47th Annual GRAMMY Nominations Spotlight Diverse Collaborations and Multifaceted Music Makers.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- The Recording Academy:

--Kanye West Leads Noms with 10; Alicia Keys and Usher Neck and Neck with Eight; Ray Charles Posthumously Garners Seven Nods; Green Day Gets Six; and Norah Jones, Loretta Lynn, Prince and Engineer Al Schmitt Each Receive Five

--Ray Charles, Green Day, Alicia Keys, Usher, and Kanye West Battle for Album of the Year

Nominations for the 47th Annual GRAMMY(R) Awards were announced today by The Recording Academy(R) reflecting a year in which some artists did it all, collaborations were numerous and diverse, and breakout music makers ran the genre gamut. The press event was held at The Music Box @ The Fonda in Hollywood and was attended by national and international media, as well as key music industry executives. Artists reading nominations this morning included Anita Baker, the Black Eyed Peas (Will and Fergie), Earth, Wind & Fire, Hoobastank (Dan Estrin and Doug Robb), Mark McGrath, JD Natasha, Nelly, Kevin Spacey, Joss Stone, Kanye West, and Gretchen Wilson. The 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," Feb. 13, 2005 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in High Definition TV and 5.1 Surround Sound on CBS from 8 - 11:30 p.m. (EST/PST).

Topping the nominations, Kanye West earned 10, while Alicia Keys and Usher each earned eight. Ray Charles garnered seven nods, Green Day received six, and Norah Jones, Loretta Lynn, Prince, and engineer Al Schmitt each earned five.

"This year's nominees truly reflect a trend of music makers participating in multiple aspects of the creative process, while also often collaborating with a diverse slate of other artists in various genres," said Neil Portnow, President of The Recording Academy. "And with new artists emerging in rock, country, pop, R&B and rap, as well as in many other fields, we are pleased to see the robust health and creativity of all genres of music. All of this ensures that GRAMMY Sunday will once again deliver music's biggest night filled with unique, special, and unforgettable performances."

In the General Field, nominees for Album Of The Year include "Genius Loves Company" by Ray Charles & Various Artists; "American Idiot" by Green Day; "The Diary Of Alicia Keys" by Alicia Keys; "Confessions" by Usher; and "The College Dropout" by Kanye West. Nominees for Record Of The Year include "Let's Get It Started" (The Black Eyed Peas), "Here We Go Again" (Ray Charles & Norah Jones), "American Idiot" (Green Day), "Heaven" (Los Lonely Boys), and "Yeah!" (Usher). The Best New Artist nominees are Los Lonely Boys, pop/rock group Maroon 5, soul singer Joss Stone, rapper/producer Kanye West, and country artist Gretchen Wilson.

This year's Song Of The Year nominees represent a wide cross section of genres from pop to R&B to rap to country and rock. Nominated songwriters include John Mayer for "Daughters"; Alicia Keys for "If I Ain't Got You"; C. Smith and Kanye West for "Jesus Walks"; Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman for "Live Like You Were Dying" (performed by Tim McGraw); and Daniel Estrin and Douglas Robb for "The Reason" (performed by Hoobastank).

Green Day, the Killers, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, and Velvet Revolver earned top nominations in the Rock Field. Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal nominations went to Elvis Costello & The Imposters for "Monkey To Man"; Franz Ferdinand for "Take Me Out"; Green Day for "American Idiot"; the Killers for "Somebody Told Me"; and U2 for "Vertigo." Best Rock Song nods go to Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tre Cool for "American Idiot" (Green Day); Duff, Dave Kushner, Slash, Matt Sorum, and Scott Weiland for "Fall To Pieces" (Velvet Revolver); Isaac Brock, Dann Gallucci, Eric Judy, and Benjamin Weikel for "Float On" (Modest Mouse); Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer, and Ronnie Vannucci for "Somebody Told Me" (the Killers); and Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge and Larry Mullen for "Vertigo" (U2). And the nominees for Best Rock Album include "The Delivery Man" by Elvis Costello & The Imposters, "American Idiot" by Green Day, "The Reason" by Hoobastank, "Hot Fuss" by the Killers, and "Contraband" by Velvet Revolver.

In the newly added Best Electronic/Dance Album category, the nominations are "Kish Kash" by the Basement Jaxx; "Legion Of Boom" by the Crystal Method; "Creamfields" by Paul Oakenfold; "Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned" by the Prodigy; and "Reflections" by Paul Van Dyk. And Best Dance Recording nods were claimed by Basement Jaxx Featuring Lisa Kekaula for "Good Luck"; the Chemical Brothers for "Get Yourself High"; Kylie Minogue for "Slow"; Scissor Sisters for "Comfortably Numb"; and Britney Spears for "Toxic."

