T Bone Burnett used to hide his Grammy Awards from view
T Bone Burnett didn't like having his Grammys on display as he thinks it would put him under pressure to earn more.
T Bone Burnett used to keep his Grammy Awards hidden away.
The 77-year-old studio wizard - who has worked with greats including Elvis, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Sir Ringo Starr - admitted he put the 13 trophies he has been awarded over the years in his closet because seeing them would put him under pressure to attain more.
He told GRAMMY.com: "When I lived in Los Angeles there was a period of time when we won award after award. GRAMMYs and Oscars and BAFTAs and American Music or CMA. And I had them all put in a closet because the last thing you want to think about when you’re making music is whether you’re gonna get a trophy for it.”
However, when he moved to Nashville, he decided to put some of them on display to remind himself of his successes.
He added: “But since I moved to Nashville, I actually brought them out. I have a shelf for the GRAMMYs. I’m enjoying them now. In Los Angeles, to me it felt gauche to display a bunch of trophies. And I still only have a few of them out because there are way too many, but I like seeing them. I’m old now, I’m 76, so it’s good to remember I used to do that.”
Burnett earned Grammys for soundtracks including ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’, ‘Cold Mountain’, ‘Walk the Line’, and ‘Crazy Heart’.
And the producer-and-songwriter could be set to add another trophy to his collection, with his solo album ‘The Other Side’ nominated for Best Americana Album at this year’s ceremony, which is taking place on February 2 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Burnett recently teamed up with Beatles drummer Ringo, 84, on his country album ‘Look Up’, which he says is his “thank you” to the music legend “for all he’s given us”.
He said: “In many ways, it’s the culmination of a dream I’ve been living since 1964. It was a chance to give something back to Ringo for all I feel he’s given us. It was a way to say ‘Thank you’.
“It’s a pretty deep record. I’m really proud of it, I have to say, even though I understand pride goes before a fall. I love the record. The last song on it is ‘Thankful,’ it’s a song he wrote and it’s the most personal, honest song I think he’s ever recorded. And I think it became the warp and woof of the whole record; the whole record’s about gratitude.”
