The nominations have been announced for the 66th Grammy Awards. Donnie Sundal, a Walton County resident who contributed to Sam Bush’s album, Radio John: Songs of John Hartford, nominated for Best Bluegrass Album – is recognized for dual roles; Recording Engineer and Tenor Background Vocals on the song “In Tall Buildings.”
Donnie is the owner of Neptone Recording Studio in Miramar Beach and a seasoned professional musician. On a whim to help a friend on vacation, Donnie brought enough recording gear to turn a vacation rental of Sam Bush’s into a mobile recording studio. “Once I started cutting the songs with Donnie digitally it was like, ‘Oh, now this is recording studio quality here.’ I was originally only meaning to make tapes of these John Hartford songs to show the guys in the Sam Bush Band and then maybe we’d record them,” says Sam Bush in an interview with thebluegrasssituation.com.
Radio John is a tribute to Sam’s great friend and mentor, John Hartford. Sam plays every instrument on the album except the full band finale and sole original tune, “Radio John.”
Donnie, his family and his band Boukou Groove will be cheering Sam Bush on in hopes he will win his fourth Grammy Award with more than a dozen lifetime nominations. “We love Sam Bush and are inspired by his career and commitment to his craft. It’s an honor to be a part of the album and his friend,” says Donnie.
The Grammy Awards will return to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, with the show airing live on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
You can learn more about Donnie Sundal on his websites at www.neptonerecording.com and www.boukougroove.com.
