Norman's Rockwell

Only one week to go with nomination balloting for the 51st GRAMMY Awards. Thanks for all of the prayers and positive feedback! I've been reaching out to as many folks as possible to make them aware of my entries. It is a challenge being an independent artist, but heck McCartney is independent, too. Ah, the competition. Ha ha. One of the coolest aspects of the balloting is being listed alongside legends ( Macca , Al Green, Springsteen), peers (Gnarls Barkley, Raphael Saadiq , Robin Thicke ) and folks I just plain know and like (Supergrass, Fleet Foxes). Balloting ends on Nov. 5. Again thanks to all of the Grammy voters who are considering my entries for nomination. Monday, I had an afternoon off to visit the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. They have a gorgeous Raphael, the 500 year old Madonna and Child with Book . As some of you know, I'm a huge fan of Raphael's. His colors are so vivid and his faces are spellbinding. I picked up a cool Taschen book on his work to learn ...

Hey y'all. A discovery today: the title track from my CD, A Talent For Loving, is an official Grammy entry in the Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance category. Quite a surprise to find myself in that company, but I am not complaining. That brings the total entries for the 51st Grammy Awards up to 8. The other previously announced entries are: Record of the Year ( Everything My Heart Desires ) Song of the Year ( Everything My Heart Desires ) Album of the Year Best New Artist Best Male Pop Vocal Performance ( Everyone's Ingenue ) Best Pop Vocal Album Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance ( Everything My Heart Desires ) and now Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance ( A Talent For Loving ) Reviewers and fans alike have raved that my CD has something for everyone. Apparently NARAS, the Grammy's parent Association, feels the same way. I am very honored and blessed by God. I'm also pleased, because I will be attending the The GRAMMY Nomination Concert Live at the Nokia th...

Wow, thanks for the outpouring of prayers and support for my Grammy bid. I'm simply thrilled that the Grammy leadership placed my work among that of so many of my heroes and peers in seven categories. Here's hoping enough voting members are able to check out my record before the November 5 deadline. There's something else important happening of an electoral nature that week. My music is a perfect tonic for the times, methinks. Celebratory, ya dig? Here's the latest print review from the UK based Shindig! Magazine: "(Kelsey) has totally reinvented himself as a soul man! When I first saw him perform in this milieu at IPO Liverpool 2006, I was duly impressed; the man was Prince, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson rolled into one! Kelsey is the consummate showman who gives it his all... Put on the CD, point the laser to track four, grab a loved one, and prepare yourself for a romantic evening as you dance to 'Everything My Heart Desires.'" - David Bash, Sh...

Yo relatives, here's more neat music news. The official entries have been announced for the 51st Grammy Awards and I have secured seven. These are not "nominations," yet. There are several steps involved to becoming a Grammy winner. In order they are: - Submissions for Grammy Entry. Approved by a select panel. - Grammy Entries for Grammy Nomination. Voted by Grammy Members. - Grammy Nominations for Grammy Awards. Voted by Grammy Members. - Grammy Award! The awesome experience everyone sees on TV, as I have since I was a kid. So, I've cleared the first step. Which is really cool. My work (all from the album, A Talent For Loving ) has been honored with placement in the following categories: Record of the Year ( Everything My Heart Desires ) Song of the Year ( Everything My Heart Desires ) Album of the Year Best New Artist Best Male Pop Vocal Performance ( Everyone's Ingenue ) Best Pop Vocal Album Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance ( Everything My Heart...

(Updated at 12:15 PM PST, Oct. 15) Thanks for the congratulations sent last night after the airing of the season premier of ABC's Eli Stone . My song, Everyone's Ingenue appeared six minutes into the episode in a scene between Eli and his brother Nate. Something about those brothers named Nate. If you missed it there will be plenty of opportunities to review. Go to the Eli Stone website to watch it on demand. Overnight Nielsen ratings suggest that viewership for last night's show was around 10 million people . That's a lot of exposure and I'm thankful for it. This weekend, I had a really nice mini vacation to Vero Beach, FL to see family members and to celebrate my grandmother's 93 birthday. It was a truly relaxing time. Found time to stroll the shore like in my old high school days. The ocean swimming Saturday was brilliant, but the sea was churning the last two days we were there. And let me tell you, Old Bay is the key ingredient for making some stupendou...

Here's big music news from the world of Norman Kelsey. My song Everyone's Ingenue will be heard on the season premiere of ABC's Eli Stone . The episode airs in one week, on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 9 PM PST. Check your local listings. I have no idea what the extent or the context of the song will be, so it shall be a surprise for us all. Eli Stone tells the story of a young, visionary lawyer who may be a prophet or may just suffer from an aneurysm. It stars Trainspotting's Jonny Lee Miller and the show is known for its use of popular music. In fact, singer George Michael's songs featured heavily in Eli Stone's first season. So tune in and turn it up! Of course, you can purchase your own digital copy of Everyone's Ingenue from iTunes , Amazon, etc. Or order the entire CD (hard copy) from CDBaby . In local music musings, my music will be heard tonight on the internet talk-radio show Broad Topics . This is cool news, too. This program, hosted by four funny ladi...