang Featuring Lisa Fischer & Jeffrey Wright)

Broadway veteran Carol Burnett received a nod in the category of Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling) for the recording of her book "In Such Good Company: Eleven Years Of Laughter, Mayhem, And Fun In The Sandbox." Others in the category included:
The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo - Amy Schumer
M Train - Patti Smith
Under The Big Black Sun: A Personal History Of L.A. Punk - (John Doe With Tom Desavia) (Various Artists)
Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink - Elvis Costello

Later singer David Bowie, who composed the music and lyrics to off-Broadway's LAZARUS, received multiple Grammy nominations for his final studio album, Blackstar, which was released two days prior to his death in January. Nominations for "Blackstar" included Best Alternative Music Album, Best Recording Package and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. In addition, the song "Blackstar" is up for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.

Click here for list of this year's nominations!

About The Recording Academy: Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers and recording professionals dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards - the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music - The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Recording Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter, like "Recording Academy / GRAMMYs" on Facebook, and join The Recording Academy's social communities on Google+, Instagram, Tumblr and YouTube.