In 1986, Warren traveled to Toronto, to see the Manhattan Transfer in concert. Afterward, he waited at the backstage door, and upon the group's exit presented them with copies of "Nowhere But Up". Over the years, A Special Blend had in fact been compared to the Manhattan Transfer. Some months later, while completing his master's degree at the University of Alabama, Warren received a surprise phone call from Janis Siegel of the Manhattan Transfer, asking if he had heard from the Recording Academy. Siegel explained that members of the Manhattan Transfer had submitted "Nowhere But Up" for a Grammy Award nomination. Because the album was a small, independent release, it had not reached enough members of the Recording Academy to earn a Grammy nomination. However, Warren and A Special Blend would remain forever grateful for the Transfer's magnanimous gesture. Years later, Warren would write several arrangements for the Manhattan Transfer.