2008 Grammy Winners

Grammy night brings visions of red carpets, lovely gowns, and the music industry's hottest artists. However, the Grammys also give a nod of honor to the spoken word of authors and artist in genres that do not involve the art of voice or instrument. The 50^th Grammy Awards Ceremony gave three awards to the gifted voices of the spoken word and comical collaboration.

The most noted vocal winner Sunday night (2008) was Democratic candidate Barack Obama. Obama won the 'Spoken Word Album' Grammy for his audio book version of his best selling book "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream." This is Obama's second Grammy win; the first in 2006 was for his audio book "Dreams From My Father," a memoir published in 1995. "The Audacity of Hope" is a book with many levels of discussion. Barack Obama deals with his absentee father. He speaks of his journey to find his families roots and talks about his youthful struggles. Obama is candid in his book about marijuana use, alcohol use, and his struggles to find his place in the culture of his time. His political views and disappointments become clearer in his writing. The book gained great recognition and endorsement from the media and his current supporter Oprah Winfrey. This New York Times Best Selling book became one of the key introductions of Barack Obama into the role of political "Golden Boy." Many believe, the recognition and empowerment that began to rise after the circulation of this book, sprung Obama into his early run for President of the United States.

Obama now shares Grammy company with the another Democratic hopeful, Hillary

Clinton. Clinton won a 'Spoken Word' Grammy in 1997 for her New York Times Best Seller "It Takes A Village. He also shares the award with former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Clinton won in 2004 for a collaborative children's story and in 2005 for his memoir "My Life." Carter won in 2007 for his audio book "Our Endangered Valued: America's Moral Crisis."

The 2008 Grammy winner for the 'Spoken Work Album for Children' was Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows, audio Jim Dale, written by J.K. Rowling's.