The music industry’s most prestigious event — the 67th annual Grammy Awards — was held in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, Feb. 2, and amongst the sprawling crowd of A-list celebrities that descended upon Crypto.com Arena were several Athens natives.

For Lindsay Lane resident Christopher Burks, an accomplished music producer and audio engineer who worked on DOE Jones’s Grammy-winning album “Heart of a Human,” the “once in a lifetime” opportunity to attend the event was one that he said he could not pass up on.

“I think I jumped up and screamed when they announced the album won at the Pre-Grammys Award Show, but to be honest it was all a blur of pure excitement,” Burks told The News Courier after Jones’s album won Best Contemporary Christian Music Album of 2024. “Me and my girlfriend (Paige Collier) had a lot of fun just taking it all in while we were out there. To know that all of those late nights and countless hours spent trying to perfect my craft paid off with a Grammy is an unreal feeling. I just thank God for everything, because I know without him none of this would have been possible.”

Burks went into great detail when describing his three-day trip in the City of Angels, a city that he has grown comfortable with in his years traveling to work on different music, but he said he was still amazed with all of the stars he ran into.

“It was a lot of fun just being around that many people who are so highly revered,” Burks said. “Getting the chance to network with people like Anderson .Paak was amazing. When we flew out on Saturday I remember thinking just being there was the win, but we still got so hype when we found out. It’s hard to explain, I just know I smiled the entire time… It was truly a blessing.”

As Burks was taking in the bright lights of the Grammy for the first time, another Athens native was taking home some of the spotlight as five-time Grammy Award winning artist Brittany Howard earned her 17th nomination on Sunday.

Howard, a graduate of East Limestone High School, was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album for her second solo studio album “What Now.” Though she did not win the category she was still able to stun the crowd with her live performance of Randy Newman’s 1983 song “I Love L.A.,” as a musical tribute to the relief efforts of the devastating wildfires that ravaged the city.

In a red carpet interview with the Recording Academy before the Grammy Awards show, Howard mentioned her small town home of Athens.

“I feel honored and fortunate to be here. I’m so glad to be here with friends and family, it’s just a great feeling today,” Howard said. “My dad is standing right over there, he just wants to meet all the celebs, that’s his thing. We are from Athens, Alabama, this is still a big deal to my town — so we’re here representing.”

Members of Brittany’s family from Athens who attended the Grammy Awards included Tiffany Bailey, her dad K.J. Howard and her aunt Carla Hood. The number of Athens residents who were present at the music industry’s most prestigious event is a testament to those big dreams that were nurtured by a small town.

“I feel like our presence just being there shows no matter where you come from — you can always achieve anything you put your heart toward,” Burks said. “If you grind toward something and stick to your dreams, there’s no telling what you can achieve. I just hope that the kids growing up in Athens know that anything is possible, and not just in music but in anything. With God by your side there is no limit to what you can do.”