This Year’s Grammy Shocker Courtesy Of Kip Winger

Did you hear Kip Winger was nominated for a Grammy in the Classical Music category? No really. There's no punchline coming. Kip Winger really is up for a Classical Music Grammy.

Winger's record 'C.F. Kip Winger: Conversations With Nijinsky' could earn him a Grammy award tomorrow night in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category. That's right, we're talking about THAT Kip Winger, the late 80s sex symbol whose chest hair was as recognizable as the hair on his head. The same Kip Winger who sang on MTV hits like "Seventeen" and "Headed For A Heartbreak".

As it turns out Winger has been recording classical music for years before finally releasing an album. In fact, Winger's classical music roots go all the way back to his childhood days growing up in Denver, Colorado. At the age of 16, while attending ballet class, Winger was introduced to artists like Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. They would leave a lasting impression on Winger but their influence would have to take a back seat as his burgeoning career in rock 'n' roll would lead him down a different musical path.

Winger would have an opportunity to revisit his classical roots when the grunge era put many 80s bands out of work. Winger took advantage of his downtime by privately studying and learning the craft of writing for an orchestra. He did that for over a decade before finally letting the public hear his music.

Winger hasn't completely abandoned his rock 'n' roll career, however. He still tours and records with his band. He even had the chance to perform some of his Winger hits with an orchestra. Here he is with Winger guitarist Reb Beach performing "Headed For A Heartbreak" with the Colorado Orchestra:

If Kip Winger wins a Grammy tomorrow night it will certainly be quite an accomplishment for him personally but also a statement on behalf of the era of rock he came from. Never judge a book by its cover and never judge an 80s rocker by his hair.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, Kip Winger didn't win the Grammy. Below are the results in his category. A congratulations to Winger for his impressive nomination nonetheless.

Best Contemporary Classical Composition:

Bates: Anthology Of Fantastic Zoology — Mason Bates, composer (Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
WINNER: Daugherty: Tales Of Hemingway — Michael Daugherty, composer (Zuill Bailey, Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony)
Higdon: Cold Mountain — Jennifer Higdon, composer; Gene Scheer, librettist
Theofanidis: Bassoon Concerto — Christopher Theofanidis, composer (Martin Kuuskmann, Barry Jekowsky & Northwest Sinfonia)
Winger: Conversations With Nijinsky — C. F. Kip Winger, composer (Martin West & San Francisco Ballet Orchestra)

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