In the Pop Field, Ray Charles earns three of his seven nominations. In the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals category he has two nominations for "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" (with Elton John) and "Here We Go Again" (with Norah Jones). Other nominees include "Redemption Song" by Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer; "Something" by Paul McCartney and Eric Claption; and "Moon River" by Stevie Wonder and Take 6. Charles' third nom in the Pop Field is in Best Pop Vocal Album for "Genius Loves Company" (Ray Charles & Various Artists), along with Norah Jones' "Feels Like Home"; Sarah McLachlan's "Afterglow"; Joss Stone's "Mind, Body & Soul"; and Brian Wilson's "Brian Wilson Presents Smile."

The R&B Field features multiple nominees Usher, Alicia Keys, and Prince and the Best R&B Song category is dominated by the three: Bryan Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, and Usher Raymond for "Burn" (Usher); Prince for "Call My Name" (Prince); Jermaine Dupri, Alicia Keys, Usher Raymond, Manuel Seal, and Adonis Shropshire for "My Boo" (Usher & Alicia Keys); Chris Bridges, Sean Garrett, LaMarquis Jefferson, Robert McDowell, James Phillips, Jonathan Smith and Patrick J. Que Smith for "Yeah!" (Usher Featuring Lil' Jon & Ludacris); and Alicia Keys, Harold Lilly and Kanye West for "You Don't Know My Name" (Alicia Keys). Best R&B Album nominees include "My Everything" (Anita Baker), "I Can't Stop" (Al Green), "The Diary Of Alicia Keys" (Alicia Keys), "Musicology" (Prince), and "Beautifully Human: Words & Sounds Vol. 2" (Jill Scott). Prince and Usher also share nods in Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for "Call My Name" and "Burn," respectively), along with Anthony Hamilton ("Charlene"), R. Kelly ("Happy People"), and Brian McKnight ("What We Do Here").

Half of Kanye West's 10 nominations are in the Rap Field, and he competes against himself in Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with "Slow Jamz" (Twista Featuring Kanye West & Jamie Foxx) and "All Falls Down" (Kanye West & Syleena Johnson). Other nods in this category are "Why" (Jadakiss Featuring Anthony Hamilton), "Dip It Low" (Christina Milian Featuring Fabolous), and "Yeah!" (Usher Featuring Lil' Jon & Ludacris). Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group nominations go to the Beastie Boys ("Ch-Check It Out"), the Black Eyed Peas ("Let's Get It Started"), the Roots ("Don't Say Nuthin'"), Snoop Dogg & Pharrell ("Drop It Like It's Hot"), and Terror Squad ("Lean Back"). Best Rap Album nominees include the Beastie Boys' "To The 5 Boroughs," Jay-Z's "The Black Album," LL Cool J's "The Definition," Nelly's "Suit," and Kanye West's "The College Dropout."

In the Country Field, Loretta Lynn has five nominations, two of them in Best Country Song for "Miss Being Mrs." and "Portland Oregon." She also vies for Best Country Album ("Van Lear Rose") along with Tim McGraw ("Live Like You Were Dying"), Tift Merritt ("Tambourine"), Keith Urban ("Be Here"), and Gretchen Wilson ("Here For The Party"). Nods for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals go to Jimmy Buffett, Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith & George Strait for "Hey Good Lookin"; Norah Jones & Dolly Parton for "Creepin' In"; Loretta Lynn & Jack White for "Portland Oregon"; Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard & Toby Keith for "Pancho & Lefty"; and Shania Twain with Alison Krauss & Union Station for "Coat Of Many Colors."

Nominees in the Jazz Field reflect an interesting mix of old favorites and new voices, as reflected in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category. The nominees include Andy Bey's "American Song," Jamie Cullum's "Twentysomething," Al Jarreau's "Accentuate The Positive," Queen Latifah's "The Dana Owens Album," and Nancy Wilson's "R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal)."

Best Gospel Performance is a new category for the 47th GRAMMY Awards and features nominees Shirley Caesar & Ann Nesby ("The Stone"); Ray Charles & Gladys Knight ("Heaven Help Us All"); Dr. John & Mavis Staples ("Lay My Burden Down"); Fred Hammond ("Celebrate (He Lives)"); and Ben Harper & The Blind Boys Of Alabama ("There Will Be A Light").

GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 15 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 12, 2005, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the telecast.

The GRAMMY Awards are produced in association with Cossette Productions. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Walter C. Miller is producer/director, Tisha Fein is the coordinating producer, Tzvi Small is executive in charge of production, and Anthea Bhargava is associate producer.

Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., also known as The Recording Academy, is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs -- including the creation of the national public education campaign What's The Download(R) (www.WhatsTheDownload.com). For more information about the Academy, please visit www.grammy.com.

MEDIA, PLEASE NOTE: A complete list of nominees is available at www.grammy.com. For information detailing how to apply for press credentials to cover the 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards, please click on the "Press" link located on the GRAMMY.com home page (http://www.grammy.com/press/credentials.aspx) and follow the directions posted. No credential applications will be accepted in any form other than that outlined on the Web site. The deadline to apply is Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, at 5 p.m. (PT). NO EXCEPTIONS.