Alisha Gaddis and Lucky Diaz form part of Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band.
Part-time Columbus residents Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis, who also live in Los Angeles, have been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Children’s Music Album for “Crayon Kids,” their 13th release.
The 64th Annual Grammy Awards are scheduled to be held Jan. 31 in Los Angeles and telecast on CBS. The pair plans to attend.
“Lots of tears of gratitude,” Gaddis said on Facebook Tuesday night. “Release. More gratitude.
“Thankful to sooooo many. And those that voted.
“Wow. Wow. Wow.”
The duo, known as Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, have won two Latin Grammy awards amid four nominations, since much of their music is in Spanish. This marks their first general nomination.
Gaddis was inundated on Tuesday with congratulatory messages on her Facebook page, and responded accordingly.
“This is a lot of kindness,” she said. “Thank you. We FEEL it.”
The globetrotting pair claim a wide audience. Husband Diaz and wife Gaddis, the Evansville-born daughter of retired Columbus East football coach Bob Gaddis, have sung to 10,000 people at Olympic Stadium in Beijing China, a country where they also have a children’s TV show.
They are hosts of the live-action, Emmy-winning PBS TV show “Lishy Lou and Lucky Too,” which is still in reruns. Their music also has been featured in TV commercials.
And, amid such national success, the duo still makes time to perform in Columbus — and for the Columbus Area Arts Council programs.
Diaz spoke about the record with The Republic when the nine-song disc, aimed at youngsters ages 4 to 10, was released in July after being recorded at their Los Angeles home last year amid the pandemic. The pair worked with producers and others online.
In the summer, Diaz broke into laughter when someone told him that the opening cut, “Letter C,” could be at home on any edgy, rhythm-and-blues playlist anywhere.
“Children’s entertainment is so very different today,” he said. “The internet has made it that way.”
Just the album’s decorated support staff could leave in-the-know parent listeners pretty stoked. Producer Kenny Siegal has worked with groups such as Cheap Trick and performed with such pop acts such as Tears For Fears. Mixer Matt Cullen has worked with Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey and Sean Lennon. Grammy winner Greg Calbi mastered the tunes.
