After 42-year career, singer pleased by first Grammy nomination

Folk singer Tom Paxton is delighted with his first Grammy award nomination, even if he had to wait through four decades of performing and more than a dozen albums.

"Isn't that something? Do you think that waiting until I'm 65 is cutting it a little fine?" he asked. "I'm absolutely thrilled and I was genuinely surprised."

Paxton, whose songs include "The Marvelous Toy," "I Can't Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound," "The Last Thing on My Mind," and "Ramblin' Boy," said he doesn't think about the nominations he didn't get over the past 42 years.

"It's wonderful to be nominated ever," he said after a Thursday concert at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City.

Paxton was nominated in the children's album category for "Your Shoes, My Shoes," produced by longtime friends Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. They are competing in the same category with their "Pocket Full of Stardust." The other nominees are "Beethoven's Wig -- Sing Along Symphonies" (Richard Perlmutter), "Big Songs for Little Kids -- I Feel Like Praising" (Various Artists) and "Monsters, Inc. -- Scream Factory Favorites" (Riders in the Sky).

He tested songs for the album like "Barney Ate My Homework," "The Pizza That Ate Chicago" and "Somebody Burped" before his grandsons, Christopher and Sean.

"I'd love to win, but it's not going to happen," Paxton said. "We're up against 'Monsters, Inc.,' so I told my wife 'This IS as good as it gets!"'

The Grammy awards, in 104 categories, will be handed out Feb. 23.

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Tom Paxton: http://www.tompaxton.com

Grammy Awards: http://www.grammy.com