Only a few have what it takes to make it to…the Grammys.

Apparently not, as the Grammys now have 109 categories. 109! And that doesn’t cover it all because Best Cowbell seems to be missing form the list.

109 is just ridiculous. Could we move the bar a little lower?

Don’t get me wrong. I do think the Grammys are valuable. While being criticized over the years, well every year to be exact, for being out of touch, the Grammys have, from time to time, lurched forward in an effort to more accurately reflect popular music. Based on the amount of disposable pop music dominating the nominations this year, maybe they have lurched too far.

In the sixties and seventies, the Grammys repeatedly overlooked key rock records and that’s why so many heritage artists from rock are not in possession of a Grammy. And that’s also why, in the last decade or so, when a heritage artist manages to garner a nomination for a recent release, they often win. Grammy playing catch up, so to speak.

Robert Plant and Zeppelin never captured a Grammy but now, over the last decade, Plant is in possession of eight and could win more with his nominated Band of Joy. Neil Young? Didn’t win his until last January for Best Art Direction on a boxed set. Really?

Sometimes the catch up results in reigniting an artist’s career as it did for Bonnie Raitt in 1990 and Carlos Santana in 2000. The Grammys also have a uncanny ability to shower love on a previously unknown album catapulting sales post awards ceremony like it did for Norah Jones in 2003 or the O Brother Soundtrack in 2002.

Sometimes it results in embarrasment as it did when Jethro Tull won the first ever Grammy for the newly-established Best Heavy Metal Album over Metallica in 1988.

But there are certainly instances where the Grammys nailed it as they did with Michael Jackson’s Thriller in 1984, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours in 1978 and U2′s Joshua Tree in 1988 so the argument that the Grammys are stupid, or suck or are irrelevant doesn’t hold water.

Today, more artists pursue an oppoortunity to just perform on the Grammys. With so few awards actually presented during the telecast the real sales lift comes from nailing a live performance on national TV.

But 109 categories now? That’s potentially over 500 nominees? Is there really that much excellence in music every year?

Here’s the problem that now needs to be addressed by the Grammy committee.

Do we really still need Latin categories (there are 7 including Best Banda album, Best Norteno, etc) since the Grammys spun off a seperate Latin Grammy awards eleven years ago?

How about Classical, which represents about 1% of music sales, about 5 million units a year. How much of last year’s sales was just one title, Susan Boyle? About 75% of that.

So, with classical albums selling an average (not counting the 2 to 5 “crossover” pop hits each year) of 5000 units do we really need 13 categories, including Best Small Ensemble, Best Classical Crossover, Best Classical Contemporary (oxymoron?) and Best Chamber Music? No would be my answer.

Do we really need seperate Rock and Hard Rock categories in Male Vocals, Female Vocals and Group or Duo Vocals? Don’t forget we already have these in Pop, too.

There is a category for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance on top of R&B in Male, Female and Group. So, what’s this for exactly?

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. So, because the rapper can’t sing and needs a vocalist to make his tune catchy enough to be on Top 40 radio, we award a Grammy?

Best New Age album? Didn’t this music disappear with Buggy Whips and Record Stores?

Best Improvised Jazz Solo and also Best Jazz Instrumental. Couldn’t this be one and the same?

Best Gospel, Best Rock or Rap Gospel, Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel, Best Southern Gospel, Best Traditional Gospel; Jesus, just bequeath them their own awards show already. Wait, maybe that’s coming in May of 2011, right?

When I took over as Music Nominating Chair at the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards a few years back (Shout columnist Marq Manner now holds this position) the first thing I did was examine how many categories the OEA awarded in Music to ensure the bar was not set too low awarding mediocrity.

The Grammys now have this problem.

Over the last 10 to 12 years as you read the morning after recaps of the awards and see that someone has collected 8+ Grammys your first question should be, “In what categories?”

They probably should have only won 5 in categories that matter.

Sure, I pick on the Grammys but I’ll be tuning in to catch some great performances. You should, too. The awards are Feb 13^th on CBS