When it comes to awards shows, there are no guarantees. But, at this year’s upcoming Grammy Awards, it’s guaranteed a San Antonian will come home a winner. All five acts vying for the Grammy for best Tejano album have ties to San Antonio, a city that nominee Sunny Sauceda calls the “Motown of Tejano.” Here’s more on how Sauceda and the other nominees are preparing for Grammy night and what the nomination means to them:

Los Texmaniacs
A regular part of musical lineups at San Antonio events, members of Los Texmaniacs have played and recorded with several Grammy winning Tejano artists — Flaco Jimenez, Freddy Fender, Augie Meyers and Doug Sahm. Such frequent performances and high-profile collaborations have earned the group a loyal following.

Los Texmaniacs, led by Max Baca on bajo sexto and David Farias on accordion, is now getting recognition from the mainstream music industry. The group has its first career Grammy nomination this year for its album of traditional songs called “Borders y Bailes.”

"I can't believe it,” Baca told the San Antonio Express-News after the nominations were announced in December. “It’s a special CD ... it includes my history and my father’s musical history. And I’m with great company.”

Regardless if Los Texmaniacs take home a Grammy or not, it looks like 2010 will be a big year for the San Antonio-based group. A West Coast tour to promote “Borders y Bailes” is planned, and there’s a chance the group will be featured on “Austin City Limits.”

Stefani Montiel
No stranger to getting ready for Grammy night, Stefani Montiel took a different approach to celebrating her third career Grammy nod by preparing for the big night in style.

Students at the International Academy of Design and Technology in San Antonio competed for a chance to have Montiel wear one of their designs. The contest was dubbed “Proyecto Divina” after the title of Montiel’s nominated album, “Divina.”

With the help of fans’ input through online voting, Montiel chose her three top dress designs, which she will wear to the Grammy awards show and related events. “This has been a first for me,” says Montiel, who lives in San Antonio. “No one has ever designed a dress just for me ... it’s surreal.”

Montiel, who’s been to several past Grammy Award shows, says the experience is almost overwhelming.

“Being there in person is incredible,” she says of being surrounded by world-famous celebrities and musicians she and her peers have admired for years. “To me, the most amazing thing is breathing the same air as these people.”

Jay Perez
Easily one of the most recognizable voices of Tejano music, Jay Perez is up for his third Grammy nomination this year.
Nominated for “All The Way Live,” Perez, known as “The Voice” to his fans, says the Grammy nod is special.

“Grammy recognition is a big thing for us, being that we’re not mainstream. It means a lot to us,” Perez told the San Antonio Express-News recently.

Perez, a San Antonio native, had a milestone 2009, and a Grammy win could mean the beginning of a big 2010 for the singer. In the past year, Perez got married, was nominated for a Latin Grammy, and performed for President Barack Obama during Hispanic Heritage Month activities in the nation’s capital.

In recent interviews, Perez, who has several Tejano Music Awards and gold records to his name, has made no secret of wanting the prestigious music honor that has eluded him.

“Every artist dreams of getting a Grammy,” he says.

Joe Posada
A regular fixture at local music venues, where he plays his blend of jazz and Tejano sounds, Joe Posada could win his first career Grammy this year for his latest studio album, “Point of View.”

In past interviews, Posada, a six-time Tejano Music Award winner who was nominated for a Latin Grammy last year, has downplayed such industry honors.

“It’s about the music,” Posada recently told the San Antonio Express-News. “But getting a Grammy would be like the cherry on top.”
Posada, a native San Antonian who still resides in his hometown, has been making music for the past 35 years and it’s clearly his passion.

“I would play music regardless,” he told Conexión last year. “I’m just lucky enough to be able to do what I love and get paid for it.”

Sunny Sauceda
A lot of attention is given to female nominees of various entertainment awards shows, with fans curious about what top designer will dress them and what bling they’ll use to enhance their look.

Tejano singer Sunny Sauceda proves it’s not just women who want to look good on Grammy night.

“You’ve got to get ready. You have to look sharp,” Sauceda says, citing the fashion conscious rappers and hip-hop stars as some of the night’s heaviest competition, fashionably speaking.

Nominated for the album “Radiación Musical,” Sunny Sauceda shares the nomination with his band Todo Eso.

 “It really validates your art. It adds value to your company,” says Sauceda, who describes his modern take on Tejano music as a “capirotada,” or a blend of various sounds.

Sauceda says his Grammy nod is more special because all his fellow nominees hail from San Antonio.

“It’s the roots of where we all started,” he says.