Singer and songwriter Brenda Russell is no stranger to Grammy. She's been nominated many times, and has seen projects that she's worked on received Grammy honors, such as writing "She Walks This Earth," a tune that earned Sting a Grammy for best pop vocal. This year, Russell has earned a Grammy nomination in a brand-new category: best musical score, along with her co-writers and producer, for creating the music for Broadway's The Color Purple.

 Russell says that after receiving attention from the Tony Awards, the ceremonies that honor theatrical achievement, she didn't even consider that their work might be eligible for a Grammy. The nomination was a nice surprise, says Russell: "My co-creators, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray and myself were ecstatic. We wrote the music and lyrics for The Color Purple musical on Broadway, and we couldn't be happier. We had eleven Tony nominations, and we were nominated for the best score, and we're just thrilled."

The Grammy Awards will be handed out Sunday, February 11th, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Catch the broadcast on CBS starting at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